Murph
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Post by Murph on Jun 27, 2020 11:19:12 GMT -6
Snapshots of God
Reading on Facebook is a lot like listening in on old party line telephones. You can read what people are really thinking. Some people have no idea what they are giving away. Things they say point to them being unsaved even tho they might think they are...and to how little some people read the Bible, and how few really understand what it says. An alarming trend today is how many people listen to false preachers and teachers and believe what they are saying without ever opening a Bible to see if they are correct.
Was reading something that brought this question to the front...Why study the prophecies in the Bible?
This individuals conclusion is that it is above his pay grade...and not worth the study. If God had wanted us to know He would have told us. Imagine my jaw dropped on that notion. He did tell us...
Well...lets do what we are supposed to do when a question like that is asked. Let's go see what the Bible has to say about that.
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
"ALL" includes Bible prophecy. That's a good thing because about 25% of the Bible is Prophecy, some fulfilled and some yet to be fulfilled.
"Why is so much of the Bible dedicated to prophecy?" you ask...there are many reasons but the underlying and primary purpose is to direct humanity to Jesus Christ.
"...for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Revelation 19:10b
We can point to many many prophecies already fulfilled and they all testify to the fact that the Bible is the Word of God...
The Messanic prophecies fulfilled by the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection, and ascension of Jesus authenticate His claim to be the only Son of God, the one true Christ. The Bible prophecies are some of the most powerful witness we have to the divinity of Jesus Christ!
So don't listen to people who say Bible prophesy distracts us from the true Christian mission...
It does the exact opposite...all Bible Prophecy points to Jesus Christ Himself...
But wait...there is more!
In spite of the people who minimize or completely ignore the prophecies...be on notice that the study of Bible Prophecy is an essential part of Christian living. The Lord Himself expects us to study the prophecies and to be ready for His return...
"Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." Matthew 24:42
Remember Jesus rebuked the Pharisee for not recognizing the signs of the times...
"The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?" Matthew 16:1-3
Jesus holds us today to the same standard...
We study the prophecies concerning Jesus...and can see most all have come to pass. There are yet many for the future. But the ones that have come to pass authenticate Bible is the Word of God...These prophecies are verifiable by historical data, archaeological evidence, and some pretty awesome mathematical probability of there occurrence just being the result of chance.
No other historical source can make that claim, and for a good reason. No other source is the inspired word of God.
"Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure..." Isaiah 46:9-11
God can see the beginning from the end and back again...He sees world events with 100% accuracy. Here is what Peter says in one of his books...
"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2 Peter 1:20-21
There is no better tool for spreading the Gospel than Bible Prophecy...did you know that?
In the early Church sharing the fulfilled prophecies was a primary way of spreading the Gospel. Remember the wonderful sermon Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost? Peter talked about the prophecies fulfilled by Jesus as proof that He indeed was the Messiah they had been waiting for...all those long years, Acts 2:14-42.
Three thousand people were led to jesus that day.
Then there is the story of Philip and the eunuch. Philip used the fulfilled prophecy to explain the Gospel to the Ethiopian, Acts 8:26-39. History tells us that shortly after that encounter...there was an explosion of Christianity in Ethiopia.
There are many other examples in the New Testament of the prophecies being used to preach and teach the Gospel...
Here is something Peter said in one of his books...
"For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2 Peter 1:16-21
So we need to respect the words of the prophets...and give thanks that we are able to understand their fulfillment in the Life of Jesus.
"Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into." 1 Peter 1:10-12
Now knowing all this how can we say Bible Prophecy is not important...
The prophecies are also a call to Christian living. Study of the fulfilled prophecies are a constant reminder of the mind of God and His awesome power and the Glory of Jesus Christ. In the fulfilled prophecies we find proof that the yet unfulfilled prophecies will come to pass...and because the fulfilled prophecies came to pass literally...those yet to come will do the same.
Just a few more things before we wrap this up...
"Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand." Revelation 1:3
"Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." 2 Timothy 4:8
Now...to those of you who say the prophecies are not important...or are myths and fables...watch this.
"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." 2 Peter 3:3-4
So I hope getting into the Bible has enlightened you nay Sayers...the prophecies are there so we will know what is coming. Also so that we will not be fearful, anxious, doubtful...and for the powerful witnessing took it is...
Here is something else the Bible tells us...Jesus said it.
"...lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." Matthew 28:20b
He will too...He promised.
Amen.
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Murph
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Post by Murph on Jul 1, 2020 18:31:30 GMT -6
Have been struggling with a question. Watching the governments response to the virus, to the protests, and riots, to the destruction of history...in the face of what is going on today as a Christian...how should I act or react...should I act or react at all? What should be my response.
This passage kept occurring to me, "...We ought to obey God rather than men" Acts 5:29b
What ever goes against what God has said...then we obey God.
Lay some groundwork...
The Declaration of Independence gives us 5 principles,
1. There is a Creator God. 2. God gives certain unalienable rights. 3. Government exists to protect those rights. 4. There is a Higher Law — the Laws of Nature and the Laws of Nature's God. 5. Below the moral law,things not addressed by the Laws of Nature and Nature's God, government may make decisions based on the consent of the governed.
The Laws of Nature's God are the moral laws contained in the Ten Commandments. Our laws, our constitution, and Bill of Rights are based on English law which is based on Mosaic Laws...or the Ten Commandments. That is an over simplification but basically is where we got the foundation for our laws.
Regardless of what the liberal unsaved left says our laws are based on God's laws.
Now watch this...the purpose of government is to protect the life, liberty and property of all individuals by punishing evildoers and encouraging the righteous.
Again...we go to the Bible, as it is our final authority,
"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour." Romans 13:1-7
"Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king." 1 Peter 2:13-17
Since the purpose of government is to protect the life, liberty and property of all individuals by punishing evildoers and encouraging the righteous, when government officials fail to do this, they themselves are resisting the ordinances of God and are illegitimate authorities.
Then it would follow that Acts 5:29 would come into play. It becomes our right and obligation to challenge this destructive form of government by altering it or replacing it.
So what do we do.
We start with prayer. We pay for our country, our leaders, our people.
Now it gets tough...you ready?
We need to insist that any rules laid down as law are either legislated by a state legislature or enacted by a city council or a county commissioner's court — and not simply imposed by executive fiat or order.
We need to insist that any rules that are legislated do not violate our fundamental freedoms guaranteed in our Constitution's Bill of Rights.
We need to insist, in particular, that there be no infringement of the Constitution's guarantee of the "free exercise of religion!"
If we have done all this and still see no change...
If all else fails...we do what our ancestors did. We pick up our weapons and we go to war.
We are rapidly approaching that last option.
If we are going to keep this country, bought by the patriots over the past 300 or so years with their own blood...then we are going to have to fight or we will lose it.
Our neighbor' words come to mind..."I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”
Are we willing to do that?
Amen.
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Murph
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Post by Murph on Jul 8, 2020 8:51:03 GMT -6
Snapshots of God
This is another picture of God that I love...for several reasons. The greatest of these reasons is because it is part of my personal testimony as it is so many others. From time to time we all leave the sheepcote. Either we wander off or we leave on purpose...it is our nature.
The comparison between us and sheep is a good one...but that is a story for another day.
The story I want to zero in on it the story of the Prodigal Son. It is found in Luke 15 and goes like this...
"And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants." Luke 15:11-19
We all know this story...heard it in Sunday School as children. We don't hear it so much as we get older. But as we get older like the prodigal, we are more apt to wander away...or want to go sample what the world has to offer. We leave God for parts unknown and always end up in the same predicament as the prodigal son...in a pig sty somewhere.
Sooner or later a child of God makes the same discovery, "...How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!" and we turn our eyes toward home.
Now comes a beautiful word picture of the God I so love...
"And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him." v.20
The father had been watching for his beloved son. He probably stood on his front porch day after day looking down that long dusty road...watching, scamming the horizon with sad eyes, leaning on the porch railings...watching watching...watching.
Then one day way off, he sees a speck...and as the speck comes closer he recognizes that familiar shape and gait...
It's him...
IT IS HIS CHILD!!! COMING HOME!!!
He can't wait...so he...
tucks his robe into his belt and takes off running to meet his son.
Can you see them? Dad running toward his son, his son drops his bag and runs to meet his dad. It is a great reunion. His father grabs him. Can you see him twirling his son around in a great bear hug and kissing him on both cheeks?
He holds him off at arms length. Looks him over from head to toe and hugs him again...even tighter.
Finally the son gives the speech he has rehearsed all the way home, "...Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son." v. 21
Now here is what I love so about my Father in Heaven...this was the response of the dad in the story...and it is our Father's response to us when we come home to Him.
"But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry." vs. 22-24
They say there is cheering in Heaven every time a straying child of God comes home.
God comes running down the dusty road to meet us, twirls us around in the air in a huge bear hug...plants huge kisses on our cheeks...
And throws a banquet...
Come home sinners...ye who are weary come home.
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Murph
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Post by Murph on Jul 9, 2020 17:49:48 GMT -6
Not exactly from my prayer closet but it is a verse that keeps occurring to me...
It came to me again today reading a commentary by Hal Lindsey.
We are in the end times. God's time piece is Israel. From the Olivet Discourse we learn this...from Matthew 24:32-33.
"Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors."
Fig tree represents Israel...when it comes into existence again...we can know...Jesus is at the door.
Israel went down to defeat, Jerusalem destroyed, and the temple burnt to the ground in 70AD. It was wiped off the map...did not exist.
May 1948...the United Nations passed a resolution creating the State of Israel. After around 2000 years Israel was reborn out of the ashes...the fig tree "putteth forth leaves" and with that God's timepiece started ticking.
Great over simplification but I want to get to the verse from the book of Esther...and the passage that keeps echoing in my mind...
"For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14
Long story short...a plot was hatched by a fella named Haman to wipe out every Jew in the Persian Empire.
