Tell The Lord That You Love Him
8 years ago
Friday, May 26, 2006
Antichrist on the Horizon
We servants of the Most High God are watchmen on the wall. We are watching continually for the return of our Lord and Savior and we are watching the approach of the Antichrist on the horizon. The recent release of the DaVinci code along with the programming on tv such as the shows: Medium, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, X files, Invasion etc etc etc, as well as the other satanic movie releases have reached a fever pitch. When these things are combined with the coming new world order religion we see forming and the one world government coming together I can't help but think we are going to be out of here like SOON. The stage is set and only final adjustments have to be made to ready WW3 out of which will come the anti christ. It's time to get excited and do the things we need to do while we are still in this world because time is short short short.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Hell
I have been impressed recently by the increase in people who claim that there is no hell. One group that staunchly defends this is called the Universal Reconciliationists. They not only believe there is no hell, they also believe that everybody will be saved, even the devil.
What is so incredible about all this is that these people seem to know their bible yet they are completely blind and/or ignorant to what the bible is clearly stating. Now we know that sometimes the bible can be a bit vague about certain topics however hell is not one of these topics. In fact if there is any one thing the bible is painfully clear on, its the idea that there is a place of eternal punishment and people who don't know Jesus are going to end up there.
Consider the wording used in places like this:
Matthew 25: 41 “eternal fire”, 46 “eternal punishment”; Mark 9: 43-48 “into Hell, into the unquenchable fire”; 2 Thessalonians 1: 9 “pay the penalty of eternal destruction”; Heb. 9:27 “it is appointed for man to die once and after this comes judgement”; Rev. 14: 11 “…the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night…”; etc.).
I'm not sure what other wording could possibly be used to make the point clearer. The wicked will suffer eternal punishment and it's going to be really really bad. For people to read the bible and come away with any other conclusion about the reality of hell and the idea that not only will everyone not be saved, MOST people will not be saved, only a few will. Read Matt 7:14, how much clearer can it be. Jehovah's Witnesses and Universal Reconciliationists both teach that there is no hell. This is satanic power being displayed, showing how effective it can be at blinding the minds of those who refuse to love the truth. People indeed love the thoughts and words of men more than the word of God or they would not be caught up in such blatant, obvious and grievous error.
What is so incredible about all this is that these people seem to know their bible yet they are completely blind and/or ignorant to what the bible is clearly stating. Now we know that sometimes the bible can be a bit vague about certain topics however hell is not one of these topics. In fact if there is any one thing the bible is painfully clear on, its the idea that there is a place of eternal punishment and people who don't know Jesus are going to end up there.
Consider the wording used in places like this:
Matthew 25: 41 “eternal fire”, 46 “eternal punishment”; Mark 9: 43-48 “into Hell, into the unquenchable fire”; 2 Thessalonians 1: 9 “pay the penalty of eternal destruction”; Heb. 9:27 “it is appointed for man to die once and after this comes judgement”; Rev. 14: 11 “…the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night…”; etc.).
I'm not sure what other wording could possibly be used to make the point clearer. The wicked will suffer eternal punishment and it's going to be really really bad. For people to read the bible and come away with any other conclusion about the reality of hell and the idea that not only will everyone not be saved, MOST people will not be saved, only a few will. Read Matt 7:14, how much clearer can it be. Jehovah's Witnesses and Universal Reconciliationists both teach that there is no hell. This is satanic power being displayed, showing how effective it can be at blinding the minds of those who refuse to love the truth. People indeed love the thoughts and words of men more than the word of God or they would not be caught up in such blatant, obvious and grievous error.
Monday, April 24, 2006
99% is Not Enough
Mark 12:30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'
What does "all" mean? 100% right?
A person who is even 99% committed to Jesus has not committed enough. It appears that 100% committment to the Lord is the only level of committment that will enable us to "overcome" and enter eternal life. One reason for this is that any crack in our armor, and room under a nail's head is enough for the enemy to slip in a crowbar and pry us. The enemy is relentless and any cracks in our defenses will be explored and exploited. This is why we are told to love the Lord our God in this way:
Mark 12:33To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
Luke 10:27He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' ; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' "
It will take everything we have to love the Lord the way we are supposed to. Anything less than everything is not enough. The bar is set unbelievable high. This is why it says
Matt 7:
13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
~brother D
What does "all" mean? 100% right?
A person who is even 99% committed to Jesus has not committed enough. It appears that 100% committment to the Lord is the only level of committment that will enable us to "overcome" and enter eternal life. One reason for this is that any crack in our armor, and room under a nail's head is enough for the enemy to slip in a crowbar and pry us. The enemy is relentless and any cracks in our defenses will be explored and exploited. This is why we are told to love the Lord our God in this way:
Mark 12:33To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
Luke 10:27He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' ; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' "
It will take everything we have to love the Lord the way we are supposed to. Anything less than everything is not enough. The bar is set unbelievable high. This is why it says
Matt 7:
13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
~brother D
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Rapture-Prewrath and Post Trib Positions are Indefensible
How did I come to this conclusion?
Today I was thinking about being prepared for the Lord's return and what we need to do to be ready. The thought occured to me to do a keyword search of the New Testament for the word "watch." Here are some of the results:
Matthew 24:42"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
Matthew 25:13"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
Mark 13:35"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn.
Mark 13:37What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!' "
Luke 12:37It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.
Luke 21:36Be 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."
Clearly the word "watch" in the above scriptures is talking about watching specifically for the Lord's return. Notice that there are no preconditions in the scriptures such as "watch when" or "watch if", it just says "watch" period. Here's where the prewrath and post tribber positions implode........
The bible clearly tells us to "watch," but are the prewrath postribbers "watching" right now? If the answer is no, then they are in clear disobedience to the Lord's command to "watch," right? If they answer "yes" they are watching for the Lord's return right now, then this nullifies their position that the Lord will return either at mid or post tribulation. Either way, their position is discredited.
Let's look at another, even more straightforward example of where the prewrath/post trib position is indefensible.
Luke 21:36 says : "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."
Are prewrath/post tribbers obeying the Lord's clear command here to "pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen?" If they are not praying for escape as the scripture clearly commands them to, are they not being disobedient to the Word of God? If they are praying for escape, then once again, they nullify their own position that we must go through part or all of the tribulation. Notice that the Lord's command is to pray to escape ALL
that is about to happen.
In both cases, the prewrath and post tribulation positions are discredited. People who hold prewrath or posttrib views are not watching for the Lord's return right now although the Lord clearly commands them to be watching (right now), nor are they praying for escape as the Lord commanded them to.
Why would a prewrath or post tribber pray for escape? They are to busy arguing with everyone that they are going through the tribulation. Praying for escape goes against everything they stand for, so they just disregard the word of God and hold on to the word of man.
