God gives Joshua the word _ The Story chapter 7

Posted on 06/12/2014 by remso

We are after all still a life group and as such must allow for the men to talk about life. We did that for 45 minutes; when the talk finally slowed down – if you let it, it will never end as several try to fix the others in the group. It is only my going into Recovery that has taught me that Doctor Phil is not reality. Reality is someone you paid an hour for, giving you 45 minutes, while looking at their watch, and asking you if you mind if they take this call, and then asking you, “how does that make you feel?” The problem is  that I did not  know  how to feel, and nothing  I had done was making me any better.

The result is you have to turn your life over to the only real higher power, and that is Jesus Christ.

Some might immediately get angry because I said that Jesus Christ is the only higher power, but hey, you are reading a blog about bible study, written by a follower of Christ that has been through a 12 step program and now leads an anger group. But should you wish to have a fire plug as your higher power go for it, just let me know that is working for you.

At the end of the 45+ minutes I said, well then, let me give you my 30 second synopsis on Rahab the Harlot. Somehow we took longer than we should have, and did probe into the first chapter too.

God gives Joshua the word that Moses is dead.

Joshua 1:2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.

Moses was not just a man, he was thee man, the man who withstood Pharaoh, led the Israelite nation out of Egypt, talks with God like he is standing right there, and now he is dead. Some would fall apart, but not Joshua. Pay attention to how God now speaks to Joshua. Note: This is not defined for us in The Story.

Joshua 1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.

This is the same thing God had said to Moses. Is there any limitation to God? It would seem that the only thing that limits him is how we live out lives.

Joshua 1:5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

How many of us wish we had heard these words – “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life” Talk to any Marine and they will tell you that this is attitude that the Corps drills into you. You might take off the uniform but never the attitude.

The second aspect is, “I will not fail you, nor forsake you.” How similar is this to the saying, I’ve got your back. In war this is exactly what you want to know. Having seen Go Pro videos of several soldiers in Afghanistan that seem to have been left alone in gunfight. It’s moments like this that you might say to yourself, words are cheap, but God spent a tremendous amount of time establishing his character and trustworthiness.

Be strong and of a good courage

Even though it is easy see guys like Joshua as supermen that cannot be taken down, God knows differently and reminds him multiple times to be strong and courageous.

Joshua 1:6-7 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I swore unto their fathers to give them. (7) Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou may observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou may prosper wherever you go.

The word prosper used above means to act wisely, but can also mean to comprehend, consider, discern, gain insight, instruct, and to prosper. As applied to the ventures about to befall Israel, and specifically Joshua it leans itself more toward Joshua acting as a general and leader.

Notice something else about this verse – “that you may observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded you: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.” I cannot even imagine the fortitude that it would take to do all the commands. It seems so overwhelming. It does not have the specific words if/then but the implication is there. You want to prosper? Then do all the law.

Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; but you shall meditate there in day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then you shalt make thy way prosperous, and then you shalt have good success.

It is fairly clear, God wanted His laws deeply invested inside, not just Joshua but his people as well. While this does not say memorize them, that could be the outcome. What it does imply is that God wants us focused on Him, and not the circumstances around us.

Moses had written everything, and it comprised enough pages to be considered a book, or perhaps a scroll. By this time it may have been copied multiple times, but it is ridiculous to think that everyone had a copy sitting on the coffee table.

What was the command given by God this time? “but thou shalt meditate therein day and night,..” God specifically instructed Joshua, but is this directed at us as well? Yeah, I think so.

In Hebrew the word meditate means, to moan, growl, utter, muse, mutter, meditate, speak.

MED’ITATE, v.i. [L. meditor.] 1. To dwell on any thing in thought; to contemplate; to study; to turn or revolve any subject in the mind; appropriately but not exclusively used of pious contemplation, or a consideration of the great truths of religion.

And yet, moan, mutter and growl are also valid in some way. The implications of these mean something more than merely swirling an idea or concept around in your head. This is a form of rehearsal, almost as though you are restrengthening and reestablishing concepts in your mind. This could be important should you need to regain your backbone.

For God to tell us that doing this brings about good success should speak volumes. He knows what we are made of and how broken this human nature is.

Suddenly, I am aware of an idea. This is like some great invention, a technological piece of artwork, and yet some aspect impedes its proper function. Welcome to the human race. We operate in bodies that are technological genius, and due to no fault of the creator, they do not function at 100%. We like to call it sin. This made me think of the Apollo flight that had to get creative in order to fix the air scrubbers that remove the CO2 from the breathable air.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_13

Apollo 13 was the seventh manned mission in the American Apollo space …. Houston, we’ve had a problem. …. Module’s square carbon dioxide scrubber cartridges to fit the Lunar Module, which took a round cartridge … CM canisters to the LM’s cylindrical canister-sockets by drawing air through them with a suit return hose.

Sort of like life, isn’t it?

Be strong and courageous!

Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

This is the fourth time God said this directly to Joshua. Perhaps God wanted him to be strong and courageous.

Can you think of any others that God has spoken to like this? Gideon comes to mind. Take dip into Hebrews 11. Look at the hall of famers there, then go back and look at their lives. So many of them had to be encouraged, repeatedly, like this.

It is time to move out, so Joshua sent spies.

Joshua 2:1 Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from Shittim, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lodged there.

I think the question is, could these people see each other? The distance from the encampment to Jericho was anywhere from 15 to 25 miles. If the land was flat they could have easily seen each other. Why am I concerned about them being able to see each other, because all the fear and dread that Rahab speaks about might have come through sight, and diminished the impact that God had made upon those in Jericho, especially Rahab.

Israel sent out spies. This has to make Joshua nervous considering what happened last time. This might be part of the reason that God told him to be strong and courageous so many times. I left out some stuff God commanded him before they moved out. If anyone gives Joshua trouble God has given him the green light to kill them. God does not seem the least bit interested in going through that again.

How did the spies know she was a harlot?

What language do they speak in Jericho? Are the spies able to read the signs pointing out where the prostitute lives? We will quickly see that it is a safe assumption for us that Rahab speaks Hebrew.

Why does God make such a big deal of Rahab being a harlot? There are a multitude of reasons; initially it draws our curiosity and attention. I believe that the main goal of this mission, although Israel may not know it, is to secure Rahab. She is after all a significant person in the lineage of Jesus Christ. The secondary answer is that God does not primarily choose the elite. No doubt, just like the disciples, they rise to the occasion, and attain great honor, but God definitely seeks out the broken and lost.

Brought to the Israelite encampment it makes sense that she was questioned, but who would brag about such a job? A response I got, when I brought up this subject, was that this shows that God can use anyone. We have a tendency to make things acceptable, but do we give acceptability to everyone? If you are honest, the answer is no.

This was a righteous lie!

The spies thought they had made it in unnoticed; not so, and Rahab had to hide them.

Joshua 2:2-7 It was told the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men from the sons of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” (3) And the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” (4) But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them, and she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. (5) “It came about when it was time to shut the gate at dark, that the men went out; I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” (6) But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them in the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof. (7) So the men pursued them on the road to the Jordan to the fords; and as soon as those who were pursuing them had gone out, they shut the gate.

If we have a commandment to not lie, why is this acceptable? Again, I asked this question and the answer was, “this was a righteous lie.” What is that suppose to mean?

“The falsehood by which Rahab sought not only to avert all suspicion from herself of any conspiracy with the Israelitish men who had entered her house, but to prevent any further search for them in her house, and to frustrate the attempt to arrest them, is not to be justified as a lie of necessity told for a good purpose, nor, as Grotius maintains, by the unfounded assertion that, “before the preaching of the gospel, a salutary lie was not regarded as a fault even by good men.” Nor can it be shown that it was thought “allowable,” or even “praiseworthy,” simply because the writer mentions the fact without expressing any subjective opinion, or because, as we learn from what follows (Jos_2:9.), Rahab was convinced of the truth of the miracles which God had wrought for His people, and acted in firm faith that the true God would give the land of Canaan to the Israelites, and that all opposition made to them would be vain, and would be, in fact, rebellion against the Almighty God himself. For a lie is always a sin.” [Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament]

Keep in mind the possibility that God’s intent was to rescue this woman, and what she said came entirely of the Holy Spirit.

I was asked the question, when did Rahab become a Christian, here or later at the Israeli encampment? Although I did not try to embarrass the man who asked, the term Christian was not attributed to followers of Christ until almost a century after his ascension. At this point you were either a follower of Yahweh, an Israelite, or a part of the nations, and a gentile. But there is something here that should open our eyes.

Joshua 2:8-13 Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, (9) and said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. (10) “For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. (11) “When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. (12) “Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s household, and give me a pledge of truth, (13) and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.”

I want to show you something from scripture that may challenge you. When the man asked his question, my immediate response was, that is ridiculous, and I think my response was right for a believers entitlement to that name comes out of our acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as Lord, but Jesus Christ was not known to them and particularly not those of Jericho (this is really an unfair statement because I am putting limits on God by saying it.)

Look at what Paul said in Romans.

Romans 10:8-13 But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”–that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, (9) that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; (10) for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. (11) For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” (12) For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; (13) for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

There are two key thing in this that we should pay attention to as we consider Rahab, and what her soul looked like.

  1. Paul bases his statement on an old testament passage. Now Rahab would not have known that, but God did. Deuteronomy 30:14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that you may do it. We are such sticklers for context and even Paul took it out of context and applied to our salvation.

  2. Romans 10:10 says, “for with the heart a person believes,..and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” What did Rahab say that would have filled those requirements?

  • I know that the LORD has given you the land

  • for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath

So, what was the end result of not only Rahab, but anyone that would listen to her and get themselves under the roof of her house? Salvation. This idea of her becoming a follower of the most high God is not that far-fetched.

She knew what she was doing.

These men she was hiding were men of war. You do not send press secretaries out to do your spying, and they appreciated her kindness, but cross us and your dead. She got that, but she also understood that they were of a righteous breed (now how did that happen) and could be trusted. She followed their instructions and trusted.

Joshua 2:12-24 “Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s household, and give me a pledge of truth, (13) and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” (14) So the men said to her, “Our life for yours if you do not tell this business of ours; and it shall come about when the LORD gives us the land that we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.” (15) Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall, so that she was living on the wall. (16) She said to them, “Go to the hill country, so that the pursuers will not happen upon you, and hide yourselves there for three days until the pursuers return. Then afterward you may go on your way.” (17) The men said to her, “We shall be free from this oath to you which you have made us swear, (18) unless, when we come into the land, you tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let us down, and gather to yourself into the house your father and your mother and your brothers and all your father’s household. (19) “It shall come about that anyone who goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be free; but anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him. (20) “But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be free from the oath which you have made us swear.” (21) She said, “According to your words, so be it.” So she sent them away, and they departed; and she tied the scarlet cord in the window. (22) They departed and came to the hill country, and remained there for three days until the pursuers returned. Now the pursuers had sought them all along the road, but had not found them. (23) Then the two men returned and came down from the hill country and crossed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they related to him all that had happened to them. (24) They said to Joshua, “Surely the LORD has given all the land into our hands; moreover, all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us.”

This woman’s actions got her into the hall of fame.

Hebrews 11:30-31 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. (31) By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

One of the guys reminded me how symbolic Rahab’s actions were. That scarlet represented the blood of Jesus, the lambs blood upon the door post, you remember, so when  the death angel came all that were in the house were protected. Mind blowing isn’t it.

God is offering you this same opportunity. Trouble is coming hard and fast, and it may show  up almost simultaneously as the disappearance of the followers Christ happens. I, like those spies, am offering you hope. You can accept Jesus Christ as your life, symbolically hanging the red sash out your window and come with us to meet him in the air. Or find Him after we are gone. They will come for your head, scripture tells us that very clearly. Oh sure, some will endure to the end. If you must endure then watch the two prophets that show up in  Jerusalem, and follow  their lead.

Jesus is God

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“God rescued them, and then gave them the law.” Pastor Jeff Vines, Chapter 5 of The Story.

