LET US REASON TOGETHER

LET US REASON TOGETHER

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” 1 Pet 3:15

There is  certainty of His return. And well may the coming of Christ be Christ be calculated into His people's glory, and enumerated with those ingredients that lead us to a precious rest: for to this end it is intended; and to this end it is of apparent necessity. Come, let us reason together.

For His people's sake He sanctified Himself to His office; for their sake He came into the world, suffered, died, rose, ascended; and for their sake it is that He will return. Whether His own exaltation, or theirs, were His primary intention, is a question to ponder. I find Scripture mentioning both ends distinctly and commonly, but not comparatively. This is most clear, that to this end will Christ come again to receive His people to Himself, “that where He is, there they may be also,” John 14:3. The Bridegroom's departure was not upon divorce; He did not leave us with a purpose to return no more: He has left pledges enough to assure us; we have His word in pledge, His many promises, His rituals, which show forth His death till He come, and His Spirit to direct, sanctify, and comfort, till He return. We have frequent tokens of love from Him, to show us He forgets not His purpose, nor His promises to us. We behold the foretastes of His corning, foretold by Himself, daily come to pass. We see the fig tree put forth her branches, and therefore know the summer is nigh. We see the fields white unto harvest: and though the riotous world say, Our Lord will be long a coming, yet let the saints lift up their heads, for their redemption draws nigh. Dear me! Fellow Christians, what should we do, if our Lord should not return? What a case are we here left in! What! Leave us among wolves, and in the lion's den, among a generation of serpents, and here forget us! Did He buy us so dear, and then cast us off so? To leave us sinning, suffering, groaning, dying daily, and come no more to us? It cannot be; never fear it: it cannot be. This is like our unkind dealing with Christ, who, when we feel ourselves warm in the world, care not for coming to Him; but this is not like Christ's dealing with us. He that would come to suffer will surely come to triumph; and He that would come to purchase, will surely come to possess. Besides! Where else were all our hopes? What would become of our faith, our prayers, our tears, and our waiting? What was all the patience of the saint’s worth to them? Were we not left of all men most miserable? Christians, has Christ made us forsake the entire world, and be forsaken of the entire world; to hate all, and to be hated of all; and all this for Him, that we might have Him instead of all? And will He, mind you, after all this, forget us and forsake us Himself? Far be such a thought from our hearts! But why did He not stay with His people, while He was here? Why must not the Comforter be sent? Was not the work on earth done? Must He not receive the recompense of reward, and enter into His glory? Must He not take possession in our behalf? Must He not go to prepare a place for us? Must He not intercede with the Father; and plead His sufferings, and be filled with the Spirit, to send it forth; and receive authority, to subdue His enemies? Our abode here is short; if He had stayed on earth, what would it have been to enjoy Him for a few days, and then die? But He has more in heaven to dwell among; even the spirits of the just of many generations, there made perfect. Besides, He will have us live by faith, and not by sight. Oh, fellow Christians, what a day will that be, when we, who have been kept prisoners by sin, by sinners, by the grave, shall be fetched out by the Lord Himself; when Christ shall come from heaven to plead with His enemies, and set His captives free! It will not be such a coming as His first was, in meanness, and poverty, and contempt: He will not come to be spit upon, and buffeted, and scorned, and crucified again: He will not come, O careless world, to be slighted and neglected by you anymore. And yet that coming, which was necessarily in infirmity and reproach for our sake, wanted not its glory. If the angels of heaven must be the messengers of that coming, as being “tidings of joy to all people,” Luke 2:22; and the heavenly host must go before or accompany the celebration of his nativity, and must praise God with that solemnity, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men;” Oh, then, with what shouting will angels and saints at that day proclaim, Glory to God, and peace and good will towards men! If the stars of heaven must lead men from remote parts of the world to come to worship a child in a manger, how will the glory of His next appearing constrain the entire world to acknowledge His sovereignty! If the King of Israel, riding on an ass, made His entry into Jerusalem with hosannas, “Blessed be the King that comes in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest!” Luke 19:38; oh with what proclamations of blessings, peace, and glory, will He come toward the New Jerusalem! If, when He was in the form of a servant, they cry out, “What manner of man is this, that both wind and sea obey Him?” Matt. 8:27; what will they say when they see Him coming in His glory, and the heavens and the earth obey Him! “Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory,” Mark 4:41; Matt. 24:30. Share your many hopes.

UNITY OF FAITH

UNITY OF FAITH

“Until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” Eph. 4:13

unity of the faith. See Eph. 4:3. That would be in unity with the perfect faith of Christ Who had all prayers answered.

 and. “And” could better be rendered “even.” That is, the unity of the faith is essentially synonymous with the knowledge of the Son of God. 1 John 3:2 He will let us see Him as He is with perfected eyesight with perfect comprehension of Who He is, having helped us to attain to the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16).

"All things are possible to him that believeth" (Mark 9:23) {the Man of absolute perfection, Who came to the fullness of humanity's stature in transfiguration} said this. He was the Man on the mountain Who came down to the valley of unbelief or sometimes partial belief and joined us to reveal what God had in mind when God made us in His image and likeness. (Absolute perfection with the resulting attributes). Here on earth, when our faith is inspired by His that we make contact with His ability to do the things which we cannot do ourselves.

Christ had and has perfect faith. Lord increase mine to that of Yours.

Christ had and has perfect vision. Help me to have eyes to see.

Christ had and has perfect hearing. Let me have ears to hear.

Christ had and has perfect love. Let me love as He loves me.

Christ had and has perfect comprehension. Give me the mind of Christ.

Christ worships in spirit and truth. Let me present my body as an acceptable sacrifice.

Christ was always doing and is doing the will of His Father. Let me prove your acceptable and perfect will.

Shall He not give us all things- pardon, peace, purity, and power, all His promises?  See Jude 24

THE PRAYER OF FAITH

THE PRAYER OF FAITH

“And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up….” James 5:15

Last night my wife and I went to a prayer meeting called for the purpose of calling on God for a number of people in the room with a variance of issues all caused by sin. God’s original creation did not suppose such meetings for sin had not yet entered. Sin caused the curse, suffering, disease, etc. Those issues had surfaced in several in this room, myself included. Cancer has entered my body and in 4 different regions. It is an aggressive version of prostate cancer and has affected 3 other parts so far. I have selected the best in my area of the country for medical expertise and have 3 different insurance coverages. I am about to go to a major cancer hospital to on go this journey. Anointing with oil is God’s method of dealing with this (James 5:14-15) and I have called for the elders of the church for their prayers of faith. I was not at ease with their handling of that service that God gave them to perform.