What do you think is going to happen to servants who are not found watching when the Lord comes back like a thief as He said He would? If the Lord commands a man to pray for escape, that man better pray for escape, or he is a fool.
These things are worth pondering....
Today I was thinking about being prepared for the Lord's return and what we need to do to be ready. The thought occured to me to do a keyword search of the New Testament for the word "watch." Here are some of the results:
Matthew 24:42"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
Matthew 25:13"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
Mark 13:35"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn.
Mark 13:37What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!' "
Luke 12:37It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.
Luke 21:36Be 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."
Clearly the word "watch" in the above scriptures is talking about watching specifically for the Lord's return. Notice that there are no preconditions in the scriptures such as "watch when" or "watch if", it just says "watch" period. Here's where the prewrath and post tribber positions implode........
The bible clearly tells us to "watch," but are the prewrath postribbers "watching" right now? If the answer is no, then they are in clear disobedience to the Lord's command to "watch," right? If they answer "yes" they are watching for the Lord's return right now, then this nullifies their position that the Lord will return either at mid or post tribulation. Either way, their position is discredited.
Let's look at another, even more straightforward example of where the prewrath/post trib position is indefensible.
Luke 21:36 says : "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."
Are prewrath/post tribbers obeying the Lord's clear command here to "pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen?" If they are not praying for escape as the scripture clearly commands them to, are they not being disobedient to the Word of God? If they are praying for escape, then once again, they nullify their own position that we must go through part or all of the tribulation. Notice that the Lord's command is to pray to escape ALL
that is about to happen.
In both cases, the prewrath and post tribulation positions are discredited. People who hold prewrath or posttrib views are not watching for the Lord's return right now although the Lord clearly commands them to be watching (right now), nor are they praying for escape as the Lord commanded them to.
Why would a prewrath or post tribber pray for escape? They are to busy arguing with everyone that they are going through the tribulation. Praying for escape goes against everything they stand for, so they just disregard the word of God and hold on to the word of man.
What do you think is going to happen to servants who are not found watching when the Lord comes back like a thief as He said He would? If the Lord commands a man to pray for escape, that man better pray for escape, or he is a fool.
These things are worth pondering....
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Only a Few Will Be Saved
Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock; (NOT a billion people, few, little) for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Matthew 7:14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Matthew 22:14"For many are invited, but few are chosen."
Luke 13:
22Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?"
He said to them, 24"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Why? Because only a FEW will be able to enter.................
Matthew 24:12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,
1 Corinthians 10:5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.
Nobody ever became popular by telling people the truth.........................
Matthew 7:14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Matthew 22:14"For many are invited, but few are chosen."
Luke 13:
22Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?"
He said to them, 24"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Why? Because only a FEW will be able to enter.................
Matthew 24:12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,
1 Corinthians 10:5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.
Nobody ever became popular by telling people the truth.........................
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Pre Wrath Contradiction
Here's an email I sent to one of my brothers who leans to the Pre Wrath side at the moment:
Hey brotherman, something popped into my head last night out of the blue (from the Lord maybe?) :-) and I wanted you to give me your thoughts on it.
It has to do with the rapture. Two of the bible verses that make me lean heavily toward the pretrib scenario are:
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."
and
Rev 3:10-Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.
Now, we've been through these before however....here's the thought.
Pre-Wrath(PW) folks argue that Rev 3:10 does'nt say we'll be taken out of the world, but rather we'll be somehow "kept" while still in the world. This argument is the rub. On one hand, PW argues that christians have no valid reason to be "kept"/protected from tribulation, but on the other hand they argue that in this one case, christians ARE to be "kept" or somehow protected while still on this world in order to debunk the idea that christians are taken out of this world. Now we know that during the tribulation, the enemy will overcome the saints:
Daniel 7:21As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them
Daniel 7:25He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time.
Revelation 13:7He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.
It seems clear from these passages, that the saints who are in the world during the time of the tribulation will not be "kept" from anything. They will be conquered, they will be handed over, they will be defeated. So what's the only other alternative to the idea of:
" keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole" in Rev 3:10?
See what I'm saying? Also, when we are told to pray for escape in Luke 21:36 this directly contradicts the idea that believers are bound to tribulation. The idea of praying for escape is precisely not to have to go through something very bad which negates the PW argument that christians have never gotten out of tribulations before or ever will in the future. I'm trying to approach this with the most open mind I can, do you see the perspective I'm looking at this with? Do you see the contradiction? What are your thoughts? Brother D
Hey brotherman, something popped into my head last night out of the blue (from the Lord maybe?) :-) and I wanted you to give me your thoughts on it.
It has to do with the rapture. Two of the bible verses that make me lean heavily toward the pretrib scenario are:
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."
and
Rev 3:10-Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.
Now, we've been through these before however....here's the thought.
Pre-Wrath(PW) folks argue that Rev 3:10 does'nt say we'll be taken out of the world, but rather we'll be somehow "kept" while still in the world. This argument is the rub. On one hand, PW argues that christians have no valid reason to be "kept"/protected from tribulation, but on the other hand they argue that in this one case, christians ARE to be "kept" or somehow protected while still on this world in order to debunk the idea that christians are taken out of this world. Now we know that during the tribulation, the enemy will overcome the saints:
Daniel 7:21As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them
Daniel 7:25He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time.
Revelation 13:7He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.
It seems clear from these passages, that the saints who are in the world during the time of the tribulation will not be "kept" from anything. They will be conquered, they will be handed over, they will be defeated. So what's the only other alternative to the idea of:
" keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole" in Rev 3:10?
See what I'm saying? Also, when we are told to pray for escape in Luke 21:36 this directly contradicts the idea that believers are bound to tribulation. The idea of praying for escape is precisely not to have to go through something very bad which negates the PW argument that christians have never gotten out of tribulations before or ever will in the future. I'm trying to approach this with the most open mind I can, do you see the perspective I'm looking at this with? Do you see the contradiction? What are your thoughts? Brother D
Monday, March 06, 2006
Walking With God
Is there any higher aspiration we could have than to walk with God?
Genesis 5:24Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
Genesis 6:9This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.
What are the requirements that must be met in order to walk with God? We have to find out, then do what is necessary. There is nothing better we could aspire to during the days we walk this earth than to walk with the creator day in and day out. What greater honor could a man have than to walk side by side with the creator of the universe every day? It's an awesome thought. Lord, may we be counted worthy to walk with you.
~brother D
Genesis 5:24Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
Genesis 6:9This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.
What are the requirements that must be met in order to walk with God? We have to find out, then do what is necessary. There is nothing better we could aspire to during the days we walk this earth than to walk with the creator day in and day out. What greater honor could a man have than to walk side by side with the creator of the universe every day? It's an awesome thought. Lord, may we be counted worthy to walk with you.