Posted on 05/28/2014 by remso

Chapter five of “The Story,” and we are covering chapters 19 – 40 of Exodus, with huge gaps (you have to look at the back of the book to find the range of scriptures).

In case you do not know “The Story” is a novelized version of the bible. One of the motives behind doing The Story is to get men involved and get them to make the presentation (If I seem to focus on men here, it is because I was, at the time of this writing, a co-leader of a mens’ bible study). The nice thing about this novelized version of the Bible is that there is no strict format, and you can give an overview, or focus on a particular aspect.

If you are familiar with this range of scripture then you know that it focuses on the rebellious nature of Israel, the establishment of the law, and the institution of temple worship.

Several times God has decreed that he would kill them all and start over with Moses, and yet Moses withstands God, and God relents.

We are expected to sit through at least one of the weekend sermons, and I went Saturday night. Pastor focused on something comparable to what I had written in some notes of mine, but he added one thing that caught my attention. When he said it I wrote, here is your answer!

“God rescued them, and then gave them the law.” Pastor Jeff Vines

Had it been the other way around the dynamics of everything would have changed.

Remember that famous soul-winning scripture:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that everyone believing into Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 LITV

With that, we begin.

Exodus 19:4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.

They should have clearly understood this metaphor, for God will talk to you in a language you understand.

Drowning in fears and struggling to understand what is going on around us, how rapidly our world can change for the better as someone gives us an encouraging word from the Lord, that allows us to see beyond ourselves. How the encouraging word is received has much to do with your frame of mind, and how much trust you place in God at the moment. Israel was not big on trust and most only seemed to have a historical relationship; so when God says, “I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself” the reception may have been a cold one. If you read about the Exodus, from the edge of the Red Sea to the base of Mount Sinai, they have been whining to the tune of send us back.

I have a question for you.

If God spoke these words to you “I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself,” how would it change you?

What would it mean to know that God has been there the entire time, all the while working to fulfill a plan that is wild, great, and filled with Him?

Did God talk to them, or tell them through Moses, we can only assume. There were no loud, announcements directed to them from the mountain, only the law conveyed through Moses. Nonetheless, this message was conveyed to them; yet, watch how quickly they fall back to old patterns.

For God to say, “I brought you to myself” implies possession, or intentionality. If you read no further, you might be asking what was God’s intent?

God now demonstrates his heart by giving Israel 3 titles, but the titles are tied to an if/then statement.

You are:

  • a special treasure
  • a kingdom of priests
  • a holy nation

These attributes were contingent upon them obeying his voice, and keeping his commandments, but is this how God saw them?

I know God knows the beginning and the end, and therefore knew what was coming; yet, he sees the ability in us, as if we lived up to our potential.

Did they do that, at any point?

Israel came with deep-set problems, none of which is clear if we merely decided to start our reading in the middle of this chapter of The Story, or chapter 19 of Exodus.

Rescued from Egypt in a most dramatic way, they have whined, complained, rebelled, and begged to be returned there.

How do you retrain a nation of people so accustomed to bondage?

How do you “save” someone that is so entrenched in his or her pain, and so accustomed to generations of traditions and practices that they do not want to step out of their comfort zone, even if it means a better life? Having spent a few years in recovery, I can tell you that you cannot fix anyone but you. Others must come to the realization that they are powerless over their own lives. Israel as slaves was certainly that, but something was not registering in their heads.

This paragraph makes me think of videos I have seen where dogs, that have been used as laboratory test animals and have only lived in cages all their life, are given the freedom to walk on soft grass, run, and eventually find a home. Many slink back to safety in the farthest corner of their cage, intimidated by the thought of freedom. How similar are we to this picture? Isn’t this Israel at its worst moment?

3 months into the wilderness finds them in front of “the mountain,” Mount Sinai. The mountain on which Moses saw the burning bush and God spoke out of it, laying out what the two of them were going to do.

Exodus 19:3 tells us that Moses went up into the mountain and there God said, “You shall say this to the house of Jacob, and tell it to the sons of Israel.” In a sense, these are one in the same, and yet for God to speak directly to the house of Jacob may be giving us a little insight into who has maintained the history of Israel.

Exodus 19:10 And the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes “Moses was told to consecrate the people. This meant getting them physically and spiritually ready to meet God. The people were to set themselves apart from sin and even ordinary daily routine in order to dedicate themselves to God. The act of washing and preparing served to get their minds and hearts ready. When we meet God for worship, we should set aside the cares and preoccupations of everyday life. Use your time of physical preparation to get your mind ready to meet God.” (LASB)

In my mind, I have come to see consecration as a setting apart. I tend to think that this was meant to be a lifetime commitment.

Friday 5/23/14, trying to wake up this morning, Chuck Swindoll is on the radio. It seems he said, “We find God’s mercy in his judgment.”

Because I believe that God is a God of mercy, then that aspect of his character must show up here in Exodus 19 as well. Yet, what is the dominant theme? Law, as a child the law had everything to do with punishment, and I never saw a merciful God in any of it. Where is the draw in that?

We are not dogs, but if you have spent any time around a dog that was untrained then you have experienced how miserable that can be. A simple example – you have been invited to a friend’s house for a barbecue. You are wearing your comfortable pants and favorite shirt when out comes their new 80-pound dog with its muddy paws, and it will not stop jumping up on you, and no one seems to be able to control it. I think we can agree that most of the time behavior like this is inconvenient at best, and this dog needs some training because it is out of control.

Another example: and I used this with one of the guys from our study group, is a blended family; one in which you remarry and there is an existing child, with established behaviors and patterns. What are the possibilities here? In one scenario, the stepchild could tell you, you will never be my parent (I had that happen to me.) Let us assume that you eventually have a child of your own with this spouse. With your own child, you can begin from day one instilling your values and beliefs (hopefully they are good ones.) Alternatively, you can, with the stepchild, as with the 80-pound dog that is out of control, establish boundaries and “laws” to enforce them, so that everyone gets along reasonably well. By the way, you may set up boundaries as the step-parent, and they might even be honored, but that does not mean that those you exercise authority over will love you.

God tries to retrain Israel.

“I am the LORD your God. I brought you out of Egypt. That is the land where you were slaves. (Exodus 20:2)

I hate when Pastors say this, but I am going to try it out anyway. I think what God is saying here is: Let us establish something from the beginning; there is nothing out here but me! I am the one that brought you out of slavery, out of Egypt.

Here come the commandments, narrowed down to ten. In them is the foundation for much elaboration.

Exodus 20:1 NIV: And God spoke all these words –

  1. “Do not put any other gods in place of me. (Exodus 20:3) “Do not make statues of gods that look like anything in the sky or on the earth or in the waters. (Exodus 20:4)
  2. Do not bow down to them or worship them. I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God. I punish the children for the sin of their parents. I punish the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of those who hate me. (Exodus 20:5) But for all time to come I show love to all those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:6)
  3. “Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will find guilty anyone who misuses his name. (Exodus 20:7)
  4. “Remember to keep the Sabbath day holy. (Exo_20:8) Do all of your work in six days. (Exodus 20:9) But the seventh day is a Sabbath in honor of the LORD your God. Do not do any work on that day. The same command applies to your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and your animals. It also applies to any outsiders who live in your cities. (Exodus 20:10) In six days I made the heavens and the earth. I made the oceans and everything in them. But I rested on the seventh day. So I blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:11)
  5. “Respect your father and your mother, and you will live a long time in the land I am giving you. (Exodus 20:12)
  6. “Do not murder. (Exodus 20:13)
  7. “Be faithful in marriage. (Exodus 20:14)
  8. “Do not steal. (Exodus 20:15)
  9. “Do not accuse anyone falsely. (Exodus 20:16)
  10. “Do not long for (covet, envy after) anything that belongs to your neighbor. Do not long for your neighbor’s house, wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey (Porsche or Lexus.)” (Exodus 20:17)

God defined these laws in detail. This goes on until chapter 24 of Exodus. This must have taken days for Moses to write this all down.

Not only were the laws laid out, but God also defined the temple that was to be built for him. Is that what they started doing? No, they built a temple to Moloch and roasted their children to this unknown god. (a god, made of gold, in complete opposition to what God had told them.)

God calls Moses back into the mountain for 40 days. What does Israel do? Give up, rapidly reverting to old ways that have not been defined for us. Oh sure, we have seen their ability to whine, and such, what comes next is beyond comprehension.

The people saw that Moses took a long time to come down from the mountain. So, they gathered an angry mob around Aaron, and they said to him, “Come. Make us a god that will lead us.

This fellow Moses brought us up out of Egypt. But we don’t know what has happened to him.” (Exodus 32:1 NIrV)

The book of Acts records Stephen, standing before the high council, giving this testimony.

“To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt, Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not what is become of him. (Acts 7:39-40 KJV)

The Life Application New Testament Commentary helps to define what Stephen spoke of: “The Israelites’ worship of the golden calf was the beginning of a downward spiral. At times they returned to God, but far more often they were running after the gods of the evil nations surrounding them. This quote from Amos (Amo_5:25-27) supports Stephen’s accusation that Israel had a history of idol worship. Molech and Rephan were planetary divinities. Molech was an Ammonite deity associated with child sacrifice, while Rephan was a god “borrowed” from Egypt. Both became popular options for Israel’s idolatry as her history progressed.

Acts 7:42-43 NIV But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon, and stars. This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets: “‘Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel? 43: You have taken up the tabernacle of Molek and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile’ beyond Babylon.

Apparently, the depth of perversion involved with Moloch was held in denial.

The Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary gives us this: “The Talmud, the Jewish commentary on the OT, calls the rebellion involving the golden calf “that unspeakable deed.” The rabbis did not want to talk about it, forbidding a translation of the account in the vernacular for the synagogue services. The Jewish religious leaders wanted to bury the incident, but Stephen wanted to dig it back up.”

How about a little more definition. The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia tells us: “In the Levitical ordinances delivered to the Israelites by Moses there are stern prohibitions of Molech-worship (Lev_18:21; Lev_20:2-5). Parallel to these prohibitions, although the name of the god is not mentioned, are those of the Deuteronomic Code where the abominations of the Canaanites are forbidden, and the burning of their sons and daughters in the fire (to Molech) is condemned as the climax of their wickedness (Deu_12:31; Deu_18:10-13).

Vincent’s Word Studies explain the Tabernacle of Moloch – The portable tent-temple of the god, to be carried in procession. Moloch was an Ammonite idol to whom children were sacrificed. According to Rabbinical tradition, his image was hollow, heated from below, with the head of an ox and outstretched arms, into which children were laid, their cries being stifled by the beating of drums.

Remphan  – The texts vary between Remphan, Rephan, and Romphan. It is supposed to be the Coptic name for Saturn, to which the Arabs, Egyptians, and Phoenicians paid divine honors.

If I was to try to explain how all this shows God’s love it would be difficult. It looks like God is attempting to retrain a nation, and only a few are getting it.

Do we find this theme in the New Testament?

Yes, as Jesus challenged the Pharisees by throwing the law back in their faces, laws they were breaking as they accused Jesus’ disciples of sabotaging others.

Ephesians, chapters 5 and 6 are really a retelling of the law but from a different angle. An example from the Message reads like this.

“Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.” (Ephesians 5:1-2 MSG)

Exactly, find that love and live in it; let it motivate you.

Did Aaron get it?

If we look at his life overall, we would have to say yes, but he had some bad moments.

It is possible that everything that happens from chapter 25 to 32 is all taking place on the mountain, as Moses stands in God’s presence. If not, then Aaron and all the people have agreed to volumes of regulations, only to do none of it. (This is a generalization, something you see throughout scripture.)

What happens with Aaron is difficult, because we are given the impression that it is a mob, and the mob has the potential for violence. We should understand that the world is going to come against us, forcing us to take a stand or fold like a house of cards, and it seems like Aaron folded. I cannot help but think about our prime example now, and that is Syria. I get pictures that people send out showing how Christians (again to the Muslims that are fighting there, it could mean anyone not of the Islamic faith, a generalization) are being tortured, raped, hung in the streets, whipped mercilessly, impaled with poles, and beheaded. What you do not see, very often, is those that fold and give in to the pressure. It is difficult to judge how others react, especially when we do not know how we will react on that day.