But here is my hope and that is in the Teacher that taught these men for their ministries as well as myself to call on them. The prayer meeting called last night was another answer that had greater satisfaction. For there was One Who promised me that when two or more are gathered in His name, He will attend. He listened to all the prayers offered and there was One more that was offered and that was by the One who has perfect faith, the prayer of faith that will make whole and is always answered by His Father Who is also my Father. My prayer was that I will have grace, mercy, and peace to walk the pathway towards the answer to His prayer. 

ONE-ONE-ONE

ONE-ONE-ONE

"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as also ye were called in one hope of your calling." Eph. 4:5

<One> brings to mind the statement that "I" will build MY church in Matt. 16. The ONE LORD is the OBJECT of the sinner’s faith, the ONE FAITH is centered upon the ONE LORD, and the ONE BAPTISM is of the Holy Spirit when the sinner becomes the Lord's which gives a new relationship when baptized in the Spirit. This verse with the next is a Trinitarian statement. Eph. 4:5 unveils the Church in the process of its erection; "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as also ye were called in one hope of your calling." That is the whole fact of the Church. One Body, Christ the Head and all believers the mem­bers; One Spirit, the common life of Christ shared by the members. That is the universal Church.

From that the Apostle proceeded to show how men come into that Body, and share that life, "One Lord," the object of faith presented to the mind; "one faith," fastening upon the Lord­ship, and yielding to it; "one baptism," that of the Holy Spirit, whereby the believer is made a member of the Lord. Through the illustration of Paul's phrasing we go back to Caesarea Phil­ippi, and watch the process. "One Lord," Jesus; "one faith," the faith which says, "Thou are the Messiah, the Son of the living God ;" "one baptism " of the Spirit, that whereby Peter was at Pentecost made a partaker of the na­ture of his Lord, and a member of the body of Christ, a living stone in the great building. Then the Apostle completed his statement, "One God and Father of us all, Who is over all, and through all, and in all." Vs.6

This is the Master's method of build­ing His Church, but it will never be seen in all its perfect glory until the morning of the Second Advent, when, gathered into perfect unity with Jesus, all the scaffolding removed, it will be manifested in its splendid beauty and glory.

Because Jesus said, "I will build," we are sure of the impregnability of the Church, that nothing can destroy it, that all the forces of darkness can never finally prevent the completion of His Church. No rite or ceremony of man can admit us to that Church. Its strength lies in the fact that He builds it stone for stone, fitting each into its proper place, taking only such as by living faith participate in His own na­ture, and therefore are ready to be built into His great Church.

We know from that declaration also that the Church will be glorious in beauty. If we are inclined to say that we have not seen very much of its beauty yet, we must remember that we have never seen its corporate beauty. We have, all of us, thank God, had some glimpses of the glory of the Church in its individual members. We have seen and known Christly souls who have not only caught the Spirit of Christ, but who so share the life of Christ, that His beauty, His compas­sion, and His tenderness are all mani­fested in their lives. Think for one prophetic moment, in which we fore­cast the future, of what it will be when that whole glorious company is gath­ered out and completed, and He pre­sents His Church to God, a glorious thing, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing (Jude 4). The beauty of His Church will consist, first of all, in the diversity of individual lives, all types and temperaments gathered into one great harmony; and the beauty will consist finally in the unity of the mani­festation of the glories of Christ. In the letter to the Ephesians the Apostle urges us "to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace," (Eph. 4:3) and, as the argument proceeds, we see that we are to "grow up in all things into Him, Who is the Head, even Christ." (Eph. 4:15) If we take that passage as indicating the necessity and importance of individual development, we must not imagine that to be its only meaning, or that it exhausts the passage; "Till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a full-grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." (Eph. 4:13) Individually we can never come to that. It will take the whole Church to realize the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

FATHER KNOWS BEST

FATHER KNOWS BEST

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.”  Matt. 24:36

How smart is the trinity. Smarter than men, smarter than angels, Jesus even knows what He doesn't know. “He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.” (Acts 1:7). Even Christ knows that He doesn't know the date.  Although the day not the hour is known the season is from vs. 32, 40-41 which is harvest in mid to late summer.

The time is an issue of the Father especially in a Jewish Wedding service which is what this is time lined after.

Angels are not omniscient but only know the things revealed to them. The Father has not taught or told them. They watch as we are told to.

 This is not dated as Gal.  4:2 teaches. Father alone knows the date of graduation and resurrection to the perfect body state. 1 Cor. 15:49-50. One of the greatest promises of God the Father is that those who believe in Christ will one day “be conformed to the image” of the Son of God. These issues are under guardianship for the church as well as for Israel and her day of graduation.

THE FAILURE OF MAN

THE FAILURE OF MAN

"But who do you say that I am?" Matt. 16:15

This includes the most religious here on earth. It surely includes those who have such a wonderful plan for our individual lives, the hierarchy which rule and govern us. Nowhere is it more evident than in America. It includes those on both sides of the aisle and those in between. Those that are the downcast, the most vulnerable are the victims of their masterful plans that look out not for the ruled but for themselves. All they can do is point fingers. And it all heads to what Christ said it would, globalism on an ultimate scale. Again the victim is the downcast. Christ came and chose the low, the trodden to make fools of the wise and learned. He chose fishermen, not scholars. He has at His fingers the creation to undo the most mighty armies that might come against Him and His chosen ones. He has provided evidence in our most southern borders and below of His use of His creative skills to utterly destroy mans creative skills. They are no match for His. This display is only a foretaste of what is to come when He releases His wrath on this whole earth. Not only in America but across this whole earth that again is attempting a global thinking as a solution to care for mankinds needs. Babylon all over again, the failure of man to let God rule His creation. Here are our latest headlines: 2017 is the Deadliest Start for Tornadoes in the U.S. in 9 Years. Psalm 148:8 is still true. “Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word.” How do you fight a God with this as just one piece of His arsenal?