~brother D
Monday, February 27, 2006
The Rapture-Part 8
I have read an argument some mid and post tribulationists hold for:
Matthew 24
36"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[f] but only the Father. 37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
Their argument is that the people who are taken are the wicked, not the church.
Spending time with the Lord this morning in His word, the refutation to that argument lept off the pages at me.
Immediately following Matt 24, Matt 25 is the parable of the ten virgins which clearly states that those who were not ready at the time the bridegroom shows up are the ones who are left. The virgins who were ready went into the wedding banquet with the Lord.
It's amazing that I never saw this before, even after reading through it so many times. Truly, we can only understand the Word of God with the illumination of the Holy Ghost.
~Brother D
Matthew 24
36"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[f] but only the Father. 37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
Their argument is that the people who are taken are the wicked, not the church.
Spending time with the Lord this morning in His word, the refutation to that argument lept off the pages at me.
Immediately following Matt 24, Matt 25 is the parable of the ten virgins which clearly states that those who were not ready at the time the bridegroom shows up are the ones who are left. The virgins who were ready went into the wedding banquet with the Lord.
It's amazing that I never saw this before, even after reading through it so many times. Truly, we can only understand the Word of God with the illumination of the Holy Ghost.
~Brother D
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
The Rapture-Part 7
If the "escape" talked about in Luke21:36 is going to occur before the tribulation as I believe it will based on the information discussed in previous posts on this blog, then when would the most likey time be for the Lord to catch people by surprise, or unexpected as He says in His Word?
Seems to me, it would be at a time when things are going relatively well for people. When things are going well, people tend to forget about the Lord. When things are hitting the fan left and right, when terrible events are rocking the world, people are looking for the Lord.
I imagine that any day now would be a good day for the Lord to reveal Himself to His people and catch us up in the air to be with Him forever. He specifically told us to be watching for Him, as an ongoing command. The better things are going in the world, the more complacent people become, the more vigilant we should be. Its at times like these that He is most likely to show up. Brother D
Seems to me, it would be at a time when things are going relatively well for people. When things are going well, people tend to forget about the Lord. When things are hitting the fan left and right, when terrible events are rocking the world, people are looking for the Lord.
I imagine that any day now would be a good day for the Lord to reveal Himself to His people and catch us up in the air to be with Him forever. He specifically told us to be watching for Him, as an ongoing command. The better things are going in the world, the more complacent people become, the more vigilant we should be. Its at times like these that He is most likely to show up. Brother D
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Dead Man Walking
Why are we not concerned with the things of this world? Because we are dead men (and women :-) walking...................
Romans 6:8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
Colossians 2:20Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules:
Colossians 3:3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
Galatians 2:20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules????????????????
We are ambassadors and members of an otherworldly kingdom, not this world's kingdom. When I hear people who call themselves christians getting all wound up about politics or any of the other lies this world tries to feed us, I wonder: which spirit lives in those people?
People who follow the spirit of this world have their minds set on this world and this world's desires...
John 8:23But he continued, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
John 12:25The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
John 15:19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
The world calls the day Jesus died "Good Friday", you ever wonder why? John 16:20I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.
John 17:14I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.
John 17:16They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.
John 18:36Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."
Romans 12:2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
1 Corinthians 1:21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.
1 Corinthians 1:27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
1 Corinthians 1:28He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,
1 Corinthians 2:12We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.
1 Corinthians 3:19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness" ;
2 Corinthians 5:16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
2 Corinthians 10:3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.
2 Corinthians 10:4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
Galatians 4:3So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world.
Galatians 6:14May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Ephesians 2:2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
Ephesians 6:12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Colossians 2:8See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
James 2:5Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? I guess the TBN crowd is out of luck.....
People who call themselves christians yet are not only friends with the world, but lovers with the world, better re-evaluate their life...
James 4:4You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
1 Peter 1:1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,
1 Peter 2:11Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.
1 John 2:15[ Do Not Love the World ] Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1 John 3:13Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. Does the world hate the televangelists (or those who follow them) we see on TV these days? hardly....
1 John 4:5They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. This represents the vast majority of people calling themselves christians today. They know who they are by the people they call their "leaders", birds of a feather flock together...
1 John 5:19We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. People talk about taking the goverment back for Jesus, guess they have'nt read this in the Bible yet. Jesus will take the Government back, but not for someone like George W. He'll come back, take it by force, and rule it Himself....
Revelation 12:9The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with
him.
Those who believe in the "real" Jesus are dead to this world and all its ways. We are alive to Christ however, and we have our minds set on our Father's kingdom, not this one that we presently live in.
9"This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11Give us today our daily bread. 12Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Come Lord Jesus, Come Quickly
Romans 6:8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
Colossians 2:20Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules:
Colossians 3:3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
Galatians 2:20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules????????????????
We are ambassadors and members of an otherworldly kingdom, not this world's kingdom. When I hear people who call themselves christians getting all wound up about politics or any of the other lies this world tries to feed us, I wonder: which spirit lives in those people?
People who follow the spirit of this world have their minds set on this world and this world's desires...
John 8:23But he continued, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
John 12:25The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
John 15:19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
The world calls the day Jesus died "Good Friday", you ever wonder why? John 16:20I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.
John 17:14I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.
John 17:16They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.
John 18:36Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."
Romans 12:2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
1 Corinthians 1:21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.
1 Corinthians 1:27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
1 Corinthians 1:28He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,
1 Corinthians 2:12We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.
1 Corinthians 3:19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness" ;
2 Corinthians 5:16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
2 Corinthians 10:3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.
2 Corinthians 10:4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
Galatians 4:3So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world.
Galatians 6:14May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Ephesians 2:2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
Ephesians 6:12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Colossians 2:8See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
James 2:5Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? I guess the TBN crowd is out of luck.....
People who call themselves christians yet are not only friends with the world, but lovers with the world, better re-evaluate their life...
James 4:4You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
1 Peter 1:1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,
1 Peter 2:11Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.
1 John 2:15[ Do Not Love the World ] Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1 John 3:13Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. Does the world hate the televangelists (or those who follow them) we see on TV these days? hardly....
1 John 4:5They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. This represents the vast majority of people calling themselves christians today. They know who they are by the people they call their "leaders", birds of a feather flock together...
1 John 5:19We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. People talk about taking the goverment back for Jesus, guess they have'nt read this in the Bible yet. Jesus will take the Government back, but not for someone like George W. He'll come back, take it by force, and rule it Himself....
Revelation 12:9The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with
him.
Those who believe in the "real" Jesus are dead to this world and all its ways. We are alive to Christ however, and we have our minds set on our Father's kingdom, not this one that we presently live in.