I have already pointed out, in detail, what Aaron made for the mob that day. No one seems to notice how precisely it was made, and why did Aaron know how to make such a thing, but remember that Israel lived for 400 years under the rule and tradition of Egypt.

What bothers me about Aaron is that when confronted by Moses, he lied in saying I threw the gold in, but the calf popped out.

They knew what was right in God’s eyes.

“.. you must never make idols of silver or gold to worship in place of me. (Exodus 20:23 CEV)

Aaron responded to Moses angry questioning with,

Moses asked Aaron, “What did these people do to harm you? Why did you make them sin in this terrible way?” Aaron answered: Don’t be angry with me. You know as well as I do that they are determined to do evil. (Exodus 32:21-22 CEV)

God told Moses on the mountain that he was going to kill them all (another generalization,) but Moses interceded for the people and God relented from his anger. Now it seems as though Moses is operating on his own compulsion. Perhaps, having heard the heart of God when it comes to idol worship, he understands that it has to be purged completely.

Watch what he does.

Moses knew that the people were out of control and that it was Aaron’s fault. And now they had made fools of themselves in front of their enemies. So Moses stood at the gate of the camp and shouted, “Everyone who is on the LORD’s side come over here!” Then the men of the Levi tribe gathered around Moses, and he said to them, “The LORD God of Israel commands you to strap on your swords and go through the camp, killing your relatives, your friends, and your neighbors.” The men of the Levi tribe followed his orders, and that day they killed about three thousand men. (Exodus 32:25-28 CEV)

What is peculiar about this is that Aaron is a Levite also. We are talking about Moses’ close families having to do the cleanup work here. This also put Aaron to the test, as you were the one that complied with their request. Look at this next verse.

Moses said to them, “You obeyed the LORD and did what was right, and so you will serve as his priests for the people of Israel. It was hard for you to kill your own sons and brothers, but the LORD has blessed you and made you his priests today.” (Exodus 32:29 CEV)

Do you sometimes feel like you missed something? Where did God command him to do that? Yet, Moses attributes what was said to the Lord.

Yeah, it was hard, who would think otherwise, a psychopath?

Is the potential for punishment over?

Not hardly:

The next day Moses told the people, “This is a terrible thing you have done. But I will go back to the LORD to see if I can do something to keep this sin from being held against you.” Moses returned to the LORD and said, “The people have committed a terrible sin. They have made a gold idol to be their god. But I beg you to forgive them. If you don’t, please wipe my name out of your book.” The LORD replied, “I will wipe out of my book the name of everyone who has sinned against me. Now take my people to the place I told you about, and my angel will lead you. But when the time comes, I will punish them for this sin.” So the LORD punished the people of Israel with a terrible disease for talking Aaron into making the gold idol. (Exodus 32:30-35 CEV)

In chapter 33 God refuses to continue the journey with them. What does that look like?

For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the sons of Israel, ‘You are an obstinate people; should I go up in your midst for one moment, I would destroy you. Now, therefore, put off your ornaments from you, that I may know what I shall do with you.'” (Exodus 33:5 NASB)

The people knew what effect God’s presence had on Moses, he shined, but what they saw that was most obvious to them was the cloud by day and the pillar of fire in the sky at night.

Moses once again withstood God on behalf of the people.

Then Moses said to the LORD, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people!’ But You Yourself have not let me know whom You will send with me. Moreover, You have said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’ “Now, therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight. Consider too, that this nation is Your people.” And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. “For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?” The LORD said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.” (Exodus 33:12-17 NASB)

Chapter 5 ends with Israel contributing to, and the Levites building the large but movable tent of meeting.

Moses went in and out before God, and it had a profound effect upon him, he glowed.

We too go in and out before God, and what effect does it have upon us? 

I have known the lord for years and spent many hours before his face, and I have never knowingly glowed.

The Apostle explained what my heart wishes to convey quite nicely, so I give you that.

2 Corinthians 3:6-18 MKJV 6: who also has made us able ministers of the new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit makes alive. 7: But if the ministry of death, having been engraved in letters in stone was with glory (so that the sons of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses because of the glory of his face), which was being done away; 8: shall not the ministry of the Spirit be with more glory? 9: For if the ministry of condemnation is glorious, much more does the ministry of righteousness exceed in glory. 10: For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11: For if that which has been done away was glorious, much more that which remains is glorious. 12: Then since we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech. 13: And we are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of the thing being done away. 14: (But their thoughts were blinded; for until the present the same veil remains on the reading of the old covenant, not taken away.) But this veil has been done away in Christ. 15: But until this day, when Moses is read, the veil is on their heart. 16: But whenever it turns to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. 17: And the Lord is that Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18: But we all, with our face having been unveiled, having beheld the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are being changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Lord Spirit.

Give your heart to him and he will change your life.

 

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Finally, the answer they wanted to hear. Matthew 24:31-51 Part 9

Posted on 05/21/2014 by remso

Finally, he got to the answer they wanted to hear. “and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.”

I am assuming that what they really wanted to know was, when He was coming back as reigning Messiah, and here it is in all its power. All the other stuff He talked about was just depressing; deceit, beheadings, the nation they loved invaded, and barely anyone surviving.

Not only does he come in power, but He also gathers what is left of His people, the chose ones, from across the globe.

Matthew 24:31NIrV He will send his angels with a loud trumpet call. They will gather his chosen people from all four directions. They will bring them from one end of the heavens to the other.

 Some things to ponder:

  1. “He will send his angels with a loud trumpet call.” Jesus is standing right there, responding to their questions. We, as avid followers of Jesus Christ, should understand that it is Jesus that returns. (See Revelation 19:11-15) Yet, he explains it as though he is watching this himself, and referring to someone else. Ask yourself this question, how many times have you heard the statement, Jesus never said he was God. There is no doubt, He was and is God.
  2. He will send his angels with a loud trumpet call. They will gather his chosen people from all four directions. Who is God’s chosen at this point? This becomes important considering God’s anger toward them for rejecting Him, and our foolish replacement theories about how the church takes the place of Israel. God told them how to act and they (in majority) chose not to; there are repercussions for that and God laid all that out. We, the church, are told we are grafted in. This is a common term in the nursery business. The stock is often a mature plant, with disease resistant qualities, on to which fresh stock is grafted. From that rootstock, we gain strength, while the graft may give us beauty or fruit. (See Romans 11: 17-30) Sadly, this is not some exclusive code for the elite of some cult.
  3. “They will bring them from one end of the heavens to the other.” They = angels; them = the chosen, what is left of Israel, and there will be many. But with all the destruction, things like possible EMP blasts, stars falling from the sky, and a massive earthquake, there may not even be functioning airports anymore. How will they get to Jerusalem? (I said Jerusalem on purpose.) That massive earthquake I mentioned, it may be so large that the landmasses may reassemble and people will be able to walk. Imagine that, even if God manages to put Israel smack in the center, it is still a tremendously long walk, God has a time plan, but he never seems to be in a hurry.

Matthew 24:32MSG “Take a lesson from the fig tree. From the moment you notice its buds form, the merest hint of green, you know summer’s just around the corner.”

            If Israel was that fig tree, when did it throw out its buds?

In May 1948, Israel became an independent state after Israel was recognized by the United Nations as a country in its own right, within the Middle East.

Matthew 24:33NASB “so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.”

The question was, when would these things happen. Again, Jesus talks as a spectator describing the end and yet he is an integral participant of those events, as he comes in the power of God. Keep your focus; this is beyond the rapture of the church, and during the seven years of wrath upon the earth. In terms of conversation, only moments ago, he spoke of himself coming in the clouds, and every eye will see him. Therefore, he described what his coming would look like and then explained how, at this point they (Israel) should be able to ascertain the timing.

Matthew 24:34AMP “ Truly I tell you, this generation (the whole multitude of people living at the same time, in a definite, given period) will not pass away till all these things taken together take place.”

 I looked up the definition of a generation in the dictionary. It is the average length of time between the birth of parents and the birth of their children. My assumption, here in America, is that youth do not get married until about age 18. If I round-up, for ease of doing the math, then we are talking twenty years. That puts the generational parallel for Israel at 1968. What happened in 1967 in Israel?

The Six-Day War, also known as the June War, 1967 Arab–Israeli War, or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt (known at the time as the United Arab Republic), Jordan, and Syria. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Six_Day_War)

This war expanded the territories Israel to something comparable to what God had prescribed for them; if we use an average of twenty years that puts us at 1987. How do I apply this to anything? If, this is something we are to pay attention to, then we need to understand that we are running on overtime. There is nothing left chronologically to hold back the Father’s unleashing of His wrath upon the earth.

What if the generation He speaks of is the generation that is alive during this time of wrath? That does not work because the time of wrath only lasts seven years, and the specific period he focuses on is the last three and one half years.

Matthew 24:35KJV “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”

 This is in context with His return to earth, and it is going to be dramatic. I will show you some reinforcing details from scripture.

Joel 2:2 KJV A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.

Joel 2:30-31 KJV And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. (31) The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

Joel 2:10 KJV The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:

             This last verse is one with which we attempt to scare the world into believing because it speaks about Jesus coming back as a thief in the night. That concept conveys someone sneaking up on them, and that is not the case. He is very open and upfront about his coming. I believe he is trying to convey the fact life, for some, will just keep going on. Consider the period, and the context of his arrival, is there anything about this that does not tell you something huge is happening.

2 Peter 3:10 KJV But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

            What if Satan’s rebellion, and fall to earth, caused a far-reaching corruption that affected everything. Scripture tells us that even rocks are crying out for their redemption. Would it not make sense to purge everything and make it new, eliminating all the corruption? Sadly, much of the beauty we see because of the Hubble space telescope was caused by stars exploding or collapsing in on themselves, creating black holes, which suck everything close into its center. God has a solution for that.

Revelation 21:4-5KJV And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (5) And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, write: for these words are true and faithful.

Matthew 24:36GNB “No one knows, however, when that day and hour will come—neither the angels in heaven nor the Son; the Father alone knows.”

             If this were a ball game, in the last inning, down by one run, and God’s people have the last at bat, how much closer in terms of timing do you need. Again, I tell you that this applies to those that are here during the time of wrath; a time that the church bypasses.

 Matthew 24:37-39GNB The coming of the Son of Man will be like what happened in the time of Noah. (38) In the days before the flood people ate and drank, men and women married, up to the very day Noah went into the boat; (39) yet they did not realize what was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man comes.

             If you did not realize it, the coming of the Son of Man, covers the entire seven-year period, but His physical touching down upon the earth is specifically at the end of the seven years (of wrath.)

I use this passage a lot, as I attempt to explain to people what it will look like for the church. (I realize, even more so now, that there is a context, but suddenly that context takes on a completely new meaning for me when I relate it to the last half of the seven years period.) If It is fair for me to use this as the direct analogy to the “rapture” of the church, then I refer to the immediate context of timing that Jesus referred to in Matthew 24: 36.

So many of the church anticipated that we would be gone, and legitimately, most scholars see no reason for our still being either. The only thing that makes any sense is that God is waiting for just a few more to come. If you were part of that few wouldn’t you want him to wait for you?

In trying to relate what it will be like for us, moments before the rapture, I point out that there was an unsurpassed level of violence. I believe we rapidly going to surpass that. There will be an attitude that says do not bother me with facts, and life will just go on. Really, what else can most of us do? How many of us have the ability, financially, to change the world around us? Yet, that is the majority of the problem, it is all about the individual. God told us that being wrapped up in the world would consume us.

1 John 2:16-17 GNB Everything that belongs to the world—what the sinful self desires, what people see and want, and everything in this world that people are so proud of—none of this comes from the Father; it all comes from the world. (17) The world and everything in it that people desire is passing away; but those who do the will of God live forever.