The wise statement following this ferocious Foe is also true. “Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth; Both young men and virgins; Old men and children. Let them praise the name of the LORD, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven.” Psa. 148:11-13

Few will heed this warning that walk this earth on ground He created with the sky above them as the book of revelation unfolds.

Life is short and its responsibilities are great. Eph. 5:14-15. “For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you. Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise.”

The question was asked of Peter, the lowly fisherman, “Who do you say I am?” ”And Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." A wise lowly man who did not fail. Matt. 16:15-16

TOO MUCH BAGGAGE

TOO MUCH BAGGAGE

“Simon Peter said^ to Him, "Lord, where are You going?" Jesus answered, "Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you shall follow later."  John 13:36

The question of Peter which was caused by the statements of John 12:26. "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him."

Where Jesus went was by a narrow path, Peter chose the wide pathway 3 times. After Peter received more light, he looked back to this statement and then said the things in 2 Pet. 1:14  "knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me."

There he wrote of the separation from his earthly tabernacle to his heavenly tabernacle and where 1 John 3:2 becomes true. Non-instituted elements are not in place as yet Peter. To follow would require the Spirit's power and the finishing of the threefold sanctification process illustrated in John 13 by a threefold communion service. Hebrews says Christ was raised in the power of the Spirit. The afterwards would be after the coming of the Spirit and begin the finishing of this sanctification process. At this point Peter you have too much baggage as well as the rest of us. We have no full comprehension of the final perfecting of the believer as stated in this book that Peter helped to enlighten us.

NO ONE TO BLAME BUT THEMSELVES

NO ONE TO BLAME BUT THEMSELVES

"There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God." Heb 4:9

None but God's people shall enter into His rest He has prepared. This is still to be realized hereafter by the "some (who) must enter therein" (Heb 4:6), that is, "the people of God," the true Israel who shall enter into God's rest ("My rest," Heb 4:3). God's rest was a Sabbatism, a rest after days of labor. This is especially true of the 144,000 who choice this rest although many make a sorrowful choice. Though God's will is the first cause of all things, yet all the fault lies in the sinners themselves. Their consciences shall one day tell them that they might have been saved, if they would; and that it was their own willful refusal, which shut them out. God freely offered them life, and they would not accept it on his easy and reasonable conditions. They perish, because they would not be saved in God's way. The pleasures of the flesh seemed more desirable to them than the glory of the saints: Satan offered them the one, and God offered them the other, and they had free liberty to choose which they would choose; and they chose the pleasures of sin for a season, before the everlasting rest with Christ. And is it not a righteous thing that they should be denied that which they denied to accept? Even when God pressed them so earnestly, and persuaded them so persistently, and even implored them by His messengers, and charged His messengers to compel men by persistence, and taking no denial, to come in; and, yet, they would not; where should they be, but among the dogs without? Though man be so wicked, that he will not yield, till the mighty power of grace does prevail with him, yet, still we may truly say, that he may be saved, if he will, on God's terms. And his disability being moral, lying in willful wickedness, is no more excuse to him, than it is to a common adulterer, that he cannot love his own wife; or to a malicious person, that he cannot choose but to hate his brother: is he not so much the worse, and deserves so much the sorer punishment? As, therefore, I would have all sinners believe this, so I would advise all ministers more to preach it. Pry not too much into the depths of God's decrees. Regrettably! How little know we of far lower things! Lay all the blame on the wills of sinners; bend your words to persuade their wills. Is not that the business of our calling as well as that of the 144,000 messengers? Let me give you but one argument, which deserves to be considered. Sinners shall lay all the blame on their own wills in hell for ever. Hell is a rational torment by conscience, according to the nature of the rational subject. If sinners could but say, then, it was long of God, whose will did provoke me, and not of me, it would quiet their consciences, and ease their torment, and make hell to be no hell to themselves. But to remember their willfulness, will feed the fire, and cause the worm of conscience never to die.

CHRIST HAD AND HAS

CHRIST HAD AND HAS

Christ had and has perfect faith. Lord increase mine to that of Yours.

Christ had and has perfect vision. Help me to have eyes to see.

Christ had and has perfect hearing. Let me have ears to hear.

Christ had and has perfect love. Let me love as He loves me.

Christ had and has perfect comprehension. Give me the mind of Christ.

Christ worships in spirit and truth. Let me present my body as an acceptable sacrifice.

Christ was always doing and is doing the will of His Father. Let me prove your acceptable and perfect will.

And one day we shall be just like Him.

PERFECT FAITH

PERFECT FAITH

ALL THINGS POSSIBLE AT LAST

"Immediately the boy's father cried out and began saying, "I do believe; help my unbelief." Mark 9:24

Phil. 3:13 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,"

Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, "If thou canst believe," (see Phil. 3:13) "all things are possible to him that believeth."

"All things are possible to him that believeth" {the Man of absolute perfection, Who came to the fullness of humanity's stature in transfiguration} said this. He was the Man on the mountain Who came down to the valley of unbelief or sometimes partial belief and joined us to reveal what God had in mind when God made us in His image and likeness. (Absolute perfection with the resulting attributes).

Jesus did not tell the man that all things are possible to him if he believed at this point. I have desired to bring healing both emotionally and physically as He was able to do for many while on this earth. I have to realize that it is not possible for me to do that for those that I care for the most.

So do I not have enough faith? No, what He was saying was the more profound fact as to why things were possible to Him, when they were impossible to others like me, which included the father, the son, the critical scribes, and all His disciples in this case, as well as myself.

The man had said, "If Thou canst," to which our Lord in effect replied that the principle of ability in this universe is that of perfect faith in God. He alone possessed perfect faith at this point.

Sanctification is a process whereby we are washed by the water of the word and at last we arrive at that point. And when does that moment happen in our experience; that which Jesus had in His possession? Matt. 5:48, Luke 6:40, Rom. 8:29, Jude 24 and Eph.4:13; 1 John 3:2 answers that question.