9"This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11Give us today our daily bread. 12Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Come Lord Jesus, Come Quickly
Monday, February 06, 2006
Crossing the Finish Line Strong
It has been on my heart lately that we should make every effort to cross the finish line strong so that we 2Peter1:11 "will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." This is important for us who are really committed to pleasing our Lord and Savior. If time is as short as I think it is, we need to get serious, focused and ready to meet our beloved Jesus. I say we need to think about crossing the finish line strong like runners running a race. What does the bible have to say about this race we are running?
Acts 20:24However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
1 Corinthians 9:24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Galatians 2:2I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain.
Galatians 5:7You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?
2 Timothy 4:7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Hebrews 12:1[ God Disciplines His Sons ] Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
A race has been marked out for us, so let us run it with perseverance. Those of us who have run for any significant distance know what it takes to finish a long race. It takes perseverance, focus, strength, and raw determination. You can't cross the finish line of a marathon "half wanting" to win. You have to want the prize really really bad. Let's cross the finish line strong~brother D
Acts 20:24However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
1 Corinthians 9:24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Galatians 2:2I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain.
Galatians 5:7You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?
2 Timothy 4:7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Hebrews 12:1[ God Disciplines His Sons ] Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
A race has been marked out for us, so let us run it with perseverance. Those of us who have run for any significant distance know what it takes to finish a long race. It takes perseverance, focus, strength, and raw determination. You can't cross the finish line of a marathon "half wanting" to win. You have to want the prize really really bad. Let's cross the finish line strong~brother D
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
The Rapture-Rapture Timing
We do not know the day or hour of the rapture, however, what do we know about the days leading up to the rapture? The answer to this question once again identifies the rapture as a pretribulation event....
Let's take a look at Luke 21:34:
Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. "
The bible tells us to be careful that our hearts are not weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life in the days leading up to the rapture. Let's think about this, if the rapture were mid-tribulation or post-tribulation, would the Lord use the kind of language He did in Luke 21:34? It's highly unlikely. At any point of the tribulation period there will be much more going on in the world to weigh our hearts down than dissipation, drunkenness, and the "normal" anxieties of life. Compare the "anxieties of life" mentioned in Luke 21:34 with the events unfolding at any point of the tribulation and you should see a stark contrast.
We are given this exact same picture in Matt 24:38
For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.
The Lord has painted clear pictures for us in both Luke 21:34 and Matt 24:38 that life on the earth leading up to the day of the rapture will be taking place as it always has. The words He uses to describe the days leading up to the rapture are absolutely NOT the same words used to describe the days and events taking place during the tribulation.
IF the rapture was to take place either at the midpoint or end of the tribulation we should see some kind of wording, some kind of language to indicate that the days leading up to the rapture are "tribulation days," not "ordinary days." I challenge any pre-wrath or post-trib advocate to argue how the words used in Luke 21:34 or Matt 24:38 give even the slightest hint that they are anything but "ordinary days" indicitive of a pretribulation earth.
If the pre-wrath position was correct would'nt we see some type of language used to describe days leading up to the rapture like this?:
Rev 6:8 I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth. ??????
According to pre-wrath advocates, this ^^^^^ is indicitive of days leading up to the rapture. Now, contrast the events taking place in the days of Rev 6:8 with the events of the days taking place in the days of either Luke 21:34 or Matt 24:38. The contrast is breathtaking. They absolutely cannot be the same days since the events taking place are totally different.
The days leading up to a pre-wrath or post-trib rapture are filled with massive death, famine, plague unlike anything the earth has ever seen, whereas the days leading up to the pre-trib rapture are filled with "people eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage."
It does'nt get any more clear cut than this.
Be ready, time is short-Peace-brother D
Let's take a look at Luke 21:34:
Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. "
The bible tells us to be careful that our hearts are not weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life in the days leading up to the rapture. Let's think about this, if the rapture were mid-tribulation or post-tribulation, would the Lord use the kind of language He did in Luke 21:34? It's highly unlikely. At any point of the tribulation period there will be much more going on in the world to weigh our hearts down than dissipation, drunkenness, and the "normal" anxieties of life. Compare the "anxieties of life" mentioned in Luke 21:34 with the events unfolding at any point of the tribulation and you should see a stark contrast.
We are given this exact same picture in Matt 24:38
For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.
The Lord has painted clear pictures for us in both Luke 21:34 and Matt 24:38 that life on the earth leading up to the day of the rapture will be taking place as it always has. The words He uses to describe the days leading up to the rapture are absolutely NOT the same words used to describe the days and events taking place during the tribulation.
IF the rapture was to take place either at the midpoint or end of the tribulation we should see some kind of wording, some kind of language to indicate that the days leading up to the rapture are "tribulation days," not "ordinary days." I challenge any pre-wrath or post-trib advocate to argue how the words used in Luke 21:34 or Matt 24:38 give even the slightest hint that they are anything but "ordinary days" indicitive of a pretribulation earth.
If the pre-wrath position was correct would'nt we see some type of language used to describe days leading up to the rapture like this?:
Rev 6:8 I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth. ??????
According to pre-wrath advocates, this ^^^^^ is indicitive of days leading up to the rapture. Now, contrast the events taking place in the days of Rev 6:8 with the events of the days taking place in the days of either Luke 21:34 or Matt 24:38. The contrast is breathtaking. They absolutely cannot be the same days since the events taking place are totally different.
The days leading up to a pre-wrath or post-trib rapture are filled with massive death, famine, plague unlike anything the earth has ever seen, whereas the days leading up to the pre-trib rapture are filled with "people eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage."
It does'nt get any more clear cut than this.
Be ready, time is short-Peace-brother D
Saturday, January 28, 2006
The Rapture-Evaluating the Rapture Positions
We know that over and over again in the scriptures we are commanded to "watch." When these commands are given to us, they are not qualified commands like "begin to watch when this happens" or "begin to watch when that happens." We are just told to watch and be ready for the Lord's return.
Matthew 24:42"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
Matthew 24:43But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.
Matthew 25:13"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
Mark 13:35"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn
Luke 12:37It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.
Luke 12:38It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night.
Luke 21:36Be 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."
Matthew 24:44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Matthew 24:50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of.
Luke 12:40You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."
Luke 12:46The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
The Bible says to watch because Jesus is coming at an hour when you (the believer) are not expecting. If He was not talking to believers then why would He say "He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers?"
Those who believe we will see a pretribulation rapture are watching for the Lord's return NOW, just as we are commanded to. IF, and I say "if" there was no pretrib rapture, would true believers walk away from the faith? No, we would keep watching just as commanded, then regretfully email the prewrath/mid trib folks and pray they were right and not the post-tribbers :-). If the pre-wrath group was wrong we'd stick it out till we lost our heads or ended up at the end of the tribulation. Regardless of when the Rapture happens, we the pretribbers WILL BE WATCHING!