It fell to the Queen, a Jew herself tho it was not known, to go before the King at her own peril, to ask for help to stop Haman and his evil plan.
Her uncle Mordecai who had learned of the evil plan, asked her to help him thwart the plan. He asks Queen Esther this question..."who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" v.14b
We very well may be living in the last generation before the Lord's return...and it occurred to me as I read this from Lindsey's commentary..."And He has His people still on this earth for a distinct purpose. He’s not through with us. He’s not through with you!"
Then I heard whispered in my ear...
"...and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14b...
What an amazing time to be alive...and be placed in history by God just where we are..."for such a time as this..."
That ought to make us want to shout the Gospel message from the roof tops...why aren't we?
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Post by Murph on Jul 10, 2020 11:27:18 GMT -6
Snapshots of God
Did y'all know God created government? He did and I can prove it...
Watch this.
It starts in Genesis. Have said over and over again...if you don't study the Old Testament you won't get the richness, depth, and scope of the New Testament...you just won't get it...get it?
It starts here, "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man." Genesis 9:6
it is the most extreme punishment set out to respond to the most extreme disobedience of the law. Later that law was set out in the 10 commandments..."Thou shall not murder." Exodus 20:13
It is then understood all other lessor laws are included...
God established government and then gave the sword of government to man...to hold lawlessness in check. It is part of the Covenant God made with Noah.
"But," you say..."that was the Old Testament."
Now watch this...
"Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. Romans 13:1-2
God created 3 institutions...the family, the church, and government, two of them in Genesis.
"For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil." Romans 13:3-4...
Get where this is going...?
God created government and gave the responsibility to lead to man. So if someone breaks the law then they have resisted the ordinances of God.
Those who resist will eventually bring judgment on themselves. Says so right there in Romans...
So do good and there won't be a problem...abide by the law.
Break the law and go to jail...do the crime, pay the time.
Or so that's how it once worked...
We are seeing a breakdown in structure in our society today, not just in the United States but all over the globe...not just in government but also in families, the judicial system, education, and so many other areas. Civilization seems to be falling apart.
The Bible tells us near the return of Christ there would be rampant lawlessness. In Luke 17:26-30, Jesus compared those days to the times of Noah and Lot. Genesis 6:11 tells us that in the time of Noah, “The earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence.” In Lot's day, Genesis 19, there were mobs roaming the streets and violence ruled the nights.
Isaiah says..."Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" Isaiah 5:20...exactly what is going on today,
Streets filled with violence, hearts filled with hate, calling evil good, and good evil...
But be Still...off in the distance, listen.
Shhhhhhh...Whose footsteps are those I hear?
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Post by Murph on Jul 11, 2020 18:17:46 GMT -6
More End Times Stuff...
Been looking at some more things the Bible tells us about the end times.
Here is one I bet you haven't thought about. Lots of people today are saying they are vegetarians...
Now watch this...
"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth." 1 Timothy 4:1-3
Do you see it?"...commanding to abstain from meats..."
"Why is that significant?" you ask.
Again...we go back to the Old Testament...and we read,
"Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even the green herb have I given you all things, but flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat." Genesis 9:3-4
Prior to the flood...people only ate vegetables and herbs. However after the flood man would no longer be vegetarian...
Question is why?
The passage quoted is part of what we know as the Noahic Covenant...the covenant God made with Noah following the flood. There are several components but we are just going to deal with the one concerning diet which, to this day, has not been repealed.
Also want to note that the disciplinary part of the covenant also has never been repealed...the one establishing the death penalty.
Back to diet. "Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you."
Apparently one of the means God has given to us to protect us against demonic forces is a meat diet...
It has been said by some that our bodies are like a fortress designed to shelter us to some degree from the corrupting influences of demons. We noted that before the flood people ate no meat.
One of the reasons for the flood was the intercourse between the "sons of God" and the daughters of men. These unions resulted in some pretty extraordinary off spring. Genesis 6.
Some believe that to prevent this from happening again...build a barrier...God commanded a big change in diet. He4 commanded the eating of meat.
This is a quote from a commentater I respect, G. H. Pember..he says, "it is impossible that the permission to eat flesh, given as it was immediately after the angel-transwgressions, may have been intended to render man less capable of conscience and intelligent intercourse with supernatural beings, and consequesntly less exposed to their wiles. And if so, the desire on the part of demons to withdraw it is understood."
In the end times apostacy one of the things we will see and are seeing is that..."...some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats..."1 Timothy 4:1-3
Vegetarianism is not supported by any scriptures...
Don't let anybody tell you that to be a vegetarian is to be more spiritual...
If anything Scripture points to the exact opposite.
Jesus Himself ate meat, even in His resurrections body...Luke 24:41-43
Now be still and listen...shhhhhhhhhhh! Whose footsteps are those I hear?
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Post by Murph on Jul 12, 2020 16:35:36 GMT -6
More End Times Stuff...
Dispensations, Birth Pangs, and the Age of Grace
"That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him... " Ephesians 1:10
"And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
All these are the beginning of sorrows." Matthew 24:4-8
"And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." Luke 21:24
Now what in the world do all these verses have in common...
First, what is a dispensation?
Here is a definition...in a nutshell.
A dispensation is a way of ordering things..an administration, a system, or a management. In theology, a dispensation is the divine administration of a period of time. each dispensation is a divinely appointed age. Dispensationalism is a theological system that recognizes these ages ordained by God to order the affairs of the world.
Dispensationalism has two primary distinctives,
1. a consistently literal interpretation of Scripture, especially Bible prophecy,
2. a view of the uniqueness of Israel as separate from the Church in God’s program.
Usually seven dispensations in God’s plan for humanity are identified...
1. Innocence (Genesis 1:1—3:7)
2. Conscience (Genesis 3:8—8:22)
3. Human Government (Genesis 9:1—11:32)
4. Promise (Genesis 12:1—Exodus 19:25)
5. Law (Exodus 20:1—Acts 2:4)
6. Grace (Acts 2:4—Revelation 20:3)
7.the Millennial Kingdom (Revelation 20:4–6).
This is an oversimplification...and a study all by itself. The dispensation is a pattern of how God worked with people living in each dispensation. That pattern is 1. a responsibility, 2. a failure, 3. a judgment, and 4. grace to move on.
We are currently in the Age of Grace...or the Church Age.
We are beginning to see more and more evidence that this dispensation is coming to a close. Some of the dispensation end abruptly...but many turn a corner and gradually shift from one age to the next.
When Jesus was describing what would be evidences of the nearing of His return he gave the description in Matthew 24-25, Mark 13, and Luke 21. He lists several things. This is called The Olivet Discourse and is another study all by itself...but we are zeroing in on something else.
Jesus said during this description"...these would be "the beginning of sorrows..."
Well what did He mean by that? "Sorrows," what sorrows?
The word "Sorrows" is referring to labor pains a woman goes thru leading up to giving birth.
We are seeing that now and have been since May 1948. We have seen wars...2 world wars and numerous smaller wars. We have seen several pandemics, and we have seen several big famines, we have seen some violent volcanic erruptions, and earthquakes, and huge hurricanes all over the globe, and the list goes on and on...everything Jesus mentioned ...we are seeing and,
lately we have seen these things occur with increasing intensity and frequency...like a woman going thru labor pains...
Now do you understand..."sorrows?"
"Why," you ask, "did you mention the date May, 1948...What is the significance of that date?
This is where it gets interesting and when you realize the significance should make the hair stand up on your neck...
"And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." Luke 21:24 "...times of the Gentiles..."
Lord gave the promised land to the Hebrews...again I hammer, read the Old Testament or you won't get the New Testament.
they lived in that land till the Assyrians took the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 721BC, and the Babylonians finally took Judah and Jerusalem fell in 586BC...so the Promised land passed from Jewish to Gentile hands in 586BC...and remained so until May 1948AD.
Exactly as Jesus had foretold...the Promised Land would go back into Jewish hands and did so May, 1948.
In May, 1948, just after WWII, the United Nations passed a resolution making Israel a Nation again...for the first time since 586 BC...Israel returned from Gentile to Jewish hands...and existed once more as a country inhabited and ruled by Jews!
This is another beautiful study...if you study World History with Israel and the Jews as the focal point...world history starts to make serious sense. But that's another topic for another day.
Back to Dispensations, Birth Pangs, and the Age of Grace...gonna bring it on home now.
We are seeing so many sign spoken of in the Bible by the prophets and by Jesus...we are seeing them coming closer together and increasing in intensity like labor pains prior to a birth, we have seen Israel and Jerusalem pass from Gentile hands back to Jewish hands after thousands of years...
We have learned the Israel is God's time piece...and it's rebirth started the prophetic clock ticking. again...another study for another time.
we are seeing the Age of Grace coming to a close...
That heralds one thing and one thing only...
Be still and listen...Shhhhhhh Whose footsteps are those I hear.
Jesus is coming.
For the unsaved...Are you ready?
For those of us who are Christians...what a great time to be alive. We are about to see some extraordinary things from God...and we are so very close to seeing Jesus!
Amen!
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Post by Murph on Jul 15, 2020 19:05:44 GMT -6
Here is something you might not know and thinking about it always blows me away...A favorite Professor called it seeing the hand of God in the glove of history...
At one time the Hebrew language was all but dead. No one spoke it. After 70 AD the Jews were driven out of Israel. The land was renamed Palestine for the Philistines the ancient enemies of the Jews.
The Jews dispersed all over the world and began to speak the language of the country in which they settled...the Hebrew language died as a spoken language. No dead language has ever been revived. Remember Latin, Sanskrit, and several other...now gone.
But Hebrew isn't just any language, and the Jews aren't just any people, and Israel isn't just any land.
In 1878,a Jew sleeping in a barn just outside Paris, France had a dream . He firmly believed it came from God. His dream would later play a vital part in the unification of the new country of Israel. It is our common language in the United States that makes us...till recently, such a strong country. It unites us. The re-birth of Hebrew was about to do the same for what would become the newly reborn Israel.