A man might pray to do those things which Christ did while on this earth and some were beyond our comprehension. The Charismatic persuasion attempt to mimic those miracles and signs. But the Father alone has control of the appointed times (Acts 1:7) and these sins are not now possible for the fact that He has placed Israel on the side until the 70th week who were to recognize those signs. Signs point. They pointed out the fact that He was the Creator of Genesis and the promised OT Messiah and could make things come about supernaturally in their eyes but yet perfectly natural to Him. God Himself could perform those acts. He could turn water into the very best of wine. He could make a blind man see. He could make a lame man walk. He could cure leprosy. All these were UNDENIABLE, unlike the Charismatic varieties today. Dead men came out of the grave. And it didn't take faith on their part; it took perfect faith on His part to be used by the Father as Peter explained. Lazarus could not exert faith inside that grave. The disciples could also perform miraculous signs for a time. They were instruments of the King to introduce His Kingdom to a nation who absolutely refused to repent, so they might go to faith on His level, marching towards perfection.

When they had Him crucified to silence Him, the attention turned to the church and the signs which pointed to the King of Israel's Kingdom faded for them. (1 Cor. 13:8).

At the beginning of the incident He had cried out "O faithless generation." Now He said, "All things are possible to him that believeth." It was because He Himself believed in God in the full sense of the word, that there was no wavering, no failing, no halting, and no hindrance. He was in contact with Almighty power. We call to mind the fact that these miracles, or wonders, or powers that Jesus wrought were wrought by God through Him, and that is because of His perfect faith. On the day of Pentecost this truth was declared by Peter, when he said: "A Man of Nazareth approved of God unto you by powers and wonders and signs which "God did by Him" in the midst of you." {And your unbelief.) He did not say He did these things, but declared that God did them, acting through Him. It was by the power of God that the demon was cast out of this boy. That power operated through His Son to Whom all things were possible because of His faith in God.

"Lord I believe. Help Thou my unbelief." (Mark 9:24) My faith might be incomplete at this point and if that be so, then I venture, I believe; and yet I am conscious that my belief is imperfect; there is something holding me back, something which is still raising questions. The flesh still has its influence on my total belief. But one day that ends and I will both rule and reign with the King Who has perfect faith. And John says at that point, finally," I shall see Him just as He is" (1 John 3:2). Therefore, help Thou mine unbelief until I arrive at His stature and fullness. (Eph. 4:13) "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:"

1 John 3:2 States we shall finally arrive at the point that we are ready to rule and reign with Him. Perfection has arrived and He has furnished us a body just like His that will last for eternity making displays to the hierarchy in the heavens. Eph. 3:10 “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God."

1 John 3:2, Matt. 5:48 When perfection is reached in at last "we see Him just as He is” This is sight with comprehension.

"we shall be like Him." We here have arrived where we have the mind of Christ with eyes to see and ears to hear. This is a resurrected, perfected human being who can see, hear, and understand the only Master and Lord of John 13:13. This comprehension shall result in worship of Him and His Father in spirit and truth at last (John 4:23-24). We shall as others fall at this point at His feet.

Perfection could not be reached through the law (Heb. 7:19) so the NT brings about the possibility of what God the Father desires and demands and spoken in Matt. 5:48.

Phil. 3:13 "those things which are before." This is what lies ahead and all things are possible. Ready to rule and reign with the One whom we see as He is. 1 John 3:2. Jude 24; Eph. 4:13; Matt. 5:48

FALSE LIP SERVICE

FALSE LIP SERVICE

"You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying….” Matt. 15:7

Christ's charge was that it is possible to honor God with the lip while the heart is far from Him.

After saying this He turned to the multitudes, and, calling them to Him, He rebuked the Pharisees. In the words He ut­tered to the multitudes we find His condemnation of external religion, and His affirmation of the importance of heart relationship.

Now He took up their own illustra­tion, as He said; the things that enter a man as to his body never defile a man, but the things that come from the center of a man's essential life are the things that defile. The Pharisees told them what to eat, and what not to eat; what to wear, and what not to wear; what to do and what not to do; these were trivialities which had become highest matters in the in­fluence and the teaching of scribes and Pharisees. In correction the King de­clared; it is not the thing that a man touches in his physical life that pol­lutes him. Not that Jesus meant to say that there is no relationship between the physical and spiritual. There is the closest relationship between spirit, mind, and body; and this is taught throughout the old and new testaments. But when a man thinks he makes himself reli­gious by observing rules which deal only with the physical, he has missed the heart and center of religion; and therefore the King acknowledged in the hearing of the multitudes, that it was not the physical thing that entered into the man that defiled him, but the things that came from his heart, the seat of intelligence, and emotion, and will, the spiritual center of a man. Christ said that from that spiritual center spring all the forces that defile. So that a man may wash his hands not only be­fore meals, but as the Pharisees did, between the courses, a man may be ceremonially clean by the observance of all the traditions of the elders, and yet his heart may be a veritable sink of iniquity, a flowing stream and a river, not polluting himself only, but also the life of family, friends, of the city and the nation. This was the King's protest against any religion that consists in the observance of externali­ties; and His affirmation of the fact that nothing makes life pure but in­ward purity which will influence all the externalities.

After this teaching the disciples came to Jesus, filled with concern. They said, do you know that the Pharisees are offended? They seemed to say, The deputation was from Jeru­salem, a deputation of elders; they were men of light and learning, and You have offended these men? Observe what we may describe as the ruthlessness of Christ's answer. There is no pity in the word of Jesus for error, no matter by whom­soever the error may be taught. Men who were violating the commandment of God by insisting upon the tradition, men who were hiding that command­ment underneath tradition had no place in His pity. Our Lord said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father planted not, shall be rooted up." He was not referring to the men, but to the system for which they stood; and in effect He said to His disciples, when they told Him the Pharisees were offended, that He had nothing to do with these Pharisees. He never descended to the level of dealing with men personally in order to hurt and harm them. The plant of traditional religion God had not planted, and it was His indication of His method with His disciples when He told them that the plants which were not of God's planting must be rooted up Therefore He said, "Let them alone: they are blind guides." That explained what He had done. He had not attacked them; He was not dealing with them as individuals; but with the evil thing in their system and teaching. He came, the Truth, to correct error; He came, God's own great Vine of life, and light, and love, to destroy the false fungus growths upon religious thinking which were sapping the very life of men and ruining them. When Peter came and inquired the meaning of the parable, showing how they were astonished at the radical thing Jesus had said, He repeated what He had already said as to the sources of defilement.