The same cannot be said for the pre-wrath, post-trib crowd. They light up the world wide web flaming every pre-tribber in sight telling them how they cannot be right, and how basically there's no need to watch for the rapture until mid-tribulation or even AFTER the tribulation is over. Are they "watching" for the Lord's return RIGHT NOW and everyday as the Lord commanded? Nope. Is this disobedience? (I won't go there). IF the pretrib rapture IS the correct position, will people who ARE NOT WATCHING be allowed to meet Christ in the air? (I don't know, I guess they'll find out...)
If the pretrib rapture position is wrong, so what? We'll have plenty of time to watch prophesy unfold before us just as the bible lays it out. If the pretrib position is right, the pre-wrath/post-tribbers will have NO TIME to change their minds and jump on the bandwagon. Either way, I am waiting eagerly for The Lord's return RIGHT NOW just like He commanded us to. If it's tonight YEEEEEEHAWWWWW, if it's after the tribulation, then Lord grant us strength to live or die and well for You.
Peace~brother D
Matthew 24:42"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
Matthew 24:43But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.
Matthew 25:13"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
Mark 13:35"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn
Luke 12:37It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.
Luke 12:38It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night.
Luke 21:36Be 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."
Matthew 24:44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Matthew 24:50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of.
Luke 12:40You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."
Luke 12:46The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
The Bible says to watch because Jesus is coming at an hour when you (the believer) are not expecting. If He was not talking to believers then why would He say "He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers?"
Those who believe we will see a pretribulation rapture are watching for the Lord's return NOW, just as we are commanded to. IF, and I say "if" there was no pretrib rapture, would true believers walk away from the faith? No, we would keep watching just as commanded, then regretfully email the prewrath/mid trib folks and pray they were right and not the post-tribbers :-). If the pre-wrath group was wrong we'd stick it out till we lost our heads or ended up at the end of the tribulation. Regardless of when the Rapture happens, we the pretribbers WILL BE WATCHING!
The same cannot be said for the pre-wrath, post-trib crowd. They light up the world wide web flaming every pre-tribber in sight telling them how they cannot be right, and how basically there's no need to watch for the rapture until mid-tribulation or even AFTER the tribulation is over. Are they "watching" for the Lord's return RIGHT NOW and everyday as the Lord commanded? Nope. Is this disobedience? (I won't go there). IF the pretrib rapture IS the correct position, will people who ARE NOT WATCHING be allowed to meet Christ in the air? (I don't know, I guess they'll find out...)
If the pretrib rapture position is wrong, so what? We'll have plenty of time to watch prophesy unfold before us just as the bible lays it out. If the pretrib position is right, the pre-wrath/post-tribbers will have NO TIME to change their minds and jump on the bandwagon. Either way, I am waiting eagerly for The Lord's return RIGHT NOW just like He commanded us to. If it's tonight YEEEEEEHAWWWWW, if it's after the tribulation, then Lord grant us strength to live or die and well for You.
Peace~brother D
Friday, January 27, 2006
The Rapture-Part 4- A Serious Stumbling Block
A Serious Stumbling Block for the Pre-Wrath, Post-Trib crowd.
For all their work slicing and dicing the scriptures to try and make a mid or post trib rapture work, I have never read or heard a good argument yet against one of the most rock solid proofs of a pretribulation rapture. Luke 21:36.
What does Luke 21:36 say?
36Be 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."
First of all, it says "be always on the watch." This is the concept of imminency we hold, that Jesus can come back for us at any moment. The pre-wrath crowd and the post-trib crowd just can't understand this. When we are told to ALWAYS be on watch, that means RIGHT NOW. This sinks the pre-wrath and post-tribbers ship in and of itself. For both of those groups there's other stuff that needs to happen first, which means there's no reason to watch right now, except of course that our Lord commanded us to :-)
Next we are told to pray that we may escape all that is about to happen. Yep, the Lord told us specifically to pray for this escape. If someone has a problem with me having an escapist mentality, they need to consult the Lord on it, not me, I did'nt say it, HE DID.
The pre-wrath crowd tells us we have to go through the first 3.5 years of the tribulation. I guess they don't understand what the meaning of "ALL" is. Pray that you may be able to escape ALL that is about to happen. Last time I checked, ALL doesn't mean we escape PART of it, it means we escape ALL of it. What's so hard to understand about that?
Before I go any farther let me stop to defang the bible mutilators whose first and most beloved trick is to say "BUT WAIT..........WHAT DOES THE GREEK OR HEBREW SAY......"
Yea, they love this trick, since most people don't bother to look the Greek or Hebrew up on their own, the bible mutilation crowd likes to throw this at them. Basically they are trying to say they can do a better job at translating the bible than the original translators did, AND they don't want it to say exactly what it means at face value. Oh but they say "the greek and hebrew are much more expressive." Right, more expressive means they have more latitude to butcher the straghtforward meaning and torture the bible into saying what they want it to say....
Anyhow, I digress, let's look at the Greek word for "escape" above. I won't try to tell you what it means since you have eyes and can read if you've come this far :-)
Escape as used in Luke 21:36 above is the Greek word:
ekpheugo {ek-fyoo'-go}-1) to flee out of, flee away
a) to seek safety in flight
b) to escape
The last words I want to look at in Luke 21:36 are "all that is about to happen"
This clearly implies a future event or series of events that the Lord specifically tells us to pray we can escape from. Let's reason together, what future event is going to be SO BAD that He could be telling us to pray that we may escape it? What could He possibly be talking about?
Between Revelation 3:10, Luke 21:36 and Matt 24:36, a case is made so strongly for the pretrib rapture that regardless of what else the pre-wrath/post-trib crowd throws at it, the arguments fall apart. They either have to make many assumptions, and/or not bring these verses up at all in order to make their theories fit. That's not a sound way to examine the bible's wisdom.
Proverbs 25:2It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.
The Lord has concealed many things in His word, but He has given us powerful clues AND His Holy Spirit to search them out. If something really bad is going to take place in the future for everyone on the face of this earth, and the Lord had an escape for us so we would "escape ALL that is about to happen" when would this escape NECESSARILY HAVE TO HAPPEN?
You guessed it- BEFORE THE TRIBULATION!!!
Watch and be ready, the bible says He's coming when we don't expect Him.
Matthew 24:44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Peace~brother D
For all their work slicing and dicing the scriptures to try and make a mid or post trib rapture work, I have never read or heard a good argument yet against one of the most rock solid proofs of a pretribulation rapture. Luke 21:36.
What does Luke 21:36 say?
36Be 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."
First of all, it says "be always on the watch." This is the concept of imminency we hold, that Jesus can come back for us at any moment. The pre-wrath crowd and the post-trib crowd just can't understand this. When we are told to ALWAYS be on watch, that means RIGHT NOW. This sinks the pre-wrath and post-tribbers ship in and of itself. For both of those groups there's other stuff that needs to happen first, which means there's no reason to watch right now, except of course that our Lord commanded us to :-)
Next we are told to pray that we may escape all that is about to happen. Yep, the Lord told us specifically to pray for this escape. If someone has a problem with me having an escapist mentality, they need to consult the Lord on it, not me, I did'nt say it, HE DID.