The Jew's name was Eliezer Ben Yehouda His vision in his dream concerned a command from God to reinstate the Hebrew language.
At this time there were about 12 million Jews scattered everywhere and speaking almost every known language...except Hebrew.
Ben Yehouda returned to his homeland of Russia and married another Jew named Deborah and the following year they set sail for Palestine.
As they traveled Ben Yehouda vowed to his new wife only to speak to her in Hebrew. They landed in Jaffa and made their way to Jerusalem.
Finally standing at the Wailing Wall, the Western Retaining Wall of the Old Temple now long gone...Ben Yehouda and his wife saw around 20,000 Jews praying in multiple languages. Very few of them could understand each other.
Ben Yehouda began speaking in Hebrew to the crowd and they nearly stoned him, they were in such shock.
The thought...belief at the time was that what little Hebrew they knew was only to be used for prayer...
Ben yehouda persisted even tho he came under heavy fire from his fellow Jews.
Then his wife died. Her last request was that her younger sister come from Russia to take her place. She believed so strongly in her husband's work and his need for a helpmate.
His fellow countrymen...the Jews continued to hate Ben Yehouda and actually hatched a plot to have him arrested by the current occupiers, the Turks.
But suddenly an internationally known and famous Jew named Theodore Herzl became interested in Ben Yehouda's dream, and things began to change. The hearts of the Jewish people began to soften...They began to view Ben Yehouda as a hero and began to support his work to bring back the Hebrew language.
The German Jews were the first to begin again to teach Hebrew in their schools...others soon followed.
Ben Yehouda edited the Hebrew dictionary of about 8 volumes. He not only listed the traditional Hebrew words of the Bible and the Talmud...but also coined new words for things that didn't exist during early times.
Ben Yehouda accomplished what should have been impossible...the resurrection...the revival of a dead language.
Never in world history had this happened...and Hebrew is now the national language of Israel.
Remember, "with God...all things are possible." Matthew 9:26...
Amen.
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Post by Murph on Jul 17, 2020 19:16:18 GMT -6
Let's Learn some more things about the modern Jews and Israel...
How we got to where we are today is amazing and well worth the study. We are going to skip a great deal of the history of Israel after 70AD so that we can get to the end. We are going to focus on from 1917 to today. It will be just an overview...like skipping a rock across a pond...we are going to hit the high spots. I hope you will be able to see the "hand of God in the glove of history."
WE know from Bible history that Israel, the nation...began with the call of Abraham in Genesis 12. Moses led the Hebrews out of Egyptian slavery and Joshua led them back into the promised land. They then went thru the period of the Judges, followed by Kings Saul, David, and Solomon. The country then split into 2 kingdoms Israel and Judah under Rehoboam and Jeroboam.
Israel finally fell to Assyria, and Judah to Babylon...and after years in exile the Hebrews were finally restored to Judah and we read the names of Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah.
In the days of Jesus's ministry on earth, Rome ruled over the Holy Land. Four decades after the Lord's ascention Titus and the Roman army destroyed Israel, Jerusalem and the Temple, and ran the Jews out of Israel. There remained however, a small remnant of Jews living in the land on the Sea of Tiberius. Lord always has a remnant.
From there the land went thru a series of domination by different dominations...
In the time between the destruction of Israel 70 AD and it rebirth in 1948 these are the different countries and years they ruled...
1. Roman Empire, 70-325 2. The Byzantine period, 325-614 3. The Persian period, 614-634 4. The Arab period, 634-1072 5. The Seljuk period, 1072-1099 6. The Crusades, 1099-1291 7.The Mameluke period, 1291-1517 8. The Turkish or Ottoman period, 1517-1917 9. The British period, 1917-1948 10. The current period, 1948 to present.
We are going to skip over everything till we get to the end of the Turks rule and pick it up from there.
Remember the Lord had ascended, the Bible completed and closed, one Milena passed, God seems to have gone silent for all these hundreds and hundreds of years...
or did He?
The Turks 200 year rule was about to come to a close near the end of the 19th century. The Arab especially didn't like the Turks. There was a revolt coming.
In the summer of 1914 an event took place which would forever change the political and geopolitical situation in the Middle East. Here is what happened...
It occurred on June 28th...in Serbia. The Archduke Ferdinand was shot and killed . He was the nephew and heir of the Austrian Emperor. Austria and Germany immediately declared war on Serbia. Russia came in as an ally of Serbia, along with France, Britain, and Italy.
The Turks allied with Germany on Nov. 5th, 1914, but on June 9th, 1916 the Arabs revolted against the Turks. Here is another name you will recognize...Thomas E. Lawrence better know to us as Lawrence of Arabia. He was a British archeologist turned warrior. He helped raise an army of 200,000 Arabs to fight on the side of Britain.
On April 6, 1917 the United States entered WWI. In July of that year General Sir Edmund Allenby was appointed Commander of the allied forces in Palestine. On Nov. 16th the city of Jaffa was taken leaving Jerusalem open for attack. On Dec. 8, British troops arrived at Jerusalem. Ironically this was on the Feast of Hanukkah...the anniversary of the day the Maccabees took Jerusalem in 165BC. Early on that Sunday morning, Dec. 9th, the Turks began fleeing Jerusalem without ever firing a shot.
On Dec 11th General Allenby entered Jerusalem by the Jaffa Gate. It was the same gate the Caliph Omar entered Jerusalem after taking it from the Romans in 637AD. Now a descendant from the Roman empire was restoring it to the people.
Now watch this...the Lord was still busy setting the stage. During the war there was a shortage of acetone, a chemical needed for the explosive used in artillery shells. Winston Churchill turned to a young Jewish chemist named Dr. Chaim Weizmann. He discovered a method of producing acetone by fermenting maize. The British govt. wanted to reward Dr. Weizman. He wanted noting for himself but he asked instead that Palestine be made the homeland for his people, the Jews. Dr. Weizman later became the first President of the newly born country of Israel.
On Nov. 2, 1917 the British Government issued the Balfour Declaration. It was in the form of a letter from the British Foreign Sec. to the English Jewish leader, Arthur Balfour. The letter read, "His Majesty's government views with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this objective, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done that shall prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country."
The Balfour agreement was approved by the allied leaders including the United States...and President Woodrow Wilson.
On June 30, 1920 the 1st Commissioner, Sir Herbert Samuel a Jew, arrived in Jerusalem and assumed his duties. He4 became the 1st Jew to have any real political authority over Israel since King Zedekiah in 587BC...
Things went well for a while but it wasn't long before multiple problems. skirmishes, and revolts started to take place between the Arabs and the Jews. A study was done to try to find a solution. A Commission recommended the partition of Palestine between the Jews and the Arabs. The Jews accepted the proposal but the Arabs didn't. Finally on May 17, 1939, Britain issued a White Paper to appease the Arabs...WWII was looming on the horizon and Britain didn't want to fight both the Germans and the Moslems.
The White Paper stated that Palestine would become an Arab State with a Jewish minority limited to 30% of the population. There were other restriction but in the interest brevity...we will move on. To say the least the jews felt this was a betrayal of the Balfour Agreement...the weren't happy. They were especially alarmed at the restriction on immigration of Jews to Palatine due to the rise of anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany.
In 1939 The Nazi invaded Poland and WWII began...The Palestinian Jews sided with the Allies.
Here is another name you will recognize...David Ben-Gurion who emerged as a leader. Over 130,000 Jews enlisted in the Army. Many Jews served as spies behind enemy lines for Britain. Another name you will recognize, and a man I greatly admire, Moshe Dayan lost an eye in war on the Syrian front during WWII. He later became famous during the 6 Days War in June 1967.
The Arabs sided with Hitler...their leaders actually went to Germany to collaborate with the Nazis.
After the war ended tensions between the Jews, Arabs, and British intensified...then in July of 1947 an international incident occurred which tipped the balance and caused the British to decide to leave Palestine in 1948...another name y'all will recognize...the Exodus Event.
It started when a ship, bought in America in 1947 and renamed Exodus, sailed for Europe in July, 1947. It arrived in France and picked up 4,554 Jewish refugees and set sale for Palestine. British ships spotted it and tried to sink it for violating the White Paper Law. But the sip made it to Haifa harbor. The refugees were arrested, put on 3 different ships and headed back out to sea and sent back to France. The Jews refused to leave the ships and went on a hunger strike. The tragedy hit the world news and the British in desperation scraped the White Paper and asked the UN to partition Palestine between the Arabs and the Jews...
The UN Special Committee on Palestine recommended that the British Mandate be ended. They also recommended the partition of Palestine and the creation of statehood for Israel. On November 29, 1947 by vote of 33 to 13 with 10 abstentions, the UN General Assembly passed the resolution.
Early in 1948 the British announced the intention to yield the mandate and evacuate Palestine on May 14. As you can imagine the underground war activities of both Jews and Arabs speeded up considerably. At sunrise on May 14, 1948 The British Flag was lowered from over the State House in Jerusalem...
On that same day shortly before 4:00pm David Ben-Gurion went to what was a art museum in Tel Aviv to a meeting. Attending this meeting were about 400 people, Jewish religious and political leaders. Also present were press members from all over the world. At exactly 4:00pm the meeting was called to order, they all rose and sang the Jewish National Anthem.
All over Palestine people listened on their radios. Ben Gurion read the Hebrew Declaration of Independence for the new State of Israel .
Now with war clouds gathering over the new state of Israel...at that same hour President Harry S. Truman recognized the new State of Israel. The time in NYC was 6:11pm but it was 6 hours later in Jerusalem...so actually President Truman had recognized Israel just 11 minutes after it had come into existence! He wrote,
"The government has been informed that a Jewish State has been proclaimed in Palestine , and recognition requested by the Provisional Government thereof. The United States Government recognizes the Provisional Government the de facto authority of the new State of Israel..."