Now notice teaching for ourselves. First, in His dealing with the tradition of the scribes and Pharisees, Christ revealed the perpetual conflict between divine and human religion. Human religion is conditioned in externalities, and therefore fails to touch essential life. Divine religion begins in essential life, and from that center governs the last externality. There is perpetual differ­ence. It is manifest all through the New Testament, and when we come to the teaching of the Epistles we find it specially emphasized. If we take the Galatian Epistle, the charter of Chris­tian liberty, it sets at naught the idea that any man may be made spiritual by fleshly observance; and insists upon the necessity for spiritual relationship, if there is to be spiritual purity. The difference between human and divine religion is always seen in this respect. In all heathen religions, religion and morality are divorced. This is the ultimate test of religion. Is our religion a thing of the heart, a commun­ion between our inner life and God, a force that drives us to the watch-tower in the morning to catch the gleam of the glory of the pathway of His feet, a passion that sends us back to Him with shame and disgust when we have sinned? That is the true religion. If Jesus in all the virtue of His life and love sits sentinel in our heart we shall guard our lips, and be careful as to what we eat or drink; but it is not the things that enter in, but the things that come out of the center which defile the man and reveals his hypocrisy. That must be our evaluation of tradition which could be dealing with external issues. All religions (plants) which God has not planted must be rooted up.

ADAM’S FIRST JOB

ADAM’S FIRST JOB

"And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name." Gen. 2:19

Adam's first job Gen 2:19  "And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name."  The amazing underlying teaching here is that Adam being a few days old is here talking with God, receiving instructions and obeying what was asked. The underlying concept is he was listening, hearing, and understanding God and with no age to speak of. We read His words today in His book of truth and are stymied by what His intent is, Adam had no problem. His mind was not as the Catholic doctrine teaches, a monkey who just stood erect and God adds to His makeup. This was an immense task that men today in that realm could not perform as Adam did with ease.

This was a stupendous intellectual achievement, and reveals to us something of the capacity of man's mind before the Fall. While it is true that many of the 17,000 air-breathing species of modern taxonomy are probably only varieties of the originally created kinds. lt must also be remembered that Adam was confronted with many kinds of air-breathing animals that have since become extinct. Having an unfallen brain using 100% of its capabilities made this a simple task for Adam. The mind capabilities of Adam were unbelievable to accomplish this task. He had a memory which was photographic for he passed on all this information down the line until Moses (26 generations) put it in writing 3000 years later. There is abundant biblical and extra-biblical evidence that Moses wrote the Pentateuch during the wilderness wanderings after the Jews left their slavery in Egypt and before they entered the Promised Land (about 1445–1405 BC). Even the most insignificant detail of the Torah shines with the magnificence and depth of the brightest star.

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

America’s beauty was due to the God Who sponsored amber waves of grain as well as spacious skys, for purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain. This song by Kathleen Bates were lyrics of a country coming out of government oppression to freedom and liberty in law as the song records. All this from the heart of an English professor and the music composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey. All stemming from church associated residents as well as the founding coming from Bible truths concerning God and His creation and some of His thoughts and teachings on true liberty as connected to law.

And look at what it has evolved to today. We have a man named Bernie Sanders who feels that every inhabitant of this great land is due free health care. What Bernie doesn’t understand or fails to communicate is the country cannot afford to bring that to pass. Only Jesus is capable of health care on such a vast scope and revealed that to many while He was on earth. And in His kingdom all will be afforded the opportunity to worship Him and His Father in spirit and truth because their bodies will be healed so as to not encumber them from falling to their knees in total appreciation of His love and care for all.

And then we have people like Schumer and Pelosi that gives the dreamers (DACA) citizenship regardless of their lawless illegal foundation. They will make good citizens of the country and then bring all their distant relatives to America also. America is no longer run by the rule of law as it was founded.

God will clean up this mess that is worldwide and headed for a leader that will use this shallow thinking to decimate every rule and law of God and His people. 

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE

Bringing glory to God. The glory of God is realized a sinner raised out of a dead state and renewed to life because of a previous promise (John 11:40). God is revealed through Jesus Christ as One Whose glory is realized in man's ransom, redemption, healing, and restoration (Rom 5:2). The greatest picture of this is symbolically accomplished in a threefold communion service. Jude 1:24-25

Eph. 2:7  "in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."  The ultimate goal of God's plan for the world is wise, gracious, and good--a redeemed society of holy persons. <ages to come> Eternity future. This is the first of two "in order that" statements (cf. Eph. 3:10 for 2nd). This amazing verse states that one of the predetermined purposes of the BRIDE is this pearl of great price, the ransomed church of God, THROUGH ETERNITY, will manifest His glory, grace, and power. The ultimate meaning of life the apostle shows not to be discovered in the present life, that it does not lie in the realm of earthly things. By argument and teaching, declarative and illuminating statement, he proves the ultimate meaning of Christian life lies far beyond the present age, in those measureless ages that are to come. There the saints are to fulfill their ultimate work as they become the messengers to angels and the ages to come of the grace and wisdom of God. These soldier saints in this world are only in preparation for higher, larger, nobler and fuller service. Her final work will be the manifestation of the wisdom, grace, and power of the Godhead to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places done in spiritual bodies.

Eph. 3:10  "in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places." This is the second of the "in order that" statements (Cf. first in Eph. 2:7) The ultimate meaning of life after being saved to the apostle shows not to be discovered in the present life, that it does not lie in the realm of earthly things. By argument and teaching, declarative and illuminating statement, he proves the ultimate meaning of Christian life lies far beyond the present age, in those measureless ages that are to come. There the saints are to fulfill their ultimate work as they become the messengers to angels and ages of the grace and wisdom of God. These soldier saints in this world are only in preparation for higher, larger, nobler and fuller service. We are making known the wisdom of God to those mentioned in 1 Peter 3:22. How many of us thought as though we were of such a high vocation, that we carried such importance with God's program? Mans purpose was intended as a medium for divine manifestation, one through whom because of his likeness to God, it would be possible to express Himself to other creatures more perfectly. The angels curiosity has already been revealed in 1 Peter 1:12. Verse 11 in that chapter speaks of the glories that shall follow. We play a part in those glories being revealed. The angels observe us (Eccl 5:6; 1 Cor 4:9; Eph 3:10), a fact which should influence conduct. Man is made "a little lower than the angels," and in incarnation Christ took "for a little while" this lower place (Psa. 8:4-5; Heb 2:7) that He might lift the Christian into His own sphere above angels (Heb 2:9-10).