The last aspect in this comparison is that, should you look at Noah’s story in scripture, you will see that the day it rained, God put them in the Ark, and closed the door. The reality of this is that God will put us in the “ark” so to speak, as well, but you can plan to get your head a little wet. That means that tribulation, in excess of your having to get a new propeller for your bass boat, or typical everyday bullying of your children at school, is going to spill over on you. Just look around you, and or pick about any country that rims the Mediterranean ocean, and you will find people in horrid conditions of tribulation. In light of Noah, it is raining on their heads.

Matthew 24:40-41KJV “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. (41) Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”

             In Matthew 24:40-41 we are back, deeply into the seven years. Who is doing the taking is not clear. Several commentaries imply that, much like the flood with Noah, the people are taken in judgment by God. Lets analyze this for a moment: God brought the flood, but God also gave the inhabitants of earth 100 years in which to repent.

1 Peter 3:20 NASB who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.

            You see, we make a huge assumption that God just wanted them dead, and that is not the case. If you consider these people in light of Sodom and Gomorrah, cities that God would have spared if 10 righteous people could have been found. In a world full of people, all that God was able to pull out of here was eight. Does that say anything to anyone? God relented (momentarily) from his destruction of Nineveh when they repented, and he would have relented from his destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah for 10; why would he be any different over the earth?

Because the context is a time of unsurpassed violence, with enemy nations overrunning Israel and the surrounding hills it is possible that this is a ghastly level of violence of which we are being informed.

Matthew 24:42NASB “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.”

             He started the discourse with a similar warning, see to it that you be not deceived. This emphasis on being alert, on guard, and watchful of the time and timing of things, is repeated several times throughout this chapter. Perhaps we should pay attention to His warnings. Noah also warned the people of an impending destruction. Isn’t that amazing, the God we so lovingly think of as a nasty, destructive force, seems to have warned repeatedly, with methods of salvation included, of they all have to do with turning your life back over to Him. Considering that our lives were held captive by the enemy, why wouldn’t a God of benevolence be the better choice?

 Matthew 24:43-44NASB “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. (44) “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”

            “But … if the head of the house had known.” Well, actually, we do, and the time is now. Yeah sure, I hear it all the time, but we cannot know the time, and sadly, we have far too many kooks that are more than willing to tell us the exact time of His return. (Here is a clue as to whether they are kooks or not. Who or what are they telling you to follow, and where is the money going.)

1 Corinthians 2:9-10 NASB (9) but just as it is written, “THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.” (10) For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.

Ephesians 3:4-5 NASB By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, (5) which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;

            How about living like this, live as though He is coming at any moment, just as He said he would.

I am going to end by finishing off Matthew 24.

Matthew 24:45-51NASB “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? (46) “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. (47) “Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. (48) ”But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ (49) and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; (50) the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, (51) and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

  • “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time?” I suppose that could be us, or, it could be Israel. As poor of a job as they did, following after God, and getting wrath poured out on them (this is generalized), they are still engraved upon his heart, but then, so are we. The only way I can see us being faithful and sensible is to convey his heart and desire to others. If that includes commentaries in an effort to get people out of their tradition and lack of interest, then so be it. What do I consider his food? Jesus told his disciples, I have food that you know not of, he was referring to what he obtained from His continual, intimate communication with the Father.
  • “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.” What are we as slaves doing? After being put in charge of His household, we given those of the household food (the word of God, and encouragement to get through to the end.) This is what we do all the way to the end, an end that is not precisely determined, and therefore demands that we stay on task whether we will see this end or not.
  • ”But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ (49) and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; (50) the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, (51) and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” This is typical conversation; I hear it all the time. I pick up enough news to know that the world is getting darker by the day, but if I act like those around me, then I am responsible. I am not backing down. Jesus is coming for his church, and shortly after, he will return as the triumphant and reigning Messiah.

You can know this Jesus Christ if you just ask him to make himself real to you. He will come into your life and remake your heart. From that moment forward your heart will be good, new, and His. Yes, life will still look tore up from the outside, it is the nature of the world we live in, and we have to deal with it. However, God gives us a power, especially if we ask Him to fill us with the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is described as rivers of living water flowing out of our inner most being. Do you realize that a live river is one that moves, swirls and has dangerous rapids as an integral part of it? Does that mean you will be dangerous? Some will think so. God is inviting you on an adventure, one that is alive, real, and filled with Him. This is a life worth living, and He is real. We have a hope and a promise of acceptance, and love in His arms, forever. Jump in!

 

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I have told you before it happens. Matthew 24:30, Part 8

Posted on 05/19/2014 by remso

Today is 5/15/2014. Let us for a moment say that I know nothing aside from: what the Spirit of the Lord has shown me, what I have read, asked questions about, probed a little deeper into the word than most, I have a burning desire to see God’s people excited about reading God’s word, and I love to teach it. What does that have to do with anything?

Recently, at a bible study I attend, the leader says, we are probably going to close down the bible study for the summer. I responded with, good, because God takes the summer off too. Seriously, get someone to open the door and I will be here. One of the ladies that attend suggested that the leader have me teach while she is gone. I got the look that said no. I have enough wisdom to consider all the weird ramifications, but I if I wanted you to teach, my attitude would be, let me see if I can make it happen. What is it in our heads that makes us think that we are better than others? If that is our attitude then we are wrong, and at that point, we are trying to take control of the throne of God by judging people. Do you not know that you will be judged too, based upon our own standards?

I am wondering why I wrote this, because it seems so random at times, but there is a motivation behind this. People, just trying to make small talk, will ask me how it is going. Those who know me well know that I have been through what seems like a twenty-year battle. I have had not had a decent job since 1994, and once again, I am out of work, and that is only the tip of my iceberg. I know that this last 20 years have contributed greatly to who I am today. As I look back on it now I can tell you that I am keenly aware that the enemy has tried to eliminate me. Why would he feel a need to do that? (I know the answer.)

I was about 23 years old when Jesus appeared to me. This was not expected, but because God had put this burning passion inside of me I had invested serious time in God’s word. As I read the Bible I was drawn to the lives of the prophets, and Elijah was one that always came quickly to my mind. He was a powerful man, and I wanted to know what it was like to have that kind of relationship with God, and to be conscious of that kind of power.

Power is not the purpose of our existence, but there has to be something more than this muddling through life that we do.

Thanks to the earthquake driven Tsunami that hit Japan in 2011, the world has witnessed the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, the Fukushima power plant melt down. By now we should all understand that uncontrolled power is extremely dangerous. Just look at people as you pass them on the street, they all want something more, power, even if it is merely the power to control the circumstances around their own lives.

How does this apply to the life of the believer? Jesus told us all that after the Holy Spirit comes on you, you shall receive power. The Greek word is dunamis. This is the base word for our word dynamite.

Yet, it is rare to find a “Christian” that is not afraid of God’s power. They essentially refuse to accept anything and anyone that displays the evidence of power in their lives. Come on, it is power that motivates you to believe, lay your hands on someone in faith, trust that God will do what he says, and moves you forward in the gifts the Holy Spirit gives you.

As Jesus spoke of what was to come, you have the suggestion that multiple persons are performing signs (the evidence of power). Our first assumption is that it is demonically oriented (think fallen angels here), and we would not be far off [Revelation 6:8, 13:2], but the same assumptions are assigned to fellow believers that have the faith to exhibit the peculiarity of the Holy Spirit’s giftings. However, the false prophet is not the only one displaying power, something that Matthew 24 does not tell us.

The series is about Matthew 24, and I am aware of that, but I feel compelled to expound about things related, things we as a body should be repenting of because of our unbelief.

Jesus was asked specific questions about what it would look like when he returned, and so, as an acquaintance said to me, to explain the two witnesses that appear during this time would be going down a rabbit trail.

I address the two witnesses here because they are not only an example of God’s power, but they are also a display of what people operating in the power of God looks like; they are also a testimony of God, in opposition to Israel’s rejections of him, and a testimony against the nations. While this is a scripturally established time of wrath, it is against specified people, and therefore must also be understood to be a revelation of God’s mercy toward those who will come to him.

Revelation 11:3-12 GNB I will send my two witnesses dressed in sackcloth, and they will proclaim God’s message during those 1, 260 days.” The two witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lamps that stand before the Lord of the earth. If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes out of their mouths and destroys their enemies; and in this way whoever tries to harm them will be killed. They have authority to shut up the sky so that there will be no rain during the time they proclaim God’s message. They have authority also over the springs of water, to turn them into blood; they have authority also to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish. When they finish proclaiming their message, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will fight against them. He will defeat them and kill them, and their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, where their Lord was crucified. The symbolic name of that city is Sodom, or Egypt. People from all nations, tribes, languages, and races will look at their bodies for three and a half days and will not allow them to be buried. The people of the earth will be happy because of the death of these two. They will celebrate and send presents to each other, because those two prophets brought much suffering upon the whole human race. After three and a half days, a life-giving breath came from God and entered them, and they stood up; and all who saw them were terrified. Then the two prophets heard a loud voice say to them from heaven, “Come up here!” As their enemies watched, they went up into heaven in a cloud.

Rather dramatic wouldn’t you say. Why would God need to show such flare and violent reaction? Maybe it is because we foolish mortals have downplayed the ferocity of the anger against anything that represents God. I, on several occasions, have attempted to show how Islam fits precisely into the characteristics of these biblical peculiarities, not only in my writing, but in discussion as well, and what a shock (I am being facetious) it is to get angry responses back. An example would be, “but they are not all radicals!” and you would be right, but as a Muslim, a follower of the Qur’an and Allah, then you have specific commands that are compelled of each devotee, and in Jihad (the method is prescribed by the Imam), deception is huge tool in their arsenal.

Open your bible to Matthew 24: 25 –

Matthew 24:25 ESV See, I have told you beforehand.

Once again, the context: Jesus is answering a question about what it will look like when he returns to earth as the Messiah, and when. He could not tell them when, merely to give them as many clues as possible, so that they could have a clear understanding. None of those men would ever live to see the time He was describing. I believe that you and I shall.

Matthew 24:26ESVSo, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.

The only thing that helps me to comprehend the gullibility of the Jewish nation at this point will be the panic, and the desire for a Messiah. Because Islam makes it clear that there will be a huge, deceptive forgery, performing signs, then it does not surprise me that people will flock to this guy. Keep this clear in your head, this is not about the church, and as a believer, you have nothing to panic about, but if you did not make the rapture, and you are reading this, then the chances of you becoming a martyr for Christ are extremely high.

Jesus tells them plainly, why they do not need to go looking for him in bizarre and obscure places. This is one of the reasons that I think he said things like Matthew 24:25 records –I have told you before it happens.

Matthew 24:27ESVFor as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

He will show up, and the entire world will know that it is He.

This next one took me a few seconds to figure out.

Matthew 24:28ESV Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

In trying to figure it out you could first start with the general context, and included in that is a tremendous amount of killing of anyone not complying with Islam. That alone could be the corpse he speaks of, but the statement follows on the tale of two conflicting things: people chasing around false Messiah’s, and his real return in a way that all will see. If I allow the corpse to be the false prophet, then the buzzards could easily be Israel.

The Life Application New Testament Commentary explains it like this:

“This verse, probably quoting a well-known proverb of the culture, looks to the Second Coming as a time of judgment. Jesus was telling his audience that, just as you know a carcass must be nearby if you see vultures circling overhead, so his coming will be unmistakably marked by various signs.”

The next string of passages seems to be a culmination of events, happening at the end of the seven years.

Matthew 24:29-30 CEV Right after those days of suffering, “The sun will become dark, and the moon will no longer shine. The stars will fall, and the powers in the sky will be shaken.” Then a sign will appear in the sky. And there will be the Son of Man. All nations on earth will weep when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Those days of suffering, could specifically be talking about:

Matthew 24:21-22 CEV This will be the worst time of suffering since the beginning of the world, and nothing this terrible will ever happen again. If God doesn’t make the time shorter, no one will be left alive. But because of God’s chosen ones, he will make the time shorter.