Three days later Russia recognized Israel.
So for the first time since September 8, 70AD Israel passed from Gentile hands back to the people God gave it to...the Jews.
This short history was written from notes taken while studying Theology at Liberty University in a course taught by Dr.H.L Willmington. I just hit the high points...I keep thinking of the Book of Esther in which God's name is never mentioned but He is all over it...
Same is true here...God's name is never mentioned but He is all over it. As Dr. Willmington often said, "the hand of God in the glove of history."
Also this passage from the Bible...echos down the corridors of time...and rises up before me like the Mt. of Olives...Jesus said,
"Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." Matthew 24:32-34
You ask me how I know these are the End Times...this is how I know.
Now be still and listen. Shhhhhhh whose footsteps are those I hear?
Amen.
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Post by Murph on Jul 21, 2020 17:38:41 GMT -6
More End Times Stuff...
Have seen several people talking about the Anti-Christ, and a friend asked about him today so I thought we would go to the Bible and see what it tells is about this man...
Want to preface this little discussion with these passages...this comes from Paul the Apostle,
"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." 1 Corinthians 15:51-54
"For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18
"For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders..." 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8
Paul is describing in the first 2 passages what we have come to call the Rapture...Jesus is coming for the Church. Remember the Church is everyone who has accepted Jesus as Savior since the Day of Pentecost to the moment we hear the shout and the trumpet sound...The dead will rise first to meet Jesus in the clouds...and then those who are living.
Once the Church is removed at some point thereafter, the Anti-Christ will be revealed...we see that in 2 Thessalonians 2. The world will go downhill from there into 7 years of judgments, God's wrath poured out. The Bible calls this period the Tribulation and the Great Tribulation.
The identity of the Anti-Christ won't be known before that. This is a oversimplification of what the bible describes but we want to get to the Anti-Christ...so we move on.
The important thing to remember is that the Church will be gone...before the identity of the Anti-Christ will be known.
*** There have been several forerunners in history, types and shadows. The nearest to us in time is Adolph Hitler, so lets take a look see.
History has given us a model for the Anti-christ. They don't appear suddenly on the scene. They don't just appear on a peaceful scene and take over...
Here is how it has happened historically and how it happened in pre WWII Germany. A dictator's power is the end result of chaos in a society. The chaos is the moving force to his rise. The dictionary defines a dictator as someone who seizes authority as the result of an emergency and if you don't have one then create one, or two, or how ever many it takes.
In other words, a troubled society produces the atmosphere for the rise of a dictator...or as the Bible calls him...the anti-Christ.
That is how Hitler rose to power in the 1930. The German people were in despair. There was a tremendous economic depression, industry had bottomed out, millions were out of work, small business was collapsing. Sound farmiliar?
The German people were desperate and looking for a way out.
Along came Hitler, an evil genius. He saw his chance and took it.
Hitler saw himself as a great leader, a hero, a savior, some one who could guide the German people to glory...of course it was according to Hitler's own standards. Hitler believed he was above and beyond the moral standards of any ordinary man...
He surrounded himself with shady evil men of all types...people with no morals and no conscience...people who would do all manner of evil at his command. That was who Hitler picked and placed in his inner circle.
Hitler got his idea for the name from the old Holy Roman Empire, the First Reich. It was in Rome that the Caesars introduced Caesar worship...and Caesar's powers were absolute.
William Barclay, a Scottish Bible scholar wrote, "The extraordinary fact is that emperor worship was not imposed on the Roman Empire from above...it grew from below."
Before long the Emperor of Rome began to be thought of a divine. Before Jesus was born the Caesar was worshiped.
William Barclay tells us "The first tem to be erected to the godhead of the emperor was built in Pergamum in 29bc. Caesar worship had begun."
One of the unifying things in any civilization is religion. The Roman Empire was huge, many people, many languages, many races...the one thing that could pull them all together would be religion so...
All the citizens of Rome were ordered to burn a pinch of incense and say, "Caesar is Lord."
We can easily see how many Christians ran headlong into trouble when the refused to worship Caesar. There were mass torturing's and murders as a result of Christian refusal to bow down to Caesar.
So we can identify the breeding ground for a dictator...or Anti-Christ which includes anarchy, lawlessness, moral decadence, human desperation, and false hero worship...
History has shown us that all dictators have grown out of that turmoil and chaos.
***
Now, fast forward to our times and imagine all Christians removed from the earth at one time...millions and millions of people vanished. People from all walks of life, all races, from presidents and prime ministers...to beggars...and every thing in between. It will create mass chaos world wide.
Millions of people vanished...just gone...
Sets the stage don't cha think?
***
Now...meet the Anti-Christ. Get you Bibles out and read...
From the Bible we learn he will probably come from one of the nation of the old Roman Empire, Daniel 7:16-24 and will be a Gentile. The beast, or Anti-Christ, "rises out of the sea." The sea refers to the Gentile nations Revelation 17:15, indicating that the antichrist will be a Gentile. “Anti” can mean “instead of ” or “against” or “opposed to.” So “antichrist” can mean “instead of Christ,” “against Christ,” or “opposed to Christ.” The antichrist is the “man of lawlessness,” the “son of destruction,” who will lead the world into rebellion against God 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10; Revelation 11:7, and deceive multitudes Revelation 19:20.
He will be a genius Daniel 8:23, of commerce Daniel 11:43; Revelation 13:16-17, in war Revelation 6:2; Revelation 13:2, in speech Daniel 11:36, and in politics Revelation 17:11-12.
He will mimic Jesus...Christ is God, John 1:1-2; John 10:36, and the antichrist will claim to be God, 2 Thessalonians 2:4.
*Christ did miracles, Matthew 9:32-33; Mark 6:2. The antichrist will mimic such miracles, Matthew 24:24; 2 Thessalonians 2:9.
*Christ is crowned with many crowns, Revelation 19:12. The antichrist is crowned with ten crowns Revelation 13:1.
*Christ rides a white horse Revelation 19:11 as does the antichrist Revelation 6:2.
*Christ was resurrected, Matthew 28:6. The antichrist will appear to be resurrected Revelation 13:3-14.
*Christ is a member of the holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 2 Corinthians 13:14, but the antichrist is a member of an unholy trinity—Satan, the antichrist, and the false prophet, Revelation 13.
He will have global Power - "With ten diadems on its horns" Revelation 13:1: The ten diadems, or crowns, point to the dominion of the antichrist’s kingdom, which will eventually embrace the entire globe.
"And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority." Revelation 13:2. The ultimate source of the antichrist’s power is Satan.
He will be able to perform counterfeit miracles 2 Thessalonians 2:9.
***
This is just a taste of what the Bible has to say about the Anti-Christ. There is more. We have just hit some of the points.
But here is the main thing to remember, the Church will be gone when the Anti-Christ comes on the scene...we will all be with Jesus! Hallelujah and Amen!!!
But between now and the moment the shout and trumpet are heard...we have work to do. Our command to "Go Tell" has not been canceled. The pandemic has slowed us down and made evangelism difficult but there are other ways to get the Gospel message out!
I have always believed the internet is a powerful tool and we need to use it to shout the Gospel message at the top of our lungs...we need to talk to unsaved friends and family members...we need to pray for opportunities to spread the Gospel in these trying time...we need to be creative and imaginative!!!
Time is growing short...very short I believe.
Now be still, and be quiet, and listen...shhhhhhh! Whose footsteps are those I hear?
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Post by Murph on Jul 30, 2020 10:50:49 GMT -6
Who are your heroes? Want to meet some of mine...?
This fella comes directly to mind. His name is Shammah and he was one of King David's Mighty Men...now there were some heroes!
In those days the greatest enemy of the Hebrews were the Philistines...
The Hebrew people would plant crops, then harvest them. The Philistines would wait till they had harvested the crop and sweep in, run the farmers off, and steal the crop...whatever it was.
In 2 Samuel 23 the crop was lentils...
Well Shammah had had enough so he took his sword...all by himself and he went to war. Here, read for yourself.
"And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentiles: and the people fled from the Philistines. But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the LORD wrought a great victory." 2 Samuel 23:11-12
"After Him?" you ask, who was "after him?" It was another of King David's Mighty Men...let's read about him.
" And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away: He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the LORD wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil." 2 Samuel 23:9-10
He fought so hard and long all by himself that his hand had to be pried away from his sword.
"And after him?" you ask..."who was after him?" Let's go see.
"... The Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief among the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite: he lift up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time."
800...
These were all heroes...real heroes. They are known as King David's Mighty Men...
When King David was on the run from King Saul who wanted to kill him, David hid in the caves of Adullam, men from all over came to join him...fugitives from Saul's government for one reason or another. King David took that rag tag band of men and made a formatable army out of them with the Lord's guidance...maybe one of the best that has ever existed...
These were just 3 of those men...heros...all of them! Fighting men, men of God...led by a great King, King David.
Where are men like that today?
We need to pray for men like that today...
Now my point. Every time you think..."Lord this is to great for me, I just can do it..."
Think about these ordinary men...and what they did. I believe there is a mighty man in every one of us. We just need to pick up our swords and start swinging...
The Sword of the Lord is the Bible...sharper than any two edged sword...the Word of God.
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:12
A two edged sword is a short sword with an edge on both sides meant for close quarters battles...two edges...will cut going and coming.
Pick it up, read it, and learn to use it...
It is a mighty weapon.
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Post by Murph on Aug 15, 2020 10:31:50 GMT -6
Have seen several references to Luke 15 with regards to the BLM terrorist group.
Several things come into play with that assertion.
1. Luke 15 is speaking about individual sinners not groups...Jesus left a group to go after an individual.
2. That assertion throws out Acts 10:34-35 "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." Nation used here refers to races...
3. Two last passages and then we sum up what is being said.
Paul is speaking of the Berea Church and the Christians there. He was impressed with them because they checked everything they heard by the Bible to see if it was accurate.