Rom. 5:2  "through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God." The glory of God is realized in man's ransom, redemption, healing, and restoration. The "glory of God" is defined in John 11:40 when associated with verses 25-26. The N.T. usage has its meaning not in my opinion but finds its meaning in "reflection or image." The realization of the purpose of His love in all that His hands have made. The glory of God is a sinner raised out of a dead state and renewed to life because of a previous promise (John 11:40). God is revealed through Jesus Christ as One Whose glory is realized in man's ransom, redemption, healing, and restoration (Rom 5:2). The greatest picture of this is symbolically accomplished in a threefold communion service. See note on Jude 1:24-25

John 4:23-24 "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." To finally afford pure worship to God which id defined by Christ to be in spirit and truth. The worship of a people forevermore determines their character and their conduct. And when men come before Him they see Him as He is and immediately fall down.

1 John 3:1-2 "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is." To realize at last a glorified body with perfect vision, a heart of pure love, and a mind that evaluates things as they truly are.

Rev. 21:2  "And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband." To realize a new residence appropriate for the new body attained after resurrection located on this earth that we might serve Him (Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 20:6) as Adam at the beginning. This Heavenly Home will change its location at the close of the Millennial Kingdom. Many say it is above the earth while others think it is on the earth. Above during the Millennium and on the earth at the close. The location changes.

PRECIOUS PEARL VALUE

PRECIOUS PEARL VALUE

Continued from article PERFECT EYES

“And coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God….This precious value, then, is for you who believe. But for those who disbelieve, "THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone,” 1 Pet. 2:4, 7

Turn with me once more to another Scripture, 1 Peter 2:4, 7. Here again while the figure of the pearl of great price is not to be found, the great facts of which it is a figure are set forth per­fectly. "Unto whom coming, a living Stone, rejected indeed of men, but with God elect, precious." Mark that word "precious." "The precious Stone," this is spoken of the Lord Himself. "Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house." I omit the rest, because it describes the issue, and I go to verse 7, which describes the process. "For you therefore which believe is the preciousness." What preciousness? His preciousness. The Christ of God is here described as being precious, and you may read all values into that word. In character, precious; in conduct, pre­cious; in all the facts of His great personality, precious. All the things God values center in Him. Rejected of men, but precious to God is He.

We come to Him, says the apostle, and are built up. "For you which be­lieve is the preciousness;" that is to say, all that is precious in Him, is communicated to us who believe. That is the whole story of the development of Christian character. To the last, to the unending ages of eternity, I shall never have anything of myself of which to boast in the presence of God. I shall always boast in the values that have been made mine by communication—the values of the Christ char­acter. Anything excellent in us is the Christ-life realized in us. He is pre­cious, but unto you that "believe is the preciousness." That does not mean that you hold Him precious in your affection; but that the precious values in Him are communicated to you, and we who come to Him worthless and base, are changed into worth and pre­ciousness because He communicates to us His own infinite value. Such is the story of the pearl. It is first of all base, a worthless thing, harming the life to which it comes. And here is a most remarkable and exquisite figure of what happens in the building of the Church of Jesus Christ. We "were no people "—I still quote from Peter, and he is quoting from Hosea—we "now are the people of God;" we "had not obtained mercy," we "now have ob­tained mercy." How has the change been wrought? We came to Him worthless, and it was in our approach to Him that He was wounded and harmed, injured and bruised. Yet the answer of the injured One to that which harmed, was that He made over to us in the mystery of His harming, all the virtues and glories of His own character. As the pearl is the outcome of a hurtful thing transformed into beauty and innocence by the communi­cation of the life it hurt, so the Church of Jesus Christ in its entirety consists of such as wounded Him, and yet from that very wounding, and because of it, there has been, and is being communi­cated to them His virtue, His grace, His glory, His beauty. He Who for the moment in the parable is the mer­chant, is infinitely more than the mer­chant. He is not only the One Who sees the possibility of the precious jewel, but He Who transmutes the unsightly thing into the thing of beauty, he impure thing into the thing of in­nocence; the One Who has lifted out of the troubled sea of human sorrow, a people that shall flash in glory forever upon the bosom of God, the chief medium through which He shall manifest His grace and His glory in all the ages a come.

This is the subject of the Ephesian Epistle. The parable is silent about that final issue, because it is only dealing with this age, but we may follow the pearl in imagination until it flashes upon the bosom of some potentate. If we reverently inquire what becomes of the pearl that Jesus finds, we may turn to the Ephesian epistle and there see its destination. Paul first of all prays that these Christians may know "the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints," a phrase rich and gracious and glorious in meaning. Notice carefully Paul did not pray that they might know what the greatness of their inheritance in God was, but what was the greatness of God's inheritance in them. The thought is not that the saints are made rich in God, but that God is en­riched in the saints, that in them He gains something for His possession. I dare not say that if it were not the teaching of the whole epistle, and I dare hardly say it if it were but the suggestion of a verse. But mark the argument of the great Ephesian epistle, and see to what end it works out. In it Paul distinctly teaches us in what sense God gains in the Church. He tells us that the Church is to be the medium through which His grace, His goodness, His love are to be made known to the ages to come. The Church is to be that through which the unborn ages will know the grace of God and the love of God. A little further on in the same epistle, he tells us that the Church is to be the instru­ment through which angels, principali­ties, powers, the unfallen intelligences of other worlds, will learn the wisdom of God. This Church, redeemed, purchased, purified, glorified, is forever more to be the instrument through which the grace of God and the wisdom of God will be made known to ages and to principalities and to powers, until we get to the close of the letter, and Paul with one flash of light says—and reading, think of the pearl of the parable—"Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself up for it; that He might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the Word, that He might present the Church to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."

The pearl of great price is found in the midst of human wreckage, is gathered out of it, exalted, and made the medium through which in coming ages the infinite truth of God's grace and wisdom shall be revealed. Thus does God gain in the Church. He gains nothing of essential glory, but He gains a medium through which He may manifest that glory. He gains nothing of essential grace, but He gains a peo­ple, through whom His grace shall be revealed as could be in no other way.