Every one of these passages speaks of the darkness we see in
Matthew 24:29.

  • Isaiah 13:6-11 CEV Cry and weep! The day is coming when the mighty LORD will bring destruction. * (7) All people will be terrified. Hands will grow limp; courage will melt away. (8) Everyone will tremble with pain like a woman giving birth; they will stare at each other with horror on their faces. (9) I, the LORD, will show no mercy or pity when that time comes. In my anger, I will destroy the earth and every sinner who lives on it. (10) Light will disappear from the stars in the sky; the dawning sun will turn dark, and the moon will lose its glow. (11) I will punish this evil world and its people because of their sins. I will crush the horrible pride of those who are cruel.
  • Isaiah 24:21-23 CEV On that day the LORD will punish the powers in the heavens and the kings of the earth. (22) He will put them in a pit and keep them prisoner. Then later on, he will punish them. (23) The moon and sun will both be embarrassed and ashamed. The LORD All-Powerful will rule on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, where he will show its rulers his wonderful glory.
  • Jeremiah 4:22-23 CEV I heard the LORD say, “My people ignore me. They are foolish children who do not understand that they will be punished. All they know is how to sin.” (23) After this, I looked around. The earth was barren, with no form of life. The sun, moon, and stars had disappeared.
  • Ezekiel 32:7-8 CEV I will cover the whole sky and every star with thick clouds, so that the sun and moon will stop shining. (8) The heavens will become black, leaving your country in total darkness. I, the LORD, have spoken.
  • Joel 2:30-31 CEV I will work wonders in the sky above and on the earth below. There will be blood, fire, and clouds of smoke. (31) The sun will turn dark, and the moon will be as red as blood before that great and terrible day when I appear.
  • Amos 5:20 CEV The day when the LORD judges will be dark, very dark, without a ray of light.
  • Zephaniah 1:14-15 CEV The great day of the LORD is coming soon, very soon. On that terrible day, fearsome shouts of warriors will be heard everywhere. (15) It will be a time of anger– of trouble and torment, of disaster and destruction, of darkness and despair, of storm clouds and shadows,
  • Revelation 6:12-14 CEV When I saw the Lamb open the sixth seal, I looked and saw a great earthquake. The sun turned as dark as sackcloth, and the moon became as red as blood. (13) The stars in the sky fell to earth, just like figs shaken loose by a windstorm. (14)Then the sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all mountains and islands were moved from their places.

Matthew 24:30 NASB “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.

Will this change the mind of the atheist, or the nations in general? Will there be a moment when Yashua allows for people to still bow before him? Tradition tells us no, but if you know me at all, then you will understand that this journey life has taken me on, has shown me a God more merciful than anything man has ever tried to tell me. Not having a solid answer to the questions I put forth tells me that waiting and gambling on hope is not the way to treat this scenario.

This is my voice, and it is crying out, as one that cries in the wilderness. John the Baptist had this acclaim primarily because few listened to him. My calling is to the weak and feeble in the Christian body. They are that way because they are unwilling to pick up their bibles and read for themselves. Because they are lax, they are taken captive by the enemy, at his leisure and will, and there is little they can do to stand up to him. They have no support system, because the enemy has clouded their minds to the truth, and they do not believe that there are people out there that will support you, and not judge you.

How do I know that? Because I was one of them, but someone cared enough, and took an extra few minutes to guide me into Celebrate Recovery, and then into a 12-step group. I will tell you that it is in the 12-step group where the real healing begins; this is where, if you will be honest, you pour out your real heart, the one that is busted and does not want to trust anymore, and you allow God to move into the brokenness and begin to heal it all. It happens gradually, but you have to trust and allow it to happen. You will also be prompted to get a sponsor (someone who has been through the 12-steps) and they will aid you as you migrate through some of the tough sections.

Can you make these life-altering changes somewhere other than Celebrate Recovery? Sure, many people have. The main difference between us and AA or other programs, is that in CR we openly and unashamedly declare that all our hope is in Jesus Christ, our higher power.

Many have told how they, at their lowest point in life, cried out and said, Jesus, if you are real show me. He will do that for you if you ask him.

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If anyone says to you.. Matthew 24:23-26 – Part 7

Posted on 05/15/2014 by remso

Matthew 24: 23-26 may be Jesus attempt at clarifying his opening statement to the disciples.

 Matthew 24:4-5 KJV 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.

             The idea of deception was not a new concept to them.

 Jeremiah 14:14 NASB Then the LORD said to me, “The prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own minds.

              Pay attention to what is being said here in Deuteronomy.

 Deuteronomy 13:1-3 NASB “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

This false prophet, demonstrating signs and wonders, to the casual observer would give the impression that the person has some intense relationship with God or an intensely powerful spirit. What was the test of a false prophet in the Old Testament, their word coming to pass? Does this test work with signs? That is not clear, but what they use it for is. In the passage above, the worker of signs then misleads, because they now have followers. I think the greater question might be, will you have time to stand around, as you wait to prove this guy. One other thing, that Jesus made it clear that people will be operating in powerful signs, indicates that it is not exclusive to the demonic; Joel chapter two, the one that Peter quoted an excerpt from, tells us about followers of God moving in power gifts.

Key words: “Let us go after other gods and let us serve them,” Israel had direct instructions against doing something like this, and from several sources.

 Deuteronomy 28:14 NASB and do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

Jeremiah 25:6 NASB and do not go after other gods to serve them and to worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands, and I will do you no harm.’

 The subtle problem here is that the message is not always so direct, because an aspect of brainwashing is the gradual breakdown of moral rules and sensibilities.

 

Mug shot of David Koresh.

Mug shot of David Koresh. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My mind keeps going back to the people who stand out most in my mind, David Koresh, and Jim Jones. David Koresh, the leader of the branch Davidians, was able to get married couples to give up their spouses to him so that he alone could father more sons of god. I can tell you that there would have been many red flags long before that happened, and he and I would have had a brief, but convincing talk, ending with my wife and I leaving.

 

The consensus would be that the disciples should have memorized these things in the synagogue schools, but I have heard, repeatedly, that Jesus disciples had probably been kicked out, because they were not the cream of the crop. That does not prove anything, and that Jesus spoke to them in this way, something he would not have done if he had thought for a second that they are not going to understand this. Therefore, I think it is safe to say that they knew exactly what he was saying to them.

If it is safe to assume they understood then where did the mind immediately go when he said this?

 Mark 13:22 KJV For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

             Whom would they have perceived as the elect? You got it, the scribes, Pharisee, and priesthood of Israel. (The same guys that would soon put Jesus on the cross.) When we throw ourselves back into the context, then they perceived that who ever this character is, and whatever he represents, is going to be monumental in its deception.

Sorry about the long introductions but it fits.

You should have your bible open by now so turn to Matthew 24: 23-26.

Matthew 24:23-26 CEV Someone may say, “Here is the Messiah!” or “There he is!” But don’t believe it. False messiahs and false prophets will come and work great miracles and signs. They will even try to fool God’s chosen ones. But I have warned you ahead of time. If you are told that the Messiah is out in the desert, don’t go there! And if you are told that he is in some secret place, don’t believe it!

If we mentally place ourselves in this period to understand, we are 3-1/2 years into the middle of wrath being poured out upon the earth, and it just worsened with the advent of the false prophet.

The wrath of God, (in actuality it is the wrath of the Lamb) – Jesus Christ, primarily begins with the sixth chapter of Revelation.

 Revelation 6:16-17 NASB and they *said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

 Are there still believers on the earth during this time, you can count on it, as they have chosen to follow Jesus the Messiah since the removal of the church from the earth, and not whatever this person is selling. True, they missed the rapture, but how glorious a hope they will have, and they will rule and reign with Christ over this earth.

Mark’s gospel gives us a parallel version with a slightly different spin.

 Mark 13:21-22 GW “At that time don’t believe anyone who tells you, ‘Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There he is!’ False messiahs and false prophets will appear. They will work miraculous signs and do wonderful things to deceive, if possible, those whom God has chosen.

 Do an Internet search for people who called themselves Jesus. Conservatively, there have been over 50, and I mentioned two of them a few paragraphs ago. Still this should strike you odd because we do not have people running around, claiming to be God’s son, as this implies without thinking them insane.

If we stick with key words, such as Messiah then we are hit with a problem immediately when we look up the Greek word translated Messiah. It means anointed, and though we typically ascribe that designation to Jesus Christ, it is easy to see why for the word is khristos. That coincidence does not give Jesus exclusive rights to the word, just as many, during his days on earth, had his name, Yashua, transliterated Joshua.

“For false Christs and false prophets will arise” False Christs = pseudochristos. Seems like it should be self-explanatory, but why so many? Is there money involved; perhaps power? Consider that during this period an entity is hell-bent on killing off anything that resembles a follower of Christ, so what advantage would that be.

The Greek wording for false prophets is rather eye-opening pseudoprophētēs, and can have several possibilities – a spurious (counterfeit) prophet, that is, pretended foreteller or religious impostor:

The word translated “arise”, is the Greek word egeiro, and means to waken. Now this immediately grabs my attention and here is why. Four angels, apparently large and vicious in their capabilities, are to be released from the chains they have been bound with and kept in the Euphrates River.

 Revelation 9:14-15 NASB one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind.

 You might say these were awakened. However, we are talking about humans acting as false messiahs.

You are going to have to look at Islam, once again, to gain some clarity.

List of Mahdi claimants

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In Muslim eschatology, the Mahdi is a Messianic figure who, it is believed, will appear on Earth before the Day of Judgment and, will rid the world of wrongdoing, injustice and tyranny. People claiming to be the Mahdi have appeared across the Muslim world – in South Asia, Africa and the Middle East – and throughout history since the birth of Islam (610 CE).

A claimant Mahdi can wield great temporal, as well as spiritual, power: claimant Mahdis have founded states (e.g. the late 19th-century Mahdiyah in Sudan), as well as religions and sects (e.g. Bábism, or the Ahmadiyya movement). The continued relevance of the Mahdi doctrine in the Muslim world was most recently emphasised during the 1979 seizing of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, by at least 200 militants led by Juhayman al-Otaibi, who had declared his brother-in-law, Muhammad bin abd Allah al-Qahtani, the Mahdi.

 To make this short, I counted 26. I am sure it is longer as history is always given an appropriate spin convenient to the tellers’ point of view.

We have not eliminated people claiming to be Jesus, but neither have we excluded Islam from having many claiming to be “the Mahdi”. There would certainly be some advantages in terms of power, authoritative decisions, and money (although Islam will deny that.)

 Matthew 24:24 NASB “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.

 False though they may be, they will put on a good show. Many will bow their knee to Allah because of the signs. It would seem that they are focused heavily on deceiving the elect, the leadership of religious Israel.

As a side note, I will show you a commentary by John MacArthur. I have gone through my phases with him, ranging from disgust to respect, and now, slowly finding it difficult to waste my time hunting for the good with him.

 “to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ‘This warning clearly implies that such deception is not possible’” (Joh_10:4-5).

 It seems that John MacArthur is choosing to ignore the emphatic tone, and concern in Jesus response. “”See to it that no one misleads you.”

There is a context. I know I keep saying that, but deliveries lacking a solid context have led the church into a lifelong state of confusion, and in some, depression. Most do not know if we are coming or going.

This time is not about the church. It is most definitely about Israel and the nations. The nations, a generalized statement, especially Muslim nations, are at odds with Israel. I do not think that America can be excluded from the nations at odds with Israel, especially when the Secretary of State, John Kerry, is actively telling Israel to stand down as they attempt to gain support in protecting themselves. That conveys nothing short of animosity toward Israel, in my thinking.

The theme in part seven is a serious concern about deception by people claiming to be Jesus. Again, the Muslim world will only be focused on one thing during the last 3 ½ years, and that will be the elimination of anyone that represents Christ, Jews, or challenges the will of Allah merely by not being a Muslim.