The pre-wrath crowd tells us we have to go through the first 3.5 years of the tribulation. I guess they don't understand what the meaning of "ALL" is. Pray that you may be able to escape ALL that is about to happen. Last time I checked, ALL doesn't mean we escape PART of it, it means we escape ALL of it. What's so hard to understand about that?
Before I go any farther let me stop to defang the bible mutilators whose first and most beloved trick is to say "BUT WAIT..........WHAT DOES THE GREEK OR HEBREW SAY......"
Yea, they love this trick, since most people don't bother to look the Greek or Hebrew up on their own, the bible mutilation crowd likes to throw this at them. Basically they are trying to say they can do a better job at translating the bible than the original translators did, AND they don't want it to say exactly what it means at face value. Oh but they say "the greek and hebrew are much more expressive." Right, more expressive means they have more latitude to butcher the straghtforward meaning and torture the bible into saying what they want it to say....
Anyhow, I digress, let's look at the Greek word for "escape" above. I won't try to tell you what it means since you have eyes and can read if you've come this far :-)
Escape as used in Luke 21:36 above is the Greek word:
ekpheugo {ek-fyoo'-go}-1) to flee out of, flee away
a) to seek safety in flight
b) to escape
The last words I want to look at in Luke 21:36 are "all that is about to happen"
This clearly implies a future event or series of events that the Lord specifically tells us to pray we can escape from. Let's reason together, what future event is going to be SO BAD that He could be telling us to pray that we may escape it? What could He possibly be talking about?
Between Revelation 3:10, Luke 21:36 and Matt 24:36, a case is made so strongly for the pretrib rapture that regardless of what else the pre-wrath/post-trib crowd throws at it, the arguments fall apart. They either have to make many assumptions, and/or not bring these verses up at all in order to make their theories fit. That's not a sound way to examine the bible's wisdom.
Proverbs 25:2It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.
The Lord has concealed many things in His word, but He has given us powerful clues AND His Holy Spirit to search them out. If something really bad is going to take place in the future for everyone on the face of this earth, and the Lord had an escape for us so we would "escape ALL that is about to happen" when would this escape NECESSARILY HAVE TO HAPPEN?
You guessed it- BEFORE THE TRIBULATION!!!
Watch and be ready, the bible says He's coming when we don't expect Him.
Matthew 24:44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Peace~brother D
Thursday, January 26, 2006
What Does it Take to Get Into Heaven?
It appears that it takes Faith AND Obedience.
The Faith part of this equation almost goes without saying, let's look at obedience.
Matthew 19:17"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."
Luke 11:28He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."
John 14:15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command.
John 14:21Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
John 14:23Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
John 14:24He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
John 15:10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.
John 17:6[ Jesus Prays for His Disciples ] "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.
Acts 5:29Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men!
Acts 5:32We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."
Romans 2:13For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.
Galatians 5:7You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?
Philippians 2:12[ Shining as Stars ] Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling
2 Thessalonians 1:8He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
Hebrews 5:9and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him
1 Peter 1:22Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.
1 Peter 4:17For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?Context)
1 John 2:3We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.
1 John 2:5But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him
1 John 3:22and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.1 John 3:21-23 (in Context) 1 John 3 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 3:24Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
1 John 5:3This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome
Revelation 3:3Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
Revelation 12:17Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
Revelation 14:12This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.
If it's not obvious by now that Faith AND Obedience is necessary to get into heaven, nothing will convince you.
Peace~brother D
The Faith part of this equation almost goes without saying, let's look at obedience.
Matthew 19:17"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."
Luke 11:28He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."
John 14:15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command.
John 14:21Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
John 14:23Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
John 14:24He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
John 15:10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.
John 17:6[ Jesus Prays for His Disciples ] "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.
Acts 5:29Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men!
Acts 5:32We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."
Romans 2:13For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.
Galatians 5:7You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?
Philippians 2:12[ Shining as Stars ] Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling
2 Thessalonians 1:8He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
Hebrews 5:9and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him
1 Peter 1:22Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.
1 Peter 4:17For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?Context)
1 John 2:3We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.
1 John 2:5But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him
1 John 3:22and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.1 John 3:21-23 (in Context) 1 John 3 (Whole Chapter)
1 John 3:24Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
1 John 5:3This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome
Revelation 3:3Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
Revelation 12:17Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
Revelation 14:12This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.
If it's not obvious by now that Faith AND Obedience is necessary to get into heaven, nothing will convince you.
Peace~brother D
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
The Rapture-Revelation 3:10 Pre-Trib Rapture Confirmation
A look at the greek words in John 17:15 proves conclusively that we will be taken out of the world during the "hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world"
First let's look at John 17:15—NASB:
I do not ask Thee to take them out of (ek) the
world but to keep (tereo) them from (ek) the evil
one.
the Greek word (ek) is used in this sentence above "take them out of (ek) the world"
ek {ek} or ex {ex} out of, from, by, away from
Next, lets look at the word:
tereo {tay-reh'-o}1) to attend to carefully, take care of a) to guard b) metaph. to keep, one in the state in which he is c) to observe d) to reserve: to undergo something
Now we're ready to look at Rev 3:10
Rev3:10Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you(tereo) from (ek) the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth
When ek is combined with tereo it forms the meaning of “guarding one by taking them out of, or away from” the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.
The word (ek) will set you free :-)
http://www.blueletterbible.org/tmp_dir/words/1/1138224594-2325.html
see for yourself and rejoice -Brother D
First let's look at John 17:15—NASB:
I do not ask Thee to take them out of (ek) the
world but to keep (tereo) them from (ek) the evil
one.
the Greek word (ek) is used in this sentence above "take them out of (ek) the world"
ek {ek} or ex {ex} out of, from, by, away from
Next, lets look at the word:
tereo {tay-reh'-o}1) to attend to carefully, take care of a) to guard b) metaph. to keep, one in the state in which he is c) to observe d) to reserve: to undergo something
Now we're ready to look at Rev 3:10
Rev3:10Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you(tereo) from (ek) the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth
When ek is combined with tereo it forms the meaning of “guarding one by taking them out of, or away from” the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.
The word (ek) will set you free :-)
http://www.blueletterbible.org/tmp_dir/words/1/1138224594-2325.html
see for yourself and rejoice -Brother D
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Sound the Alarm
Just how narrow is the gate that leads to life?