"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." Acts 17:11
John warns us to beware of false teachers and there are an abundance of those today...get out your Bibles and start studying...be Bereans...and try every spirit...my bet is about 75 to 80% are false prophets teaching lies.
"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." 1 John 4:1
Now this is the conclusion to the whole matter. If you use Luke 15 to try to justify the BLM group instead of the individual sinner then your presumption would have to be that all black people are unsaved. Not so...
Another presumption would have to be that the Lord places one nation or race above others. In Acts 10 we learn that the Lord is no respecter of persons...each of us is equally important to Him. So again...not so.
There are many many many false teachers today, teaching many lies, misusing scriptures, and calling it Biblical. Don't accept anything at face value...get out your Bibles and imitate the Berea Church. Check it all out and use a fine toothed comb to do it.
So often as with the misuse of Luke 15...there is some truth packed around a core lie. Anything and everything concerning the Bible has to line up 100% by what the Bible says...
So this is a call to beware...also a call to teach and preach the true Gospel to all individuals whether they want to hear it or not. Not going to make us popular in today's world and many will try to shoot the messenger...But we have a whale of a message and it is from God and it is for everyone.
So go tell! Like the guy said, "it isn't about skin...it is about sin!"
Amen.
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Post by Murph on Aug 17, 2020 10:04:09 GMT -6
Often hear people ask if the United States is mentioned in the Bible and have often wondered if Isaiah 18 is about the United States and her people. Some years ago I read this commentary and think it could be about The US and it's people in the end Times...I could be wrong but know Jesus will straighten me out in the end. It was written by a fella named Bob Westbrook in 2005. I have kept it all these years. Is Isaiah 18 About The US? By Bob Westbrook April 19, 2005 I've been asked more than once if there is any mention of the United States in the prophetic writings of the Bible. While I cannot be certain of this, I believe that a strong circumstantial case can be made that Isaiah 18 is describing the US. I have heard others indicate this as well, and have long had an suspicion that they may be correct. It is only recently that I have examined this short chapter of seven verses in detail. The broader context of Isaiah 14-17 contains some scenes that may take place in the relatively near future, and the following chapter 19 also contains prophecies not yet fulfilled. Given this context, and the indication that chapter 18 has never been historically fulfilled in any significant manner, I believe Isaiah 18 warrants some serious consideration, especially if it is indeed speaking of the United States. This chapter is strangely compelling to me, and the Spirit has put a heaviness in my heart concerning it. It is a message of woe to the nation it addresses, but also describes a very favorable role for them in the final verse. The identification of the nation in this chapter is found in verses 1, 2, and 7, and contains a number of detailed specifications. (Several different Bible translations will be used here). As we examine the specifics, it will become clear that no modern nation fits the description as closely as does the United States, and no ancient nation fulfilled the prophecy. First, it is a nation of "whirring wings", "where the sound of wings is heard", or the "land of clamorous wings". Given that the military prominence of this nation figures largely later on, we might assume that this is a reference to the sounds of jets and helicopters. No other nation has the fearsome air power of the US. Next, it is a nation that "lies beyond the rivers of Cush". This is an area that roughly corresponds to Sudan in Africa. But notice it does not say it is Cush itself, but beyond there. Obviously, in those days, central northern Africa would have seemed like the ends of the earth. So if Isaiah were trying to convey the idea of a land far, far away from where he was, wouldn't he probably say it's beyond the farthest area with which he was familiar? Therefore, this prophecy is not about Ethiopia or Sudan or that region, but a nation beyond there. This nation in question "sends envoys (ambassadors) over the sea" , "shipping emissaries all over the world". What nation is currently known for sending envoys overseas? The United States. With what political situation are the US diplomats and envoys most involved to an extraordinary degree? It is the Middle East conflict. This corresponds to some crucial details later on in the chapter. Also, "envoys over the sea" is another indicator that the prophet was not speaking of an area in central Africa, which does not have access to oceans. To further qualify the nation being addressed, Isaiah then describes its people, its geography, and its power. The people are described as tall and smooth-skinned. Handsome and bronzed are words used in other translations. What image do other parts of the world have of the appearance of Americans, especially from American TV shows piped all over the world? Tall, attractive, smoothed-skinned people. The geography of the land these people live in is "a land divided by rivers". That also describes the US. Finally, the military and political might of the nation to which Isaiah is prophesying are described. "A people inspiring awe through out their history", "a nation that inspired awe since it came into being", "a strong nation, crushing down its haters", "feared all over the world", "a mighty and masterful nation," "strong and victorious" -- could these be describing the world's sole superpower? But to me, the clincher regarding the identification of this nation is found in verse 7, the final verse of the chapter. "At that time gifts will be brought to the LORD of hosts from a people tall and smooth, from a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide, to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the LORD of hosts." (Isaiah 18:7 RSV) After the events described in Isaiah 18 transpire, the people of this nation (presumably US Christians and Jews) will be noted for the gifts they bring to "the place of the name". This is, of course, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. One can assume these gifts are not designated for the Islamic structures that currently stand there, but for the rebuilding of the Temple after the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa mosque are obliterated. And what nation is better prepared, equipped, and motivated to send monetary gifts and supplies to Mount Zion for rebuilding the Temple than the United States? Given this strong circumstantial case, we can conclude that no other nation, ancient or modern, fits the description as closely as the United States. But this prophecy is a message of disaster for that nation. The first word of the chapter is "woe". A bit of irony is expressed here as well. While saying that this country sends messengers all over the world, Isaiah is telling them "go home, messengers, and give this message of disaster to the country itself". "Go back quickly, O representatives, to a nation tall and smooth, to a people causing fear through all their history; a strong nation, crushing down its haters, whose land is cut through by rivers." (Isaiah 18:2 BBE). So the messengers are to take a message to that country. But the next verses seem somewhat out of place at first. Perhaps they are there to give us some historical context of when this prophecy will be fulfilled. Whenever it is, globally important events will be taking place: "All you people of the world, you who live on the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a trumpet sounds, you will hear it." (Isaiah 18:3 NIV) We can surmise that the mountains are the mountains of Israel (the West Bank) and the banner is an Israeli flag. The shofar is blown during battle. Therefore, it is likely whatever is happening to the nation described in this chapter is happening in conjunction with Israel retaking Biblical Judea and Samaria back as their own possession, through a military operation. This would happen once the Palestinians are vanquished and that land becomes part of Israel formally. So, God is telling the world, "when that happens, pay attention." The nation that is the primary subject of this chapter, presumably the United States, is at the forefront of the process to create a Palestinian state. We are assured by the prophetic Scriptures that ancestral heartland of Israel, which is the object of contention today, will one day fully belong to Israel, in spite of the world's efforts to seize it. So verse 3 has a defiant tone to it, addressed at the entire world, that God's intentions for that land will be accomplished. Israel's banner will be raised on the mountains of Israel, visible to all. As we shall see in verse 5, the efforts by others to seize that land will appear to be succeeding for awhile, but just as they is about to come to fruition, God will take dramatic action to put a stop to them. This is the point where we might begin to get a little nervous, because if this chapter is talking about the US, and if the time of fulfillment is soon, the next verses do not bode well at all. "This is what the LORD says to me: "I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest."" (Isaiah 18:4 NIV) Something spectacular is going to happen, we presume, because the Lord says that he's just going to sit and watch quietly when it does, giving the appearance of doing nothing about it. The next phrases, I'm sorry to say, sound very much like a description of nuclear explosions. Looking at the Hebrew words used, they seem similar to how someone in those days might have described a nuclear blast: dazzling, shimmering, white heat, a thick cloud. What happens to dew in the heat of a late summer day? It dissipates rapidly when hit by the radiation of the sun. Is this describing some kind of traumatic event which will effectively put a halt to the so-called "peace process"? Another translation of that verse provides a different view of one aspect of God's intentions. "I will look after My Place of Foundation." (Stone Edition Tanach) As God plants His banner and sounds His shofar to confirm His designation of the entire land of Israel to the people of Israel, He takes special care to look after the Temple Mount. Though the world powers, in conjunction with Islam, attempt to keep their grip on the place God founded as the place for His name to dwell forever, they will not succeed. The JPS translation of verse 4 ends, "like a rain cloud in the heat of reaping time." The notes of the JPS Bible explain "i.e. like a threat of disaster". During the harvest period, it is the threat of rain that can turn that process into a failure. That use of the word harvest leads us to the next verse, where the harvest which be aborted is presumably the "land for peace" efforts, propelled by the US, to form a Palestinian state. For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away the spreading branches. (Isaiah 18:5 NIV) Just before the harvest, just before the process is consummated, God lops off the branches ripe with fruit. If we link this back to the proclamation to the whole world back in verse 3, we deduce the attempts to create a Palestinian state will be approaching ripeness when God severs them. He does this by bringing the "woes" pronounced on the nation that is the object of this prophecy, presumably the United States. The spreading branches he will hew away are the contrivances of the Palestinian Authority to spread into Israel's land. (Isaiah 18:6 NIV) They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey and to the wild animals; the birds will feed on them all summer, the wild animals all winter. After God takes the conclusive, forceful action to terminate the process about to come to fruition, the numerous carcasses of those God has cut down will be devoured by the carrion animals for an extended period. Even so, the chapter ends on a very positive note, as we mentioned earlier. Could it be that whatever events take place here are also simultaneous to the liberation of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem? Verse 7 seems to imply that. (Isaiah 18:7 NIV) At that time gifts will be brought to the LORD Almighty from a people tall and smooth-skinned, from a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers-- the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the LORD Almighty. The nation that is the focus of this prophecy, once again identified here, will finally play a role of blessing to Israel. That nation will be singled out as the primary contributor of gifts designated for the Temple. Let's tie it all together in a what is sure to be a controversial proposition: This prophecy may be speaking of the US, in conjunction with actions taken that will result in an Israeli victory over the Palestinians. As the process to create a Palestinian state appears to be approaching consummation, God takes forceful action to thwart it. Something that for all appearances is a nuclear attack hits the US. This great calamity upon the "land of whirring wings" puts an end to the process.. But afterwards, Christians and Jews in the US will bring gifts to the Temple Mount for the rebuilding of the Temple. trumpetsounds.com/isaiah18.html
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Post by Murph on Aug 21, 2020 11:05:24 GMT -6
The Vestibule to Revelation...