This is not a time for civilized people, for as ugly as this wanton slaughter sounds, we will also see deadly weather elements, stars falling from the sky, darkness across the land, rain being shut off, an earthquake that impacts the entire earth, and a mind bending level of violence. You can avoid this by turning to Jesus Christ and giving him your life. Sure, you can wait, if you think you have the backbone for it.

 

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The Abomination of Desolation. Matthew 24: 15-22. Part 6 of the series

Posted on 05/13/2014 by remso

Part 6

I have to assume that many of you just stumbled upon this page and have not been following the series. With that in mind, I must recap. Matthew 24 is the preeminent source of prophecy for end time’s event in the Gospels. These words, from Jesus mouth, are worthy of our attention.

Everything in scripture has a context, but some things can be used outside of the context and still carry a valid meaning for your personal issue. That is not the case with Matthew 24, for it is about a specific time, and it is almost upon us.

The question asked was from the lips of the disciples, and was a question that had an intentional and direct Jewish mindset. They asked Jesus when the temple would be destroyed, what kind of signs could they expect to see, indicating His return as the Messiah, and when this would happen. Did you catch that part about the Messiah? When you read John’s gospel, you get a sense that they did not understand that he was the Messiah, but really their question was not wrong, He would come back some day in that role, but not any time soon as far as they were concerned.

He knew when the temple would be destroyed. How vital that was to the real question I do not know, but he did not give them a specific timing on that. What he spoke about, at depth, were the signs preceding His return to earth. Scripture tells us that not even the Son knows the day or the hour, but Jesus told them, “it is given unto you to know”. If not even Jesus knew the precise timing, can we? No, but scriptural evidence, common sense, and attention to your surroundings, should get any of us in the ballpark.

Matthew 13:11 KJV He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Mark and Luke’s gospels recorded essentially the same thing.

Mark 4:11 KJV And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

            If I take the time to look at a passage like 1Corinthians 2: 9-12, then I open a rather distinct door that allows me to understanding the ways and purposes of God.

1 Corinthians 2:9-12 KJV But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man, which is in him? even so the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit, which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

       Legalism will try to tell you that this applies only to the revealed word of God (the words written and collected in these books we call the bible), but how can that be, since the context of the verse has everything to do with the Spirit (an intangible aspect of God). Notice how it tells us that the Spirit (we often presume of man) searches the deep things of God; that idea can work for man because the Spirit of God comes into man when he receives Christ, and even more specifically when the Holy Spirit comes into a person. There is a distinction between the two events and I will show you.

Acts 8:14-17 CEV The apostles in Jerusalem heard that some people in Samaria had accepted God’s message, and they sent Peter and John. When the two apostles arrived, they prayed that the people would be given the Holy Spirit. Before this, the Holy Spirit had not been given to anyone in Samaria, though some of them had been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Peter and John then placed their hands on everyone who had faith in the Lord, and they were given the Holy Spirit.

            In this example, some in Samaria had accepted God’s message. Okay, that should imply that they received Christ, and therefore received the Spirit of God too. When then would Peter and John feel the need to go there and lay their hands on them to receive the Holy Spirit, because it is something over and above.

The word deep also implies the full extent, and that includes the timing (at least within the ball park) of what is to come. If the meaning of Spirit, as used here applies to the Holy Spirit, then it makes sense, as an aspect of God and like Jesus, God itself, which in turn would search out the deep things of God since it is God. However, what good does that do us unless that same Spirit is conveying that information back to us. Fortunately, this verse tells us that the Spirit (of God) that has searched out the depths of God has revealed them to us. Now that should be a source of excitement to you, unless of course you take the legalist point of view and decide that the depths of God are nothing more than the words on the pages of the bible, which most of the “religious” community do not read, and fewer understand. If you take the open-minded approach and not just read your bibles, but make it a daily aspect as important as eating, where you dissect it, challenge it, absorb it, and find out what it is saying to you, then I say yes, the Holy Spirit will show “it” to you.

It is entirely up to you. You can listen to wisdom, the voice of the Holy Spirit, and pay attention to the signs going on around you, or, you can be a legalist, and argue against every point I make. The choice is yours. If I am right, then we need to be preaching a victorious message about our eternal hope in the arms of the Father. Explaining how we are free from the wrath that is coming upon the earth, instead of the gloom and despair we so readily preach, as we try to beat the fear of God into people, in trying to get them to repent of sins, that God has already forgiven.

Do I know the exact time and date of when He will return in Glory as the reigning messiah? No, no man knows that, but with intelligence, and clues, we can come close.

 That was a long introduction to the passages I wanted to cover. Open your bibles to Matthew 24, and let us pick up at verse 15.

Matthew 24:15 KJV When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso reads, let him understand:)

             Jesus refers to a prophecy by Daniel. I am going to dig this up for you, but you have to take off your legalistic hat. Keep in mind the context of what Jesus is talking about, an end time’s event. As followers of Christ, we will not experience this event.

The Life Application Study Bible gives us this:

What was “the sacrilegious object that causes desecration” mentioned by both Daniel and Jesus? Rather than one specific object, event, or person, it could be seen as any deliberate attempt to mock and deny the reality of God’s presence. Daniel’s prediction came true in 168 B.C. when Antiochus Epiphanes caused an altar to be erected on the altar of burnt-offering, on which was sacrificed a pig to Zeus on the sacred Temple altar (Dan_9:27; Dan_11:30-31). Jesus’ words were remembered in A.D. 70 when Titus placed an idol on the site of the burned Temple after destroying Jerusalem. In the end times the Antichrist will set up an image of himself and order everyone to worship it (2Th_2:4; Rev_13:14-15). These are all abominations to God.

            As you can see there are three events, two of which have happened, all of which will be deemed the abomination.

  1. Antiochus Epiphanes desecrating the temple in 168 B.C.
  2. The temple being destroyed in 70 A.D.
  3. However, there is another desolation of the temple, and as of yet, there is no temple.

 Daniel 11:30-35 KJV For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore, he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that makes desolate. And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people who do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. Now when they shall fall, they shall be helped with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.

 Where else can we find this theme in scripture?

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 NIrV Don’t let anyone trick you in any way. That day will not come until people rise up against God. It will not come until the man of sin appears. He is a marked man. He is sentenced to be destroyed. He will oppose everything that is called God. He will oppose everything that is worshiped. He will give himself power over everything. He will set himself up in God’s temple. He will announce that he himself is God.

             What do we have around us, as we speak, that opposes everything that is called God? To answer the question you have to think with a “Christian” worldview. Although we call him God, and I think he is okay with that, his name is Jehovah, Yahweh, and Hebrew names I struggle to pronounce, and yet the one name God never introduced himself by was Allah (along with a few others.)

If the “he” of 2Thessalonians 2:3,4 is a staunch follower of Islam, and a person that has a global authority, then he can decree that there is no god but Allah, and demand that he alone must be worshipped. Now how would he enforce that? Only by an overwhelming and well armed force, much as we have witnessed in the Middle East, and northern African nations.

If we apply the knowledge and logic aspect, as I mentioned earlier, to what Islam believes, then this picture becomes clearer.

Most of what I am going to show you comes from Wikipedia. Pay attention (if you read it) to keywords that are common to our understanding of the gospels. I am giving you all this because this person is the false prophet that will set up the abomination in the new temple at 31/2 years into this time known as the Great Tribulation, time of wrath, and day of the Lord.

`Îsâ Ibn Maryam ( Arabic: عيسى, translit.: ʿĪsā ), known as Jesus in the New Testament, is considered to be a Messenger of Allah and al-Masih (the Messiah) in Islam who was sent to guide the Children of Israel (banī isrā’īl) with a new scripture, al-Injīl (the Gospel). The belief that Jesus is a prophet is required in Islam, as it is for all prophets named in the Qur’an. This is reflected in the fact that he is clearly a significant figure in the Qur’an (appearing in 93 ayaat [or, verses]), though Noah, Adam and Moses appear with even greater frequency. It states that Jesus was born to Mary (Arabic: Maryam) as the result of virginal conception, a miraculous event that occurred by the decree of Allah.

To aid in his ministry to the Jewish people, Jesus was given the ability to perform miracles (such as healing the blind, bringing dead people back to life, etc.), all by the permission of Allah rather than of his own power.

According to the Qur’an, Jesus, although appearing to have been crucified, was not killed by crucifixion or by any other means; instead, “God raised him unto Himself”.

Like all prophets in Islam, Jesus is considered a Muslim (i.e., one who submits to the will of Allah), as he preached that his followers should adopt the “straight path” as commanded by Allah.

Islam rejects the Trinitarian Christian view that Jesus was God incarnate or the Son of God, that he was ever crucified or resurrected, or that he ever atoned for the sins of mankind. The Qur’an says that Jesus himself never claimed any of these things, and it furthermore indicates that Jesus will deny having ever claimed divinity at the Last Judgment, and Allah will vindicate him.

The Qur’an emphasizes that Jesus was a mortal human being who, like all other prophets, had been divinely chosen to spread Allah’s message. Islamic texts forbid the association of partners with Allah, emphasizing a strict notion of monotheism (tawhīd). An alternative interpretation of this theology is held by Messianic Muslims.

Numerous titles are given to Jesus in the Qur’an and in Islamic literature, the most common being al-Masīḥ (“the Messiah”). Jesus is also, at times, called “Seal of the Israelite Prophets”, and because, in general Muslim belief, Jesus was the last prophet sent by Allah to guide the Children of Israel. Jesus is seen in Islam as a precursor to Muhammad, and is believed by Muslims to have foretold the latter’s coming.

Muslims believe that Jesus will return to earth near the Day of Judgment to restore justice and to defeat al-Masih ad-Dajjal (“the false messiah”, also known as the Antichrist).

According to Islamic texts, Isa was divinely chosen to preach the message of monotheism and submission to the will of Allah to the Children of Israel (banī isrā’īl).

You need to keep it clear in your head that what I just gave you is what the Qur’an teaches, and Islam believes. It is only meant to show you that Islam is looking for similarly named personages to show up at corresponding times with what we see in scripture, and, if you allow yourself the freedom to see these characters fulfilling some of these roles, the scriptures about end times that eluded you will begin to make sense.

Revelation 13:11-17 KJB:PCE And I beheld another beast [this is the man with so many titles: the lawless one, the son of perdition, the false prophet, and beast] coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon. And he exercises all the power of the first beast before him, and causes the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that, as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. [Emphasis, mine]

Answer me this; what is the “Holy Place” that Matthew 24:15 refers? This is the third temple that must be rebuilt. What is up there now, and who controls it? The second most holy site to Muslims, the dome of the rock, and they own the temple mount. If you understand their attitude, and pay attention to events that happen in Jerusalem, then you know that they will not relinquish the temple mount under any normal circumstance. How will Israel be able to build a third temple on that mount? Short of God’s intervention, it is not happening, therefore something huge has to happen.

One of the methods of interpretation is to let scripture interpret scripture. Since we already have a huge head start, and that is the context of the question and the answer, then let us continue to pursue the passages that meant to define what will take place as a result of this abomination period.

Matthew 24:16-21 CEV If you are living in Judea at that time, run to the mountains. If you are on the roof of your house, don’t go inside to get anything. If you are out in the field, don’t go back for your coat. It will be a terrible time for women who are expecting babies or nursing young children. And pray that you won’t have to escape in winter or on a Sabbath. This will be the worst time of suffering since the beginning of the world, and nothing this terrible will ever happen again.

 Jesus told his disciples, “If you are living in Judea at that time”, well of course none of them would be. The abomination committed by Antiochus Epiphanes had happened over 168 years earlier, and yet it was an event hugely significant because it mirrored something that was to come. What Jesus described was the Great Tribulation, an event exclusive to the last 3-1/2 years of this 7-year period.

One of things that denotes this as the Great Tribulation is this: Matthew 24:22 KJV And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

 Whoever this hellish tyrant is, he will try to have everyone that is not a follower of Allah killed. How can I be so bold to say that?