Matt 7
The Narrow and Wide Gates 13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
The bible clearly states that only a few will find that narrow road that leads to life, but how few is a few? I mean, what if a few means 8% of the adults living on the earth today? 8%! I'm not claiming that number is THE number but it certainly is FEW relative to the whole of humanity living right now. What kind of life would you be living right now, what kind of faith and obedience would you be practicing if you knew that only 8% were going to make it into heaven? I don't think the Lord was joking when He said "a few". If you think that's alarmist, GOOD. If it creates fear in your then maybe "the fear of the Lord" is taking on a new meaning for you, that's GOOD.
Luke 12:5But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.
This is no joke people. Your shepherds have failed you or deliberately misled you. In the grave situation we find ourselves in today, where every way you turn there are wolves dressed in sheep's clothing, nothing, absolutely nothing will take the place of your personal devotion to the Lord.
You know, people spend 16 hour days working hard to have a nice car, be a top notch athlete, or a leader of industry. They strive, strive, strive to be the best in their field of endeavor, to be the creme de la creme, yet when it comes to devotion to the Lord, holiness, obedience and faith, it seems to be enough to just trust their hired hand pastor, priest etc to lead the way and drag them across the finsh line. Here's a newsflash, if your spiritual employee (pastor/priest) isn't going to make it himself, where does that leave you?
I challenge you to seek the Lord's face on this issue and ask Him to show you just how hard it really is to get into heaven....
Matthew 11:15He who has ears, let him hear.
Matthew 13:9He who has ears, let him hear."
Matthew 13:13This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
Matthew 13:15For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.'
Where are the watchmen standing on the walls and sounding the alarm that the enemy is not only at the gates, but inside the walls! Where is the alarm and outrage that the men you trusted to warn you have either fallen asleep on duty or worse yet BELONG TO THE ENEMY!
Mock at your own peril
Laugh at your own peril
Dismiss at your own peril
This world has enough of these men:
2 Timothy 4:3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
Jeremiah 6:14They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace.
The Lord has always wanted to be your shepherd, but when you reject Him, He'll give you want you want (pastor/priest). Nothing is new under the sun:
1 Samuel 8
1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges for Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead [a] us, such as all the other nations have."
6 But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do."
Jesus isn't enough for people today, they want Jesus AND an idolatrous pastoral system so they can feed their flesh with what their eyes can see and what their ears can hear. A God with a still small voice just does'nt cut it for them.
A Still Small Voice
And he [the Lord] said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind and earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
-- I Kings 19: 11-12 (KJV)
Sound the Alarm
Matt 7
The Narrow and Wide Gates 13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
The bible clearly states that only a few will find that narrow road that leads to life, but how few is a few? I mean, what if a few means 8% of the adults living on the earth today? 8%! I'm not claiming that number is THE number but it certainly is FEW relative to the whole of humanity living right now. What kind of life would you be living right now, what kind of faith and obedience would you be practicing if you knew that only 8% were going to make it into heaven? I don't think the Lord was joking when He said "a few". If you think that's alarmist, GOOD. If it creates fear in your then maybe "the fear of the Lord" is taking on a new meaning for you, that's GOOD.
Luke 12:5But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.
This is no joke people. Your shepherds have failed you or deliberately misled you. In the grave situation we find ourselves in today, where every way you turn there are wolves dressed in sheep's clothing, nothing, absolutely nothing will take the place of your personal devotion to the Lord.
You know, people spend 16 hour days working hard to have a nice car, be a top notch athlete, or a leader of industry. They strive, strive, strive to be the best in their field of endeavor, to be the creme de la creme, yet when it comes to devotion to the Lord, holiness, obedience and faith, it seems to be enough to just trust their hired hand pastor, priest etc to lead the way and drag them across the finsh line. Here's a newsflash, if your spiritual employee (pastor/priest) isn't going to make it himself, where does that leave you?
I challenge you to seek the Lord's face on this issue and ask Him to show you just how hard it really is to get into heaven....
Matthew 11:15He who has ears, let him hear.
Matthew 13:9He who has ears, let him hear."
Matthew 13:13This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
Matthew 13:15For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.'
Where are the watchmen standing on the walls and sounding the alarm that the enemy is not only at the gates, but inside the walls! Where is the alarm and outrage that the men you trusted to warn you have either fallen asleep on duty or worse yet BELONG TO THE ENEMY!
Mock at your own peril
Laugh at your own peril
Dismiss at your own peril
This world has enough of these men:
2 Timothy 4:3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
Jeremiah 6:14They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace.
The Lord has always wanted to be your shepherd, but when you reject Him, He'll give you want you want (pastor/priest). Nothing is new under the sun:
1 Samuel 8
1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges for Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead [a] us, such as all the other nations have."
6 But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do."
Jesus isn't enough for people today, they want Jesus AND an idolatrous pastoral system so they can feed their flesh with what their eyes can see and what their ears can hear. A God with a still small voice just does'nt cut it for them.
A Still Small Voice
And he [the Lord] said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind and earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
-- I Kings 19: 11-12 (KJV)
Sound the Alarm
Monday, January 23, 2006
We Worship Him for a Reason
There are some pretty fantastic reasons to worship the Creator of the universe.
1 Corinthians 2
9However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" 10but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
Psalm 16:11You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Wow, that sounds pretty good, but that's not all:
Revelation 3:21To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.
Now this one is a real eye popper for me. To be given the right to sit on the throne with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, is just a little too spectacular for me to wrap my mind around.
John 17:22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:
Romans 2:7To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.
Romans 2:10but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
Romans 8:17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Romans 9:23What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—
With all that's going on in this world I think it's important to remind ourselves of just how incredibly AWESOME it's going to be when we are united with our Lord once again. There is a flip side to all of this of course. There is a place so bad that it almost defies explanation, where many many people will end up it appears and we DO NOT want to go there. So we have the "pulling" force exerted by the wonderful promises made to us of heaven, and we have the "pushing" force exerted by the horrors of hell. All of this should help us to stay focused on the prize and work toward in with renewed conviction each and every day. Peace~brother D
1 Corinthians 2
9However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" 10but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
Psalm 16:11You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Wow, that sounds pretty good, but that's not all:
Revelation 3:21To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.
Now this one is a real eye popper for me. To be given the right to sit on the throne with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, is just a little too spectacular for me to wrap my mind around.
John 17:22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:
Romans 2:7To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.