Have heard and read where many people are saying we are, prophetically, in the book of Revelation...but they would be wrong. We are not there yet because the Church is still here.
This is a landmark verse on the road to Revelation.
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition..." 2 Thessalonians 2:3
"...a falling away."
So what exactly is "a falling away?" And prophetically can we know where we are we are on that road?
"Apostasy" is "the falling away" Paul is talking about in 2 Thessalonians and yes we can know where we are on the road to the End Times...
The description is in the little book of Jude, the vestibule to Revelation, and is a description of the Laodicean church of today and pin points us on the map ever so close to the front door of Revelation itself...just footsteps away.
It will be a grand undertaking but let's take a look at what Jude has to tell us about the days in which we live...and our marching orders. It is a small book but it is full of huge thunder bolts that come crashing down the corridors of time...barreling right at us.
We could go into a grand discussion of who Jude is but that isn't important so we will say he is the full brother of James and the half brother of Jesus...our Lord. He set out to write another Gospel but under the weight of the Holy Spirit instead wrote about today...our "today."
The little book, only one chapter and only 25 verses long, packs a wallop and concerns itself primarily with apostasy.
There are several very well know example of Apostasy in the Bible...The first being the times of Noah which ended with judgment in the form of a worldwide flood. The next is Babel...and a tower...ending again with judgment and the destruction of the tower, the muddling of language, and the scattering of people thru the land. Another example is the time of Solomon's reign...which ended in the split of the kingdom of Israel into two countries. That didn't end well as the two kingdoms of Israel and 10 tribes, and Judah's 2 tribes...fell further and further away from God. Judgment once again came and first Israel and then Judah fell.
Then came the silent centuries, 400 stormy years between Malachi and Matthew. The prophet Daniel prophesied of those dark days in Daniel 11. They climaxed in the coming of a fella named Antiochus Epiphanies, whose reign was in reality, a full dress rehearsal for the coming days of the Antichrist.
And so things continued. The Jews murdered their Messiah. Then having rejected the Son of God they went on to reject the ministry of the Spirit of God. The church was born and injected into history and became predominately Gentile. Then apostasy again appeared only this time in the church.
And then we come to Jude and his little book...a remarkable handbook on the Apostasy...Jude saw apostacy begin to bloom in the church in his day and pressed by the Holy Spirit he wrote about it. Jude's book is a treasure trove of facts and illumination on apostasy and a grand case for study of the Old Testament...without knowledge of the Old Testament so much of Jude is lost to the modern Christian who confines himself to the New Testament.
Jude in those few 25 verses sounds the alarm for the Laodicean church of today. A church marked by a lukewarm gospel, lukewarm Christians, by rank apostacy in seminaries, and liberalism in the pulpit itself.
Jude saw apostasy beginning in the church of his day but the Holy Spirit carried Jude to the end times to see the apostasy of the church just prior to the return of Jesus. And again I stress, this is where we are today and why this book is so important to us.
Scores of occults call themselves Christian, and large segments of the church deny the scriptures. The Church has lost is sovereignty in the world because it has lost it's soul...it no longer believes anything. It has been darkened...it's flame burning low. The world has come between the Church and Christ.
First Jude looked at his day to show us what apostasy looks like in verses 1-4...He goes back to Hebrew history and up to Heaven itself for illustrations. He talks about Satan and Sodom...y'all know the story, Moses and the argument between Satan and the Archangel Michael over his body, Cain and Core...
Jude uses clouds, constelations...the seas and the trees. His illustrations are every where today. We can see them all around us as we consider Jude's illustrations, and as he makes his points.
Jude continues his book by confronting the apostasy of the church...in verses 5 to 13. He begins by showing us that apostasy affects both the morality and the mentality of people. It has a social side and a spiritual side and it attacks our behavior just as much as it does our beliefs.
First Jude takes on the attacks of apostasy and how it affects morality. He does this by looking at 4 different periods of the past...
The pilgrim age...when Israel traveled from Egypt to Canaan. Apostasy reared it ugly head so bad at that time that it called down the judgment of God.
Then Jude points to the antediluvian age...and the days before the flood. God looked down on a society that had once known Him but had ruled Him out of all human affairs and had become so wicked and evil and decayed with rot and again judgment came.
Then Jude points to Sodom and the cities of the Plains and rained down fire and brimstone in judgment for their unnatural sexual sins.
Jude moves on to his age...the age of Pentacost when some of the Apostles still lived. Apostasy had already taken root...even on the face of apostolic authority...daring the Holy Spirit to act.
A study of these 4 apostasies shows us the moral side to apostasy...apostasy always characterizes and identifies itself by its tolerance for the most vile of sins...accepting them as normal. The most obvious examples today are abortion and homosexuality and other perversions of the sexes.
Jude examines how apostasy affects the way people think about things. He turns to three men to show us how the apostate church thinks, Cain, Balaam, and Korah.
Cain attacked the salvation of God. He introduced a bloodless salvation to the world...a way to bypass the cross. He denied the blood and the need for Calvary. His was a gospel of personal merit. Genesis 4.
Balaam denied there was any future for the nation of Israel and he did it for money. He was a paid preacher and was interested only in a god paying job. He was very willing to deny the truth of God in order to get money. Balaam attacked the sovereignty of God. Numbers 22.
Which brings us to Korah who attacked believers, servants of God. He denied that Moses and Aaron were men chosen by God. Korah claimed he had as much right to the ministry as they did. Numbers 16.
Undermining the morality of the church is directly linked to lessening or watering down the Church's message...taking away it's punch, lessening it's value.
Verses 12-13...show us the emptiness of the way of life chosen by the apostates. They are hidden rocks, clouds without water, carried about by the winds, trees without fruit, twice dead, raging waves of the sea, foaming out their5 own shame, wandering stars to whom is reservedthe blackness of darkness forever.
In the church these people have nothing to offer, their lives are utterly empty, and they are dangerous. They have no place in the fellowship of the church. What they can and should do it repent...from their sins.
Now that we recognize apostasy what do we do...?
First is revival. We need the kind of powerful preaching like that of Enoch in his day! Enoch preached about the coming of the Lord in Judgment...he was preaching not about the first coming...he was preaching about the second coming. "...Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all..." vs. 14-15
Two things about Enoch's preaching stand out. First is that it is confident. "The Lord cometh..." he says.
Enoch is written about in Genesis yet he is preaching about something from Revelation...he leapt from Genesis to Revelation...he knew nothing about the times in between...just knew the Truth!
"The Lord cometh!"
Why is the Lord coming? "...To execute judgment upon all, and to convict all that are ungodly..."
This is the Lord's first answer to apostasy...Holy Spirit preaching, the preaching of judgment, the preaching of the second coming of Christ. It didn't stem the tide in Jude's day but it did leave people without excuse just as it does today.
What else is needed?
"But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost..." v 20
There was still a remnant in the church in Jude's day...and there is today too. God never leaves Himself without a remnant...His 7000 who refuse to bend a knee to Baal, 1 Kings 19:18. We are a minority, but we are here, and our job is to pray...in the power of the Holy Spirit.
The "most holy faith" is God's answer to a most unholy sodomite society, to an infected church, to for lack of a better word...an undegenerated pulpit, and to compromise in general.
What we have is Faith! Centered and standing on Jesus Christ...on the virgin birth, in His sinless and miraculous life, on His atoning death, and His resurrection and ascension, on His ministry as Great High Priest, on His coming again, on the presence of the Holy Spirit on earth to convict, regenerate, restrain, fill, baptize, indwell, and anoint. All this and more!
What a Faith we have!!!
And it is Holy...it makes the wasteful and unwise people pure, it makes drunken people sober(hallelujah on that one! Did for me and I am eternally grateful!), crooked people straight...filthy people clean. It regenerates...it makes people new creatures, makes them children of God, Spirit born, clean-living, God fearing, heaven bound...Christians! It is a Holy Faith!
All this and more! That should make ya want to dance down the aisles shouting hallelujah! and Amen!
We have a most holy faith! no compromise with sin...no matter how it is dressed up and spun around, and no matter what the majority says.
"But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." v 20-21
How do we "keep ourselves?" The answer is in Acts 20:32 "And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified."
We build ourselves up by staying in the Bible...by looking to the Word to be the rule in our lives. This is God's own remedy for the disease of apostasy. Couple that with the anticipation of the return of Jesus and eternal life with Him. More reason for dancing and shouting!
" And of some have compassion, making a difference..." v.22. There are souls to be saved. There are people living in sin...who are looking for salvation! We can introduce them to Jesus!
"And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh..." v.23.
Read this story...and it applies here. There was a preacher of a very large church who had what he called a ministry to "gays." He was asked by another preacher if he "made a difference." He asked what that meant and he bristled up when the other preacher told him. "Do you warn your people that they are homosexuals?" He said, "No, that would be discriminatory."
He had missed the point of Jude 21-23. God tells us to be discriminatory. Nothing could be worse than to introduce homosexuals into a congregation without warning them about who those people are and what they claim to be. Not only are many of them carriers of a deadly sin, but their inclinations make them a moral danger to others. Even when they say they are saved...they need to be watched...unless there is an extraordinary work of grace in their souls.
Jude warns that there are some who need to be held at arms length even as we try to minister to them.
Every Christian...every church needs to know how to recognize apostasy and combat it...it is present like a cancer and growing in the world today. The book of Jude becomes a textbook of apostate religious belief and abnormal moral behavior. Pick it up, read it...study it, and learn how to recognize apostasy and how to proceed when you see it.