  • Revelation 13:11-12 CEV (11) “I now saw another beast. This one came out of the ground. It had two horns like a lamb, but spoke like a dragon. (12) It worked for the beast whose fatal wound had been healed. And it used all its authority to force the earth and its people to worship that beast.”
  • Now you must have an understanding of what the beast that sustained a fatal wound but was healed is. Started as the Rashidun Caliphate in 632 A.D. Islam continued overpowering and dominating the middle east, Europe, and Northern African nations until the demise of the Ottoman empire in 1922. The world thought Islam was dead at this point, but they were wrong. The Muslim Brotherhood quietly came back to life, starting in Egypt in 1928. Islam erupted on the scene with a full and relentless force with the Iranian revolution of 1979, where they overtook the American Embassy. Islam is your beast whose fatal wound had been healed.
  • Revelation 13:15 BBE “And he had power to give breath to the image of the beast, so that words might come from the image of the beast, and that he might have all those who did not give worship to the image of the beast put to death.” Because the passage calls it a he, we get confused. Revelation 13:11,12 speak of a beast, but there it is an ideology. Here, the “he” is the Antichrist character that we all seem to comprehend. Islam calls this guy the Mahdi, or 12th Imam. He, at least for 3-1/2 years will come off as a statesman, but as you can see he gives tremendous power to the second person, we call the false prophet.
  • “He” has access to the altar within the newly built temple, but no seems to be caring about that or paying attention. Doesn’t that strike anyone else as odd? Unless he is exactly as the Islamic prophecies describe him: A Jew, which happens to be a Muslim (does that even sound right?), of the lineage of Aaron and therefore entitled to be a priest (there’s a huge clue), someone who performs extraordinary signs – like calling fire down from the heavens.
  • Under Islamic prophecy, he will be the enforcer of Sharia, and will demand that all bow their knee to Allah. This may be what we are seeing in Revelation 13:15

 A time of violence; so violent that God has to shorten time or no one decent will survive. And while April of 2014 has proven to be deadly for thousands of Christians living in Syria, that region, and Northern African nations, it is only drop in the bucket, in comparison to what is coming.

Where is the hope in this? Oh, it is there, we may get into it in part seven, but for the believer that will not be here during this time of horror, our hope is in Christ returning to gather us home to himself, obviously right before the worst of the seven-year period breaks out.

You can have this solid hope in you as well by accepting Jesus Christ as the Messiah, and invite him into you heart.

 

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TO ALL THE ABUSED: A Mother’s Day Message

Posted on 05/11/2014 by remso

This is my heart as well. God has a plan for you, It’s gonna be wild, and it’s gonna be great.

secretangel's avatarThe Abuse Expose' with Secret Angel

This is a message to all who have been abused and have cried out to God to help them. I have also suffered abuses  and  felt trapped in the turmoil that surrounded my life. I cried out daily for God to help me and my 3 children. Then on Mother’s Day, 7 years ago today, I received a message. As I look back, I wonder how many times we are given instruction but do not do it because it is not what we prayed for or just too hard to do. Think about it…

As I was worshiping in church…
praising God’s Holy Name.
A memory flashed before me…
where my life would never be the same.
For 7 years ago…
in another church on this day in time.
A Mother’s Day message was given…
that I knew was all mine.
The message was to “Leave…
take 2 children and…

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And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached. Matt 24, part 5

Posted on 05/07/2014 by remso

Warnings about deceit, wars, famines, and earthquakes that will shake the world, all with the addendum, see to it that you be not troubled. There would only be one thing that would keep me mentally secure under such difficult circumstances, and that would be hope.

The problem most of us have understanding scripture is that we ignore the context and the audience. The audience was his disciples, men who were decidedly Jewish. Consider about how strongly they seem to feel about outsiders coming into the faith in the early days. If you are paying attention to scripture then you will see that not only does God attempt to straighten Peter out, but has to send Paul to withstand the leadership for pushing circumcision as a symbol of their salvation.

The context has everything to do with the period immediately preceding his return to the earth; that time lasts seven years, and is filled with an onslaught of horrendous events.

Matthew 24:14KJV And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.


I cannot remember how the conversation with my friend started, but it ended poorly. He is a theology student, and was arguing the point that Jesus cannot come back because there are over 6500 unreached people groups in the world.

An unreached people group is an ethno-linguistic group that shares a self-identity among themselves as a distinct culture, language, social class along with their own collection of customs, and shared history that sets them apart from other people groups.

The thing that distinguishes them as unreached is the fact that there is no evangelical gospel witness established among them. To reiterate the importance of that statement: Unreached means much more than merely being unevangelized. Unreached means there is no access to the gospel among that people group. There is no witness for Jesus among them!

Nearly 2 billion people (27.9 % of the world’s population) live in these unreached segments of society (people groups). These peoples are cut off from any access to the gospel and are largely ignored or unknown by the Christian world. Borrowed from: http://www.toeverytribe.com/unreachedpeoples

Things that stand out in my mind.

  1. Genesis 2:16,17 tell us that man only had one command restricting him, and that was not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. My assumption is that man, created in God’s image, knew only good, and not the evil. Selfish desire brought about the death, which was most dramatically noted in their instant communication break with the father. My point here is that this knowledge of good is still in every man, and the evil that is so noticeable, has everything to do with man’s bent for selfishness.
  2. Romans 11:29 NASB “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” I think it is fair to say that this also applies to His love for us. We can see this demonstrated in Lamentations 3:22 NASB “The LORD’S loving kindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail.” In referring back to point number #1, I am trying to convey that, just like his gifts or love, the good was never removed from us either.
  3. Paul dealt a sobering blow to those that wish to restrict God’s timing and way in which he deals with the nations.

Romans 1:20-21 CEV God’s eternal power and character cannot be seen. But from the beginning of creation, God has shown what these are like by all he has made. That’s why those people don’t have any excuse. They know about God, but they don’t honor him or even thank him. Their thoughts are useless, and their stupid minds are in the dark.

While we can whine about them not being reached with the printed Word, Paul gives the impression that it does not matter.

  1. Christ died, once for all. Again, this demonstrates our weakness in trying to interpret scripture, because far too many try to play the role of God and judge those we believe untouched by God’s word. In other words, if they are not reached then we presume that they are destined for destruction. What makes you so sure? No denying, there is the passage that tells us that Jesus is the only way. Now what do you do with the Muslims, who will violently reject your preaching and way of living; for under the dictates of Islam they have a mandate to kill you according to Sharia law. Yet, upon seeing Jesus in their dreams, a man they have never seen they acknowledge with an instant recognition of who He is. In many ways these people are also the unreachable, does any of that stop or slow down God, hardly.
  1. Matthew 24 speaks primarily toward the last seven years of broken man controlling the earth, and a time of wrath against the nations and Israel for its multitude rejections of God. What does that say about the preaching of the good news as a testimony to all the nations?

This tends to convey that during one of earth’s most adverse periods, the good news about a relationship with Jesus, and the hope of an eternity with the Father, are still being preached.

This verse has nothing to do with restrictions or limitations on God’s love.

  1. Who says they will not be reached? John tells us that all will hear the good news.

When I mentioned to my friend, in trying to defuse his argument, that there is an angel, who flies across the globe, preaching the gospel, he responded with, I have never seen that in scripture! Well, here it is.

Revelation 14:6 CEV I saw another angel. This one was flying across the sky and had the eternal good news to announce to the people of every race, tribe, language, and nation on earth.

The next passage has no angels directly referenced, but who is to say. Are we not told that they are messengers?


Hebrews 1:13-14 KJV But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

Colossians 1:23 NASB if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

This passage just told you that the good news was preached, to all creation under heaven, so it begs a question. Did God leave anybody out? That has to cover people groups. Keep in mind, that every people group, when found, worships at least one entity.

  1. Revelation 11:3 NASB “And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” If you have, an understanding of all that they do it is difficult at best to distinguish where the “good news” could come into play here. However, isn’t this testifying that we are supposed to do, give witness to Jesus Christ and by extension the Father?

“And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth” Okay, that is dramatic, but wait, it gets better.
“And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way.

(Rev 11:6) These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.”

Sounds a lot like what Moses did. No one in scripture had fire flowing out of their mouth, but everything else was done by the prophets. Elisha called fire down on several companies of troops.

Is the world going to see this? In this age of televised everything, you bet they will. This is not the positive spin that you think of when you think about spreading the gospel is it. I think we have to remember that the age of grace is over at this point. Sure, Jesus Christ’s’ name continues to carry all the power that God bestowed upon it, and the Holy Spirit will still be active on the earth. We know this because there is a steady, and continuous draw of people to Christ and to the Father.

The two witnesses take on a dramatic twist, for as you can see, they stop the rain. They are doing this for several reasons, but one is that spectators are supposed to see the power of a God that has had enough. However, Islam has its dramatic side also. The Jesus that Islam looks for will be able to do dramatic signs too. One of which is the restoration of rain where there has been none. Considering that everything points to two dramatic events at the three and one half-year mark into the time of wrath.

1) God will allow the two witnesses to be killed. Enemies of God have tried everything they could think of to shut their mouths for 42 months, with no success, so when they are killed, there is a global party.

2) Almost simultaneously, the false prophet shows up. How do I know he shows up here and not at the beginning of the seven years?

This guy is not just going to pop out of the earth. I believe he is alive and already here. I also believe, because of the terminology used in Revelation 13, that he is empowered by demonic spirits (that’s a fancy way of saying, one or more
of Satan’s fallen angel clan.)

He follows (in terms of chronology) the beast with a human description; Islam will call this first man the Mahdi – they have waited for him, much like we have waited for Jesus Christ, to return. Strangely, the beast of Revelation 13:11, is what Islam refers to as: `Îsâ Ibn Maryam, is considered a Messenger of god (Allah) and al-Masih (the Messiah) in Islam. “al-Masih” is the Mahdi. He will be the highest representative of Allah on the earth. The Jesus they wait for is not our Jesus, the Son of God. They call Jesus Christ (the Christian Jesus,) the dijal (a false prophet).

Revelation 13:11-17 NASB “ Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon. He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who *had the wound of the sword and has come to life. And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.”


In one of my recent posts I went into detail about the characteristics of this lamb we see in Revelation 13:11. I will not do that here. The point of all this is come to some conclusion about whether God is capable of getting his message spread across the globe; whether He is true to his character, demonstrating love and mercy (the answer to that is yes, by the way,) and whether or not God can come back for his church immediately.

Many are smarter than I. One of those would have been the former Pastor Chuck Smith, of Calvary Chapel, and he would repeatedly say that there are no prophecies left to fulfill before Jesus return for the church, his body. He is not the only one saying that.

We should have been able to see that what some see as a restraint has nothing to do with the church, but deals specifically with the time of wrath, the seven-year period we call the great tribulation.

No doubt, things are nightmarish bad in some parts of the earth, but what is coming will make the destruction we are watching seem easy in comparison. It is going to get worse.

Where is the hope in any of this? The hope lies only in accepting Jesus Christ into your life. Salvation has so many meanings, and one of them is salvation from the wrath to come. That is one of the main purposes of Him coming back for his bride.

If you should find yourself stuck in this seven-year period, find a bible; you know, that thing your elders at the temple told you to stay away from because it is filled with deceit, and improperly translated. The Word of God is alive, and it will remain alive even in the midst of chaos.

The prophets of old stopped the wind, called fire down from heaven, parted waters, and stilled the enemy and the avenger by calling upon God. His name is still Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of the living God, and he, through the Holy Spirit of God, will respond to you. Grow a backbone and stand like a rock.


The Apostle Peter (he did not know this yet) stood on the day of Pentecost, having done what Jesus had told them to do, receiving the Holy Spirit, and allowing Him to fill them with power, will do the same for you. Peter spoke out to the people, people who had heard them and mocked them, saying, this day this prophecy has been fulfilled in your ears. He spoke of Joel chapter 2, a chapter that speaks exclusively of the last seven years, the day of the Lord. Should you be in it, you will know what I mean.