PERFECT EYES

PERFECT VISION

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” Matt. 13:45-46

Christ has seen perfectly the definite and specific "mystery" of the Church. He knows the outcome of the threefold sanctification process He is engaged in with the Pearl of great price.

In this parable Jesus shows that the chief, though not the final value of this kingdom age is that during it there is to be gathered out and presented to God that which will be the finest, fairest, and most stunning jewel that will ever flash upon His bosom in all the ages of eternity. I know full well how imperfect these words are, and yet I have no other method in which to clothe the thoughts. Out of the mystery of sin, and out of the mystery of evil, and out of the mystery of this age in which the Kingdom values seem to be so fluctuating and uncertain, there is yet to be found and gathered the chief jewel of the Father's house, the most glorious thing for His possession which shall reveal to the ages to come, and to unfallen intelligences the grace and glory of God. Among the treasures of this age the Church of Jesus Christ is ultimate. The finding of the Church, in this as in the previous parables, is not accidental. Its discovery includes discernment of it, the indication of it to others, to fallen eyesight, and the obtaining of it. The merchant came, not seeking promiscu­ously, but bent on finding this very pearl. Remember, no figure can ever convey all the infinite fact, and looking at it in its infiniteness we see the limitations of the picture, and its inability to represent the whole truth. We see Christ discovering this precious pearl, the light and then mark very carefully the words made use of here concerning Him here "having found of one pearl of great price”, sold "all" that He had, and bought it. May I change that, and read, very liter­ally, "Having gone away, has sold all that He had, and bought it.“ This does not for a moment mean that He went away from the earth to buy it, but that He went away from Heaven to buy it. We are looking at the Kingdom from Heaven's standpoint, not from earths. Earth has never seen the precious pearl, has no conception of it. The pearl has not yet found itself. The Church never been seen by the eye of mortal man. We catch glimpses but the Church itself has never been truly seen. But Christ has seen the Church and with the ability to see it in its perfected state, at rest with the Father Who is ever aware of the completed work of the Godhead with sinful man who has yet to see as He sees (1 John 3:2). "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is." And that is not all we shall see much better with perfected eyes and minds to comprehend what we are seeing.

REST

REST

There are 4 Mentioned in scripture.

The 1st one offered to Israel but not accepted through faith (Heb. 4:2). The 2^nd one offered by Christ and accepted by the true believer in Matt. 11:28; Heb. 4:3. The 3^rd is the eternal one mentioned in Heb. 4:9 whereby the resurrected and perfected saint is at One with His God (Heb. 3:14) typified by the 4^th Sabbath rest at the end of the work week.

(Heb 4:9 KJV) "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God."

The rest in this verse is not the rest mentioned so frequently in this section. Rather it is Sabbath  rest, from the Greek sabbatismos, occurring only this once in the New Testament. Thus the people of God not only may enjoy the spiritual rest promised by Christ in this life (e.g., Matt. 11:28 entered into by faith in the work of Christ mentioned in vs. 3) but also may look forward to the eternal rest in the new earth which was typified by a weekly Sabbath rest in Israel. The resurrected and perfected saint accomplished through the completed threefold work of Christ and symbolized in the 3-fold communion service of the Church spoken of in John 13.

The latter not only commemorated the completed work of creation but also anticipated the completed work of redemption and reconciliation. That coming rest will not be one of inaction, of course, for His servants shall serve Him there (Rev. 22:3), but rather one of perfect fellowship with God and freedom from the presence of sin. Our present weekly rest on the Lords Day continues this observance even more effectively than the sabbatismos of Israel, for it commemorates both His creation and His resurrection, the two finished works of Christ, until He comes again.

PURCHASED

PURCHASED

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.”  Matt. 13:44

The King purchased, not the treasure only, but the whole field.

Carefully notice the passion which lay behind the purchase—"In his joy." Notice, moreover, the price paid—"all that he had." Notice, finally, the purchase—"He . . . buyeth that field."

First, then, how came that joy of heart in the finding of the treasure? The question can only be answered by asking another. What was the treasure, the finding of which filled Him with joy? It was the certainty of the possibility of setting up the government of God. That was always the joy of Jesus, It is His personal word, and “I delight to do Thy will, O my God." (Psa. 40:8) Concerning that thought we may get light from the great classic passage in the letter to the Hebrews. The writer had been speaking of the men of faith who had seen in the dim distance the city of God, of the men who had turned their backs upon the failure all about them, and lifted their faces towards the light of God's great city. Having spoken of such he wrote: "Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the Author and File-leader of faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross, despising shame, and bath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb. 12:2) What was the joy? That of the certainty that after the passion should come the fulfillment of purpose—the building of the city of God, or, in other words, the realization in the world of the Kingdom of God. For that joy He sold all that He had. The joy which constituted the strength of the Cross was the joy of leading back to God in reconciliation that which had wandered from Him. He came down into the world, and knew its possibility, knew its hidden treasure; but He knew that it was bound by chains of gold to the throne of God, and that its anthem could only be perfectly sung as it realized its fundamental relationship, and answered it in full surrender. He recognized that every man was capable of worship, and the whole social order capable of a perfect realization, and the whole world capable of singing the anthem of God's praise. The joy of that certainty was the strength in which He "endured the cross, despising shame."

The man in the parable sold all that he had. The equivalent to that in the case of Jesus is: He "emptied Himself," and made Himself of no reputation. Who "endured the cross, despising shame." By this infinite sacrifice He purchased the whole field. The whole world is redeemed, waiting to be claimed. That sacrifice was necessary. Had Jesus Christ remained an ethical Teacher merely, He could not have set up God's Kingdom. There must be the intrusion into the ruin of a new regenerative dynamic. He must change the nature of the dog before it can appreciate holy things, He must re­fashion and absolutely change the na­ture of the swine before pearls will have any value. He bought the whole field at cost.