Now Jude brings it to a close with one of the most magnificent doxologies in the Bible...read it, pause after each phrase, meditate and pray on it...let it wash over you like clear sparkling waters.
"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." vs.24-25
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Post by Murph on Aug 30, 2020 9:02:14 GMT -6
They come out at night. They riot and loot and burn down whole parts of cities. There are pictures and videos on the internet showing burned down businesses, looted and destroyed stores...smoldering wrecks of once thriving city blocks. They shout their slogans thru their black masks. We hear angry mobs shouting into the night ravaging destructive...dangerous. Law abiding people are attacked in the streets.
It all begins to ring Biblical bells for me. Where have I read something that?
"As in the days of Lot..." Luke 17:28
What was going on "in the days of Lot"...?
Genesis 19 gives us the account. There were violent mobs roaming the streets. People out at night were attacked by the mobs...they were unruly, violent, ungodly packs of people...literally descending into the depths of Hell.
What happened? Judgment came and the Lord destroyed Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Lasha...all the cities of the Plains with fire and brimstone.
"Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground." Genesis 19:24-25
We are getting closer and closer...to the Lord coming for the Church.
Are you ready?
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Post by Murph on Sept 12, 2020 7:37:35 GMT -6
A friend and I were talking yesterday about the fires in the western United States and the storms brewing out in the Atlantic...trying to decide if they are God's attempt to get our attention.
We wondered about where Christians stand in all this. It is the old "do bad things happen to good people" question.
We remembered the Bible says that the rain rains and the sun shines on the just and unjust alike...Matthew 5:45
This morning's find in my prayer closet reminded me of something.
"For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." Psalm 91:11
It reminded me of a story in the Old Testament of Elisha and his servant. Here is what was going on...
Syria was about to make war with Israel and although Elisha didn't support the King of Israel he knew his rule was better than coming under Syrian rule. So...he gave the King of Israel information from divinely inspired espionage to help him defeat the Syrians.
The King of Syria wanted to know how Israel got the information. He feared there was a spy in his courts until a servant revealed that Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, knew and revealed these things.
So the king of Syria sent troops to Elisha's home town of Gothan to capture him.
"Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.
And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." 2 Kings 14-17
The troops came to Gothan and Elisha's servant was terrified so Elisha prayed to God to let the servant see what was up in the hills...this is what the servant saw...
"And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha" 2 Kings 6:17
So maybe I was wrong Craig...maybe the Bible tells us the Lord has sent angels to guard us...and if we looked up on the mountain side we could see them camped all around us and we could say with certainty...I will not be afraid, "for they that be with us are more than they that be with them." 2 Kings 6:16
"Oh ye of little faith..." Matthew 6:30
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Post by Murph on Sept 17, 2020 10:30:59 GMT -6
Left my coffee on the counter this morning to do some chores. When I came back it was only lukewarm and not very tasty so I spit it out in the sink...
That brought to mind a Bible passage about the church of the end times. It is in Revelation 3:15-22
So lets break it down and see what it says about today's church. First the Lord states the problem...then He gives the rememdy...
First the problem.
"And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." vs. 15-17
When I took a drink of my coffee thinking it would be hot...it was only lukewarm. It actually made me a little nauseated...
The church at Laodicea described in Revelation 3 had become like my coffee...reduced to room temperature. It was neither hot nor cold...neither one thing or the other. It was marked by complete compromise.
To get an idea of what that church was like we have to look at the story of Lot. The angels who visited backslidden Lot in Sodom could almost not speak in a civil tone to him. It was only with great reluctance that they accepted his invitation to spend the night at his house instead of on the streets of Sodom.
They were as close to impatient as an angel can get.
The people of Sodom disliked Lot intensely. They allowed him to hold a high office but the made fun of his religion and held his sermons in contempt. It appears Lot lost his money in Sodom...was not a wealthy man any more. He lost lost his family but worst of all he lost his faith in Sodom. Lot wanted the best of both worlds...this world and the one to come... and that is a very apt description of the church of Laodicea.
"I would thou wert cold or hot..." The Lord said.
Read this story years ago,...a little girl came home from Sunday School, and her Mom asked her to recite the Bible verse she learned that day. "Many are called but few are chosen."
But when the little girl recited it, it came out like this..."Many are cold and a few are frozen."
There might have been some hope for Laodicea if it were frozen...but to be lukewarm? to be neither one nor the other? to be completely compromised...it was a condition without hope.
Not only was the church lukewarm...it was ignorant of its true condition. Look at v.17...
In this church the deacons would be prominent men in the community. In today's church, tho the Bible says otherwise...some deacons would be women.
The church at Laodicea would have had everything a worldly church could want...Influential men and women served on committees and they had a large account with the bank. They had a prominent place, a choice location in town, and boasted the best choir in Asia. They could call the most eloquent and best educated preachers to the pulpit, they boasted a large membership, and had a well oiled organization.
Laodecia was a fashionable, worldy church...
but it was powerless.
Another story heard long ago will illustrate what I mean...Thomas Aquinas went to visit Pope Innocent II who was counting a large amount of money. "You see Thomas," the Pope said, "the church can no longer say, silver and gold have I none."
"That is true," Thomas said, "and neither can it say to the lame anymore, arise and walk."
The church at Laodicea was popular and prosperous, it was also polished. It was practical as it was polished and it was proud...
But it was powerless.
The church described in Revelation is a prototype for today's church...which is seeking escape from reality down many blind alleys.
Some thru fundamentalism...correct faith and doctrine, orthodox in teaching, they can say all the shibboleths or catchwords of the faith(I call it spouting the company line)...but they are cold as ice and hard as clay.
Some thru exclusivism..."We are the people. Truth will die with us" is their creed. They hold that separatism means isolation...and hide in their own sterile world. They ban contact with believers and unbelievers both. "Come out from among them and be ye separate..." 2 Cor. 6:17 is their watchword.
Some thru ritualism...they are satisfied with the external trappings of religion...
Some thru rationalism...the God is Dead group. They deny the cardinal doctrines of the faith from the Virgin Birth to the 2nd coming of Christ.
Some thru the Social Gospel...we are seeing a lot of this today. The actively participate in social and political issues and make that central to salvation.
Some thru occultism...healing, tongues, for voices and visions, without concern for their source.
Some thru ecumenicalism. They plan a world super church as the answer to mankind's needs. They hide the truth because they claim it truns people away.
Some thru materialism believing money is the solution to every problem...hire better staff, present bigger programs.
"Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked..." Revelation 3:17
Lord warns the Laodicea church and the church today...He will spew or vomit out this church.
Now the Lord gives the remedy and it is a choice. Will this church elect Grace or Judgment?
Lord wants a restoration of spiritual values.
"I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." Revelation 3:18
The Church of Laodicea was destitute of anything having spiritual worth so there needed to be a return to the gold standard...a return to the Lord...money can't ever buy spiritual things.
These precious things can only be purchased thru repentance and being yielded to the Spirit of God.
Today the world can see right thru our materialistic finery and see that we are actually naked. Note that the Lord said to the church to buy from Him "white raiments" so the shame of the nakedness of the church can be covered.
Worldliness has clouded our vision just like it did the church in Revelation. There was and is a lack of spiritual vision.... "Where there is no vision the people perish..." Proverbs 29:18
Here is how we do all this...we REPENT! unfortunately it is the last thing many of us inside the church want to do and certainly many of the unsaved in the world.
Now the Lord says something that is one of the most quoted passages in the Bible, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:19
Many just apply this passage to only the unsaved...but there are many unsaved inside the church...and many who need to repent.
One of my earliest memories of Jesus is a copy of a painting that hangs in the fellowship hall of the church of my childhood. Jesus is pictured standing outside a door, knocking. It wasn't till years later that I realized there was no door nob on the outside of the door. I then realized...the handle is on the inside. He knocks but we have to let Him in.
The Lord makes 3 promises to anyone who opens the door...He will come in and make a sinner's heart His home, He will take what we put at His disposal and like He did with the loaves and fishes, bless it and multiply it and make it a blessing to others...and best of all...
He promises that if we open our hearts to Him, He will open Heaven to us.
To the overcomes comes the last word...
"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." Revelation 3:21-22
What a wonderful thought...we have a place in Heaven with Jesus on His throne...
A heart that would turn the Lord away...has to be dead and cold.
This is a good time to examine our hearts and our churches...do we fit this description?
And if they do to apply the remedies set out by the Lord...knowing the true remedy is the Lord Himself!
Amen.
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Murph
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Post by Murph on Oct 11, 2020 9:40:26 GMT -6
We are at war!
Watching everything going on in the world today, am realizing the huge battles going on. Have you noticed? The battle lines are clear...and the difference between good and evil is clearly pronounced, easy for some to see yet some are blind to it.
Several passages come to mind...
"...And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12. What we are seeing so clearly today is the beginnings of that deception...Look at Who is sending it and why. Another story for another day...today we are going to war.
Second passage is a story from the Old Testament about Elisha and his servant, a favorite story.
Somehow the King of Israel was finding our about the troop movements of the King of Syria. Someone in his household told him it was Elisha so he sent troops to Elisha's house to arrest him. Elisha's servant saw all the troops coming and was terrified so Elisha prayed to God to let his servant see what was all around them. God answered Elisha's prayer and when the servant looked up this is what happened and what he saw...
"And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." 2 Kings 6:16-17
If the Lord would allow, that is what we would see today...a world full of horses and chariots of fire all around us, around the Church...remember what Elisha said. "Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them." v.16.
Now hold that thought and fast forward to today...
Lets look at the war that is really going on all around us...and that we are beginning to get glimpses of just like Elisha's servant.
For that we go to Ephesians 6:12
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
So exactly what and who are we fighting? and keep in mind these are NOT an ordinary battles...