Romans 2:10but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
Romans 8:17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Romans 9:23What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—
With all that's going on in this world I think it's important to remind ourselves of just how incredibly AWESOME it's going to be when we are united with our Lord once again. There is a flip side to all of this of course. There is a place so bad that it almost defies explanation, where many many people will end up it appears and we DO NOT want to go there. So we have the "pulling" force exerted by the wonderful promises made to us of heaven, and we have the "pushing" force exerted by the horrors of hell. All of this should help us to stay focused on the prize and work toward in with renewed conviction each and every day. Peace~brother D
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Straining Towards the Finish Line
Many of us believe that we are living in the last days. Not only are we living in the last days, I think we are in the last part of the last days when time is very, very short. Paul describes our Christian experience as a race when he says:
1 Corinthians 9
24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Visualizing our life as Christians like running a race has been helpful to me. Anyone who has run for distance knows that it takes mental focus to finish. It takes something deep down in the gut to press a body that wants to stop across the finish line. It takes endurance and the will to win in order to finish a long race. A person REALLY has to want it. These same things can be said of our Christianity. As we turn the last corner and we head toward the finish line, our committment to the Lord will be tested like never before. In order to finish this race, we will have to REALLY want it, we will have to be totally committed. Thinking along these lines has helped me to understand this better:
Matthew 25
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
1"At 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 any oil with them. 4The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
7"Then 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,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'
10"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11"Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'
12"But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'
13"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
The bottom line for the foolish virgins was they were not prepared and they ran out of oil. In the same way a foolish runner does not prepare for the long race but instead shows up to start the race but cannot finish it, just like the foolish virgins showed up to meet the bridegroom but ran out of oil. We have to throw away all the feel good that the world's religious leaders have throw at the masses and get a serious reality check if we expect to make it into the kingdom of heaven. As I posted earlier, most people are not going to make it into heaven, a few will make it in. Matthew 7:13[ The Narrow and Wide Gates ] "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
If only a few will make it into heaven, what kind of lives should we be living? What kind of purity should the Lord see in our hearts? If a person views life from the perspective that only a few will be saved they will think radically different than someone who believes that most/many people will be saved. We've been fed the lie that we just have to trust this world's religious leaders to feed us and everything will be okay. Nothing could be farther from the truth and the time to wake up to the truth is not the moment you are standing before the Lord to answer for your life....
As we strain toward the finish line we have to run with the prize of winning and the penalty of losing in the forefront of our minds. We have to renew our committment, renew our minds, remove every snare that has impeded or stopped our progress toward the finish line. We live in trying days but when the Lord looks down on your heart and sees that you are REALLY committed, that you really want to do things His way but you need help, then He will help. Those that are not totally committed are like the foolish virgins, they showed up to meet the Lord but had no oil when it counted and ended up paying the ultimate price: the loss of their souls. It does'nt get any more serious than this, time is so short but there's still time to get things right, don't let the clock run out on you~brother Dave
1 Corinthians 9
24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Visualizing our life as Christians like running a race has been helpful to me. Anyone who has run for distance knows that it takes mental focus to finish. It takes something deep down in the gut to press a body that wants to stop across the finish line. It takes endurance and the will to win in order to finish a long race. A person REALLY has to want it. These same things can be said of our Christianity. As we turn the last corner and we head toward the finish line, our committment to the Lord will be tested like never before. In order to finish this race, we will have to REALLY want it, we will have to be totally committed. Thinking along these lines has helped me to understand this better:
Matthew 25
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
1"At 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 any oil with them. 4The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
7"Then 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,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'
10"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11"Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'
12"But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'
13"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
The bottom line for the foolish virgins was they were not prepared and they ran out of oil. In the same way a foolish runner does not prepare for the long race but instead shows up to start the race but cannot finish it, just like the foolish virgins showed up to meet the bridegroom but ran out of oil. We have to throw away all the feel good that the world's religious leaders have throw at the masses and get a serious reality check if we expect to make it into the kingdom of heaven. As I posted earlier, most people are not going to make it into heaven, a few will make it in. Matthew 7:13[ The Narrow and Wide Gates ] "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
If only a few will make it into heaven, what kind of lives should we be living? What kind of purity should the Lord see in our hearts? If a person views life from the perspective that only a few will be saved they will think radically different than someone who believes that most/many people will be saved. We've been fed the lie that we just have to trust this world's religious leaders to feed us and everything will be okay. Nothing could be farther from the truth and the time to wake up to the truth is not the moment you are standing before the Lord to answer for your life....
As we strain toward the finish line we have to run with the prize of winning and the penalty of losing in the forefront of our minds. We have to renew our committment, renew our minds, remove every snare that has impeded or stopped our progress toward the finish line. We live in trying days but when the Lord looks down on your heart and sees that you are REALLY committed, that you really want to do things His way but you need help, then He will help. Those that are not totally committed are like the foolish virgins, they showed up to meet the Lord but had no oil when it counted and ended up paying the ultimate price: the loss of their souls. It does'nt get any more serious than this, time is so short but there's still time to get things right, don't let the clock run out on you~brother Dave
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
A Sobering Message
Matthew 7
The Narrow and Wide Gates
13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
This appears to say in no uncertain terms that most people will not be saved. Only a FEW people will find their way through the narrow gate that leads to life. This is indeed a very sobering message that is in stark contrast to the message we hear from churchianity today. This is a very unpopular message, sure to clear the pews of the mega churches of today which is why I suppose it is not preached.
Luke 13
22Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?"
He said to them, 24"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.' "But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.'
26"Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.'
27"But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!'
28"There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last."
Matthew 7:22-24 (New International Version)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. Away from me, you evildoers!'
You know, atheists, satanists, followers of buddah, muhammed etc will not be the ones making this statement to the Lord. This kind of statement will come from people who called themselves "christians" and the Lord is going to tell them plainly 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
It's high time for men to stop following other men and start following the good shepherd who can actually lead them through the narrow gate. Your pastor or priest will not be able to answer for you on the day you stand before the Lord and the Lord won't be interested in hearing excuses.
If the hour is as late as I think it is we have to get things right in our life IMMEDIATELY. Time is really that short.
We must ensure that we are in a place where we can make our way through that narrow gate. Only a few are going to make it, Lord, help us to get it right before it's too late...
The Narrow and Wide Gates
13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
This appears to say in no uncertain terms that most people will not be saved. Only a FEW people will find their way through the narrow gate that leads to life. This is indeed a very sobering message that is in stark contrast to the message we hear from churchianity today. This is a very unpopular message, sure to clear the pews of the mega churches of today which is why I suppose it is not preached.
Luke 13
22Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?"
He said to them, 24"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.' "But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.'
26"Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.'
27"But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!'
28"There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last."
Matthew 7:22-24 (New International Version)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. Away from me, you evildoers!'
You know, atheists, satanists, followers of buddah, muhammed etc will not be the ones making this statement to the Lord. This kind of statement will come from people who called themselves "christians" and the Lord is going to tell them plainly 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
It's high time for men to stop following other men and start following the good shepherd who can actually lead them through the narrow gate. Your pastor or priest will not be able to answer for you on the day you stand before the Lord and the Lord won't be interested in hearing excuses.
If the hour is as late as I think it is we have to get things right in our life IMMEDIATELY. Time is really that short.
We must ensure that we are in a place where we can make our way through that narrow gate. Only a few are going to make it, Lord, help us to get it right before it's too late...
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