Joel 2:28-29 NASB “It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. (29) “Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

I implore you not to wait. Turn your life over to Jesus Christ and allow him to change you. Ask him into your life. Admit that you have screwed it up and mismanaged it, and that you need him. He will come to you no matter what you have done or where you are. He will come into you. If you are in dire straights simply ask him to help you. He can change everything.

Now if you find yourself in the last days, and you think you need an example of what a bold, man of God looks like, turn your eyes toward the two witnesses. They will be standing in the streets of Jerusalem, most likely protecting the temple mount, as the new temple is being built. Do what they do.

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Could it get worse? Matthew 24, Part 4

Posted on 05/05/2014 by remso

If you just stumbled upon this, I have been progressing through Matthew 24. This is where the disciples asked him specifically about when the temple would be destroyed, what would be signs of his return to the earth in the role of Messiah, and when would that happen. The response from Jesus takes up the entire chapter.

Part 4

Matthew 24:12 “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”

Sometimes you do not have to look very far to get clarity. The Contemporary English version translates the verse like this:

Matthew 24:12 AMP And the love of the great body of people will grow cold because of the multiplied lawlessness and iniquity,

Matthew 24:12 CEV Evil will spread and cause many people to stop loving others.

Dig into the sentence and you will find that the word iniquity is the Greek word anomia, and it means illegality, a violation of law, lawlessness, but whose law? Could lawlessness get worse, certainly, but the casual observer can see and sense the change.

Several translations state that the love of many shall wax cold. The Greek word for “shall wax cold” is psucho, and means to breathe (voluntarily, but gently, thus differing from a forcible respiration.) What does this tell you; that love will be diminished, but not completely put out. I do not know about you, but in every church I have been in, the majority of people in the congregation are barely breathing.

A commentary by Thomas Ice states, “’Lawlessness shall prevail;’ that is, complete anarchy will hold sway.” I want to think I would be bold and brave in the face of a dangerous enemy. Life was kind and I was not born in gang laden streets, but I have had knives pulled on me twice, and was twice told I would be shot by unsavory people. I felt more anger at the men that said they would shoot me than fear, and I cannot remember caring what the outcome would be. However, if they held a knife to the throat of my daughters I do not honestly know how that would affect me.

This verse is letting them know that it will get this bad. Living here in the United States, all fat and sassy, we have little idea of what a constant level of brutality feels like, or how it affects people. As I write this I am thinking about Nigeria, where their daughters are being kidnapped; this of course, is after having the church you were sitting in, as you worshipped, fire bombed. The violence against those outside of Boko Haran (Islam), is constant and deadly. Syrian Christians have also suffered horrible atrocities and wanton slaughter at the hands of the religion of peace.

Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

If my context is an increase in wickedness, then Jesus is conveying the endurance of violence against the people of this coming period. The religious imagery that the word endure brings to my thinking is, Pastor Richard Wurmbrand being tortured for Christ; or perhaps Paul chained between two guards. Yet, the Greek word hupomeno also means – to remain, i.e. abide, not recede or flee.

You cannot exclude the possibility that He is asking us to stay true to Him until we exit this earth, or he comes to get us.

Matthew 24:13 ERV But the one who remains faithful to the end will be saved.

If this speaks to me of anything, it speaks of people who will make it through the Great Tribulation alive, still not worshiping the beast. It also tells me that God will treat these as though they were martyred.

The word end means: to set out for a definite point or goal; properly – the conclusion. What end is he talking about? Since the context of the conversation had to do with His return, then he is talking about the time when He shall return to the earth and reign, as Israel expected. Considering what a horrible time these last seven years will be, endurance makes tremendous sense.

The period is that time almost immediately after the removal of the church from the earth, and physical violence is not the only thing that people need to be concerned about; we can see some of this in Revelation chapter 6. Some of the things the people of this time will experience will be:

  • A great earthquake.

Hard to imagine, but some of us are almost used to them. That all changes as everything around you crashes to the ground and your economy comes to a quick halt. The only people with food and water will be heavily armed thugs.

You might treat this lightly in your mind, but this will be like nothing you have experienced before. There is only one example for this in scripture outside of Revelation. Of Noah’s descendants, there was one named Peleg. 1 Chronicles 1:19 NASB Two sons were born to Eber, the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother’s name was Joktan. The term divided does not sound that bad; people are divided upon opinions all the time, but when you study out the word, you find that it literally means to split. I can remember the global maps they used to show us in school, and one how easily all the landmasses could have been connected. I contend that they were, for how do we explain the consistency in fossil records throughout the earth. That could have only happened with connected landmasses. This tells me that during the life of this young man there was an earthquake of such violence that the landmasses moved away from each other. Sadly, this will happen again, and those who are here may experience a rejoining of the landmasses.

  • The sun becomes black like sackcloth.

Sackcloth has the properties of a burlap bag and light will penetrate it, but only marginally. Will you be able to see? To some degree.

  • The whole moon became like blood.

That is not so hard to imagine, merely watch the moon rise through a dusty, smog laden sky. The smog is so bad in many parts of China that the government broadcasts a video of a clear sunrise on massive led monitors just so people can see it.

  • “the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind.”

I do not know what to tell you about this. The word stars, means just that, but you consider how far away the nearest star is it seems so impossible. There may be other implications, and when you consider what the hot topic is, meteors; this might be what John saw.

  • The sky will split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up

This would make no sense to me at all, if it had not been for the H.A.A.R.P. system being used, and seeing the bizarre effects, it has on the weather and clouds. Try doing a search for this on the Internet and you will see what I am talking about.

  • “and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.”

I started this by telling you that there would be a great earthquake. We cannot discount the possibilities that this action will be associated with either that earthquake or from the impacts of meteoric strikes upon the earth.

                        All this will have a tragic impact on the impoverished, but the rich will not be excluded. –

Revelation 6:15-17 NASB Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; (16) and they *said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; (17) for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

 Jesus answered the disciples’ questions, Jewish oriented questions about something they had an understanding of, the last days of earth as man understands it. What did I mean by that? Man’s understanding has everything to do with capitalism and hoarding; this will all come crashing down. Why is that important to most of us? Because as followers of Christ we have a hope; this hope is what motivated father Abraham to believe what God told him; it is what motivated the disciples to continue on, changing the world and giving themselves up to horrid deaths. And it is the thing that motivated the last remaining disciple to write: This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast.

Why sell hope? Because they heard Jesus’ words declaring that he would rise again, and He did it. There is the immediate realization that everything else He said to them must also be true; crazy things, like “I and the Father, are one.”

This is our hope as well. Proven and anchored in the one who upheld his own word and proved himself trustworthy. It is this Jesus Christ, the risen one, who will come back for his church, just as he said he would. One only needs to accept Jesus into their life, and allow him to affect His changes in you. You will be received as you are into the kingdom when He returns for those that are his.

 

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Many have claimed the title of Jesus Christ. Matthew 24, part 3.

Posted on 04/30/2014 by remso

Matthew 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

As I mentioned in a recent post, there have been over 30, throughout the years, that have claimed the title of Jesus Christ. They have followed by thousands in some cases, but this is something more.

Revelation 13:11-14 NASB (11) Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon. (12) He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. (13) He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. (14) And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.

Do not let this get past you, for in it you see a lamb, with two horns. This should ring some bells.

Who is The Lamb, we believers recognize? (Rev 5:6) Jesus Christ of course, but when seen He is the lamb “as it had been slain.” John never describes horns on our Jesus, so He is never seen as an offensive personality. That will all change when you see him in Revelation 19, where He comes, riding a white horse, and has a sword coming out of his mouth.

What can you perceive from this lamb with two horns? That he is a representation, a false Jesus that will initially seem just like our Jesus Christ. The horns always represent war or violence, therefore, this false Jesus is coming with the intent of deception and violence. As I have stated before, Islam believes this man to be the enforcer of Sharia. Assuming you have your eyes open, then you should be aware of the level of deadly violence that infests Sharia law, and it is directed primarily at infidels (those outside of Islam), and women.

Revelation 20:1-3 KJV And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. (2) And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, (3) And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Revelation 12:17 KJV And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 12:17 and 20:1-3, are both clearly referring to Satan, but is that the only references to a dragon that we have in scripture? Not at all.

Revelation 13:2-4 KJV 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. (3) And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. (4) And they worshiped the dragon, which gave power unto the beast: and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

Clarifying takes a little time, and a mind that is willing to look past tradition.

Revelation 13:2 tells us of a multi-headed beast, “and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.”

What is this beast? 

The four heads represent four heads of authority. Three have come and gone, but one is left. Because there is one body it demonstrates some form of unity, with one central goal, but did you notice that each head is different, indicating that they will be a destructive force and never attain cohesiveness (This is what we see in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream where the toes are made of clay and iron).

There is only one thing on this earth that fully takes on these characteristics, and it is Islam.

The lack of cohesiveness is demonstrated by their hatred of each other as Sunni and Shia Muslims consistently try to blow each other up. Islam does give them a common, vile hatred, as prescribed in the Qur’an, and that is to kill infidels, defined as anyone not aligning with Islam.

Revelation 13:3 CEV  One of its heads seemed to have been fatally wounded, but now it was well. Everyone on earth marveled at this beast,

I cannot begin to number the theories I have heard on what this is supposed to be. Many thought it was President Kennedy, or a Catholic Pope that was to be assassinated. That is not it at all. Islam became united under one central religious authority called the Rashidun caliphate in 632 AD. This eventually became the Ottoman Empire that ruled over the Middle East, northern African continent, and much of Eastern Europe, until its defeat and dissolution in 1922. This is the head that was wounded, and the world thought it was dead.

Islam regained some life with the Muslim Brotherhood. Founded in 1928, “the Muslim Brotherhood started as a religious social organization; preaching Islam, teaching the illiterate, setting up hospitals and even launching commercial enterprises. As its influence grew, it began to oppose British rule in Egypt, starting in 1936. Many Egyptian nationalists accuse the Muslim Brotherhood of violent killings during this period. After the Arab defeat in the First Arab-Israeli war, the Egyptian government dissolved the organization and arrested its members. The Muslim Brotherhood supported the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, but after being implicated in an attempted assassination of Egypt’s president it was once again banned and repressed.” (From Wikipedia)

Islam existed, in the mind of the modernized world, as only a sleeping religion, until the Islamic revolution, or Iranian Revolution of 1979. This was when the US Embassy in Iran, was taken hostage. Islam, the head that was dead, has been alive ever since.

Verse 4 of Revelation 13 states, “And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast:” If the “they” here are the followers of Islam, then who do they, in unity, worship? Allah. Is it possible that Allah is little more than a powerful and destructive fallen angel, certainly. Where would this “dragon” obtain such global authority? This kind of logic tends to make Islam the beast. Therefore, what we have is a demonic spirit giving power to a religious ideology.

Note the wording of Revelation 13:11-14, “he spoke as a dragon.”

This is now a singular entity, the false prophet, a pseudo Christ if you will (a lamb with two horns). Islam calls him – `Îsâ Ibn Maryam ( Arabic: عيسى, translit.: ʿĪsā ), known as Jesus in the New Testament, is considered to be a Messenger of God and al-Masih (the Messiah) in Islam[1][2]:30 who was sent to guide the Children of Israel (banī isrā’īl) with a new scripture, al-Injīl (the Gospel).(From Wikipedia) This man did not die on the cross, and he is not the son of God. He is however, a Jew, of the lineage of Aaron and therefore entitled to be a priest, giving access to the temple. He is a Muslim, and a follower of Allah. He will defer to the Mahdi, and be able to do signs and wonders as Elijah did.

Things are moving so fast. If you are a believer, a follower of Christ, are you aware that Muslims are coming  to Christ in rapid numbers. He appears to them in their dreams, and they describe knowing precisely who He is. They are generally led to followers of Christ, much like Paul was led to Ananias after the road to Damascus incident.

If you do not know this Jesus Christ personally, ask him to make himself real to you. Ask him  into your life, and He will come and change you from the inside out. What is to come may seem exciting to some, but it is not. It will be a time of wrath upon those that remain upon the earth. There only one hope and his name is Jesus.

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