Our enemies are not people. We have to look past people, beyond people. Satan may use people to persecute us, lie to us, cheat us hurt us, or even kill us. But our real enemy lurks in the shadows of an unseen world moving people like pawns on a huge chessboard...
As long as we see people as our enemies and wrestle against them, we will spend all our time and energy in vain.
We absolutely see the wicked people and we hear the evil things they say, hear the lies, we feel the hurt they inflict on us and others and we see the damage they do. People are doing all this but they are not the real problem...they are just the pawns. Don't lose sight of that...because we say again...these are not ordinary battles and this is not an ordinary war. We are in a greater arena than the one we can see.
It is an occult battle...and war.
*We wrestle Satan's crowned dignitaries..."Against principalities." *
Paul lists 4 distinct Satanic orders against whom we wrestle...in our spiritual battles, Principalities, powers, the rulers of this world's darkness, and wicked spirits in high places.
Many many spirits live in the unseen world...swirling all around us. We can't see them unless they chose to be seen.
In the beginning they were all good spirits and glorious. They were created by God and took their place around God's throne. They worshipped Him and sang His praises. There were ranks and ranks of angels, archangels, cherubim and seraphim. At the head of them all...the highest of all created intelligence, the supreme creature at the head of all the angels...was Lucifer, son of the morning, the anointed cherub.
When Lucifer fell, the heavenly host divided. Many sons of light fell with Lucifer and like Lucifer were cast out of heaven. Satan is now their lord. He is given many impressive titles in the Bible...he is a fallen fiend but he is still very powerful. He is called the god of this world, the prince of the power of the air. It was Satan who deceived Eve and used her to bring about Adam's fall. Because of this fall Satan was able to seize the Kingdon of this world to ruin it and to rule it in defiance God.
We don't know all about the spirit world but we do know there are ranks in the angelic order of the angels who did not fall. Several angels in the Bible are specifically named. Gabriel is mentioned as being in the presence of God and is the Herald Angel. Michael is the archangel who is a warrior. He is the field marshall of the armies of Heaven, the defender of the Nation of Israel, and the one who will ultimately be God's agent to cast Satan down from Heaven where he roams today.
Paul mentions thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers in Colossians 1:16. At Calavary Christ "spoiled" the principalities and powers, Colossians 2:15, which are linked to Ephesians 6:12 with Satan's fallen hosts.The thrones and dominions would seem to be unfallen angels ranking high in the hierarchy of Heaven. In Revelation 4-5 we have a hint as to who the "thrones" are. There they are called "elders." They sit in the presence of God and respond to His dealings with men in wonder and worship. The Scriptures give us no hint as to the position of those called "dominions."
There are also ranks in Satan's spirit realm. At the head are the principalities...princes who share with Satan the power the has over other fallen angels, over evil spirits, and over this world. They are the chief rulers or magistrates. So principalities are high ranking, governing authorities who are under Stan's control.
In Daniel 10 we learn that Satan places spirit princes over various kingdoms of men on earth. These crowned dignitaries of Satan are very powerful in this world. But they are no match for a Christian in prayer...and it is them that we battle.
*And we wrestle Satan's deputies..."against powers."*
Satan is powerful, diabolically clever, and tireless, but he is not God. He is a created being with none of the attributes of deity. He is full of cunning and knowledge, but he is not omniscient . He doesn't know everything and he makes big mistakes. One mistake was to attack Adam and Eve. His biggest mistake was to organize and motivate the Crucifixion of Christ.
Satan is powerful...but he is not omnipotent. He can be overruled by God..." Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees." William Cowper.
The Bible makes it clear. The human race is being manipulated by huge numbers of evil spirits who have great power. They encourage lust, greed, hate, fear, selfishness, and pride. So many people dabble in the occult, witchcraft, believe in extra terrestrials but refuse to believe in Satan and his evil hordes...
and that we have no hope apart from the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the salvation He offers.
+We wrestle "Against the rulers of the darkness of this world."*
Satan's master plan for holding power over the world is one of deception. He keeps people in a state of spiritual, philosophical, religious, political, social, and personal blindness. He has invented every false religion, and is behind every false philosophy, every false ideology, and every false theory. He keeps people in a state of darkness, and he has legions of evil spirits whose task is to keep the souls of men in sinful darkness... Their main task is to blind people to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
All people have a natural blindness to their lost condition and to the saving grace of the Gospel and that blindness is great. It takes the full time presence of the Holy Spirit to make it possible for any converts to be won at all.
Satan is the "unsuspected" god of this world and he isn't the least bit afraid of us. But...he is desperately afraid of the Holy Spirit. This is why we can only wage our warfare " in the power of His might." Ephesians 6:10
*We wrestle "Against spiritual wickedness in high places"...Satan's countless demons.*
We fight against spiritual hosts of wickedness, against wicked spirits in the heavenlies. The unseen world all around us is swarming with demons.
Remember that poor man who was inhabited by legions of demons? A Roman legion was about 6000 men...and this poor guy had thousands of legions of demons. Only Jesus could help him. Mark 5:1-17.
When Jesus came to earth the first time there, was an extraordinary outburst of demonic activity, as there will be during the reign of the antichrist. We are beginning to see a huge increase in demonic activity now...and it will only increase as we get closer to Christ's return.
The decadence and depravity in our time are demon inspired. Demons seem to be possessed with holding people slaves to their senses...sexual and sensual sins. Perversion, pornography, permissiveness are encouraged, promoted and aided by evil spirits whose goals are to destroy the human race. The origin of demons is an interesting study and there is much speculation about it. Maybe a study for another day.
We are engaged in a battle with the occult. The minute we try to pray or attempt to do anything for God. these unseen and very potent and organized servants of Satan oppose us.
By now you are probably holding your heads in you hands wailing...WHAT ARE WE TO DO? HOW CAN WE COMBAT THIS?
Well...if you are saved the remainder of Ephesians 6 give us the way.
"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak." Ephesians 6:13-20.
Paul wrote this while in prison and I think maybe he was looking at one of the Roman guards when he wrote this...Ephesians 6:13-20 passage is a study for another day.
Once you put on that armor...never, never, never take it off...each piece of armor has a specific purpose and it is to protect. We have one defensive weapon and one alone...but then it is all we really need. The Sword of the Lord is the Word of God...and with that and prayer and the power of the Holy spirit we make very formidable warriors.
For the unsaved...Christians are charged with the responsibility of spreading the Gospel...the Holy Spirit will do the rest.
There is so much more we could say, but what I would encourage you to do is go to the Bible and read...educate your self about this unseen war because today the battles are getting fierce. Put on your armor, arm yourself with the Word...and make no mistake about it. We are at war! Our two greatest weapons are the Bible and Prayer.
We need to stay in both.
Amen...
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Murph
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Post by Murph on Oct 31, 2020 17:35:59 GMT -6
Been considering faith.
Recently I was looking for a Bible passage and was having difficulty finding it. I asked the Lord to help me and immediately the passage came to mind. It was as if He was sitting next to me looking over my shoulder...and He answered me right away. I could feel Him there and it was a great comfort.
"Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith." Habakkuk 2:4
"For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." Romans 1:17
"But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith" Galatians 3:11
"Now the just shall live by faith..." Hebrews 10:38
What is Faith?
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1
We ask again, what is Faith?
The writer of Hebrews talks about that question...Faith? He presents to us a whole list of people from the Old testament who believed God when they were faced with something entirely new.
Enoch had never seen anyone translated.
Noah had never seen nor did he know what a universal flood was.
Abraham had never seen the promised Land.
Each one of these Old Testament Saint exercised personal faith in God. Many of them "died in faith", not having received the promises, but having seen them from afar off." Hebrews 11:13
All thru the Old Testament period this was the case. Christ and His Cross were still in the future. Now, these daring Old Testament Saints form a "great...cloud of witnesses, Hebrews 12:1, standing astride the path of the Hebrew people to bar the way back to Judaism. They were looking away from Judiasm to the Living God just as we are to look away from this world to Jesus and to heaven and by believing God's Word...and having faith. So that the unseen things were seen and spiritual things became real to the ancient Hebrews and to us today. They traded earthly things for Heavenly things and God honored them. The writer of Hebrews said the Hebrews had to do the same thing and so must we...
21st century Believers...We enjoy the blessed hope and that is Jesus Christ!
The writer of Hebrews admonished the Hebrews to jettison earthly things for the things of Heaven. Furthermore the writer gave us examples of Old Testament Belivers...to witness to this truth. The phrase "thing not seen" is literally "things not yet seen." Faith is the substance of what you know is coming your way, even tho it is not yet seen.
Faith isn't wishful thinking. No...
Based on the Word Of God, faith says, " Whether I see it presently, understand it intellectually, or experience it immediately, I know what God says He'll do...He will do.
and so I rest me in that thought...and in those promises, and I have Faith.
My faith may waver at times but the Holy Spirit comes along, blows on it, the flame burns bright again, and I walk on. Amen.
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Murph
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Post by Murph on Nov 3, 2020 10:37:12 GMT -6
I went to vote today...and as I was driving home I began to bargain with The Lord over the elections.
And the following passage came to my mind. It is from Genesis 18. Here is what was going on. Three men had come to visit Abraham on the mountain where he lived. Abraham realized pretty quick they were more than just men...Two were Angels, and one the Angel of the God, an Old Testament appearance of Jesus. From their visit Abraham knew God was going to bring judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities of the Plains. Abraham's nephew Lot and his family lived in Sodom...so Abraham tried to strike up a bargain with God just like I was as I rode home from my polling place.
"And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know."
Now comes the bargaining session...
"And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.
And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake.
And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.
And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake.
And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.
And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place." Genesis 18:16-33
Maybe...just maybe the Lord heard my bargaining prayer...and maybe, just maybe there are enough righteous men for the Lord to spare us from judgment for 4 more years.
That was Abraham' bargaining prayer and it is also mine...Lord, "Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?" Genesis 18:23b
In Jesus name... Amen.
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