I should like to say one word in this connection concerning the word bought or purchased. Never read into this word as it represents the work of Jesus anything merely of a commercial nature. To do so is to bring yourself into inextricable confusion. We shall ask from whom He purchased the field. I have even heard it said that He pur­chased it from the devil. Never! He never granted the devil's right to it. He never paid to the devil any price for the possession of the world. Then I hear it said that He purchased it from God. He was God. There was never the slightest difference between Himself and God. He did not attempt to persuade God to any new line of action, or to any line of action out of harmony with His own nature. It is impossible to read into this merely a commercial explanation. There is a use of the word which is more in harmony with its intention here. A man finds himself overwhelmed by robbers, and, speaking afterwards of the peril, he declares that he determined to sell his life dearly. That is the true figurative use of the word. Or another man, who has rescued some precious thing at the cost of suffering, declares he has purchased it at great price. We know that in neither case is there the thought of purchase by commercial interchange, but that of securing the desired thing by strife and tears and pain. In that sense Christ purchased. We "were redeemed, not with corruptible things, with silver or gold "—that is commercialism—"but with precious blood . . . even the blood of Christ." (1 Pet. 1:18-19) That blood was not handed over to meet the demand, nor even to persuade God. That outpouring of blood was the material interpretation of that passion of God, through which the world in which the treasure was hidden might be redeemed by passion, at the deepest heart of which is joy, and the expression of which is pain. Joy and pain made the purchase.

COULD CHRIST RETURN THIS YEAR?

COULD CHRIST RETURN THIS YEAR?

The biblical answer to this burning question is - yes and no! Yes, He could return from heaven at any moment now to meet His true Church - His body and bride - in the air. And, therefore, no - He will not come down to the earth during the next twelve months. His return to the earth will occur seven years after the Church has been caught up to heaven.

Why does the Bible make this distinction? Because the second coming of our Lord, just like His first coming, It is a complex series of events covering a number of years. Think for a moment of the first coming. It began with the miraculous conception of the God-man in the womb of a Jewish woman about 4 BC. Then came His birth, growth, public ministry, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension back to heaven - requiring more than a third of a century.

So also, the second coming of Christ will cover a number of years, beginning with the resurrection of dead Christians and the rapture of living Christians (1 Thess. 4:13-18). Then, for the Church, there will be a period of examination by her Bridegroom to determine gain or loss of rewards (1 Cor. 3:10-15), culminating in "the marriage of the Lamb" (Rev. 19:7-9).

In the meantime, on the earth, a number of spectacular things will take place, requiring eighty-four months, or seven years (Rev. 11:2-3), before He sets foot again on this planet (Zech. 14:4). Two witnesses will suddenly appear in Jerusalem, one of whom will be Elijah (Mal. 4:5-6, Rev. 11:3-6). After they have led the nation of Israel back to God (Matt. 17:11), they will be killed by the Antichrist (Rev. 11:7-13). But during the last three and a half years of the Tribulation period, 144,000 of their disciples, from the twelve tribes of Israel, will take "this gospel of the kingdom . . . to all the nations" (Matt. 24:14; cf. Rev. 7:3-8; 14:1-5).

As soon as the Church is removed from the earth (John 14:1-3; 2 Thess. 2:1-8), the "little horn." (i.e., "the Antichrist," or "the Beast") will be launched by Christ Himself into his steady march to global dominion (Dan. 7:8; Rev, 6:1-2). He will make a firm covenant with the majority of Israelis for a seven-year period (Dan. 9:27) and lead them to international prestige. At this time peace is finally declared (1 Thess. 5:3).

After forty-two months, the Antichrist is killed (presumably by the King of the North; (Dan. 11:40-45; Rev. 13:14), but he rises again to mortal life and kills his arch-enemies, the two witnesses (Rev. 11:7-13). He then turns against Israel (which is by now a basically converted nation; (Isa. 66:8; Rev. 12:1-6, 13-16), stops the temple sacrifices (Dan. 9:27), sets up "the abomination of desolation" in the temple of God (Matt. 24:15, KJV), and demands worship of himself with horrible consequences for those who refuse to submit (Rev. 13:11-17). Under Satan's direction, he will gather the armies of the world to challenge the Lord Jesus Christ at His glorious second coming to the earth (Psa. 2:1-6; Rev, 16:12-16; 19:19).

By means of these complex events, God will prepare the Church, the nation of Israel, and the Gentile nations for His glorious one-thousand-year kingdom on earth.

But when will all of this begin to happen? We wish we knew - but our Lord warned us about setting the date! "But of that day or hour no one knows, not the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone" (Mark 13:32). Now think of this statement! Our Lord knew that the exact date was unknown to all mere humans, and to all of heaven's angels, and even to Himself (during the non-glorified phase of His incarnation)! The Lord Jesus had set aside the independent exercise of certain attributes of greatness (such as omniscience) at His first coming (Phil. 2:5-8; Luke 2:52). But He remained totally divine and totally sinless, and He received from His Father a perfect understanding of the temporary limits of His knowledge (John 5:20).

This year could see the beginning of Second Coming events! For believers today, this is the blessed hope, for we know that "when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is" (1 John 3:2). But for all mankind, our Lord gave this urgent warning: "Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. ... What I say to you I say to all, 'Be on the alert!" (Mark 13:33, 37).

To which we should joyfully reply, "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22:20).

SHALL HE FIND FAITH

SHALL HE FIND FAITH

"I tell you that He will bring about justice for them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" Luke 18:8

The reference is not to personal faith but to belief in the whole body of revealed truth, the faith. And the answer to that question is yes and no. His Second coming involves two parts to be explained in the next article titled "COULD CHRIST RETURN THIS YEAR"? In the first part He comes to rapture those He finds in the faith. In the second part of His return He finds 144,000 thousand Jews who are witnessing to the whole world of the true Messiah. At the time of His 2 part coming He finds apostasy rampant. (2 Tim 3:1-9) Apostasy, "rebellion" (2 Thess. 2:3) is the act of professing people who deliberately reject revealed truth as to (1) the Deity of Jesus Christ, and (2) redemption through His atoning and redeeming sacrifice (1 John 4:1-3; Phil 3:18; 2 Pet 2:1), the true believers having been raptured (1 Thess. 4:16-17). Seducing spirits and the doctrine of devils control the minds and hearts and therefore reign at this time (1 Tim 4:1, 2 Tim 3:1-4:4) add to the description of the era. Perilous are those times described. “Perilous” could also be translated “fierce” or “furious.” It is used only one other time, in connection with the demoniacs in the country of the Gadarenes, describing them as “exceeding fierce” (Matt. 8:28). The world will become increasingly violent and dangerous as the end approaches.