Sign Of The Times

The Kingdom of God is at hand: Repent Ye and Believe the Gospel. Read more...

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 05:40:00 +0000

God Commands All Men Every Where to Repent - It’s interesting to note that the Greek word rendered as “repenteth” and “repentance” is metanoeo (G3340), signifying a “change of mind or understanding”. Notice how verse 7 in Luke 15 makes the point that there are those who identify with the “… ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance”. Everyone in this category is merely “self-righteous” and have not been saved. It is the deluded, prideful expression of the Pharisee in Luke 18:11 as well. They do not understand their own sinfulness. Sadly, this is the essence of mankind’s fallen nature. We are sinful by birth, by nature, and by inheritance, as we learn from Rom 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned”. Furthermore, 1 John 1:8 reminds us: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us”. Deception is indeed the core foundation for all sin, and its roots go down very deep into the darkest chambers of our hearts. Sin also enslaves, as Jesus explained to the religious leaders of His day in John 8:34: “Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin”. Because man is spiritually dead, he will never of his own accord repent in a manner that is biblical. Rom 3:10-18 presents both a penetrating and convicting glimpse into the depths of an unbelievers heart. And Pro 30:12 further adds, “There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness”. A good example of the difference between the so-called “righteous” and “sinners” is found in the parable of Luke 18:9-14. In this very revealing passage we see that the publican’s estimation of himself was that he was indeed “the sinner”. Wonderfully, Christ’s mission was to redeem those who are spiritually diseased, as Mark 2:17 so beautifully affirms: “When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”. Proclaiming his own righteousness, the Pharisee did not recognize the truth of Luke 16:15: “And he [Jesus] said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts ...”. Though multitudes of people seemingly pray and ask God for salvation (or mercy), we must understand that only those who are God’s elect will do so on God’s terms – that is, according to God’s Word, the Bible. Mat 9:13 declares, “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”. Wonderfully, Christ came to this world seeking sinners.

Rom 3:10-18 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17And the way of peace have they not known: 18There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Eze 18:30-31 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. 31Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?”

Acts 17:30-31 “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man [Jesus] whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”

The Kingdom of God is at hand: Repent Ye - In 2 Cor 7:10, God is differentiating between “godly sorrow” (or repentance) and the “sorrow of the world” (or remorse) and , “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death”. We see in the historical context the literal fulfillment of “…the sorrow of the world worketh death” in Mat 27:3-5, because Judas committed suicide. However, this verse is not speaking about physical death but eternal death – eternal damnation in Hell. This is what the Lord Jesus was underscoring in Mat 26:24 when referring to Judas, “The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe [judgment] unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born”. Remorse is caused by conscience – God’s law written on all of our hearts (Rom 2:14-15). In Heb 12:16-17, we see Esau demonstrated remorse or regret – not genuine repentance at what he had done. “Godly sorrow” is a gift from God and has everything to do with salvation which produces, or causes, genuine repentance because it is the work of God in the hearts of His chosen people. Take note that salvation is a matter of the heart, or soul, or mind (all three are used interchangeably in the Bible): “And he [Jesus] said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts ...” (Luke 16:15). Only God can create a new eternal soul, or “new heart”, and make a “new creature” of a person, as we read in Eze 36:26-27: “A new heart also will I [God] give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them”. God must draw the elect to Himself and grant them repentance, spiritual understanding, faith to trust Him, and a capacity to love and obey Him. This is why God must initiate and complete the entire work of salvation in each one of His chosen sheep. In Jon 3:4 God commanded Jonah to preach a simple message to Ninevites, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown”. Keep in mind that Nineveh was a pagan culture – an enemy of Israel – that knew very little of the Bible, or the God of creation. How could it be that the King of Nineveh would be so remarkably compelled to issue the following proclamation to all of the 120,000 inhabitants of the city, as Jon 3:5-9 acknowledges: “... let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way ...”. Undoubtedly, this has to be one of the most dramatic examples of salvation recorded in the Bible! Such genuine conversion can only be attributed to God’s incomparable mercy, as Acts 5:30-31 proclaims: “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel (Israel of God, or in other words believers), and forgiveness of sins”.

Luke 15:7, 10: “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance… Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”

Luke 18:9-14 “And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”

Jon 3:4-9 “And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. 5So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?”

The Kingdom of God is at hand: Believe the Gospel - God commands mankind to repent, believe as Mark 1:14-15 attests, “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel”. Prior to salvation everyone is spiritually blind and under Satan’s authority, as 2 Cor 4:4 indicates: “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world [Satan] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them”. Salvation occurs when God shines the light of the true Gospel into the souls of those He came to save and dispels the spiritual darkness. Notice the sequence of events in Jon 3:5: “So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them”. They first believed – everything else followed that. And we know that to believe is to have faith, and the faith related to salvation is a gift from God, according to Eph 2:8-10 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ...”. Thus repentance and good works are the result of salvation – not the cause. Notice how the word “meekness” in 2 Tim 2:25 can result from God’s granting repentance (or a change of mind) as a result of salvation, “… if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth”. The Bible clearly teaches that salvation is totally by God’s sovereign grace, love and mercy; and those three elements – along with everything else associated with salvation – are unearned gifts from God to His people. We also learn from 2 Pet 2:5 that Noah was not only a recipient of God’s righteousness, but also a preacher of that same righteousness: “And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly”. We believers are recipients of the Gospel as God applies His Word to our hearts by spiritual “hearing”, gives us faith, and causes us to obey the Gospel. One of the characteristics of those who have received salvation will be a willingness to be faithful in declaring (as well as in obeying) God’s Word. Then we are suppliers of the Gospel as we declare the Gospel to others and God draws more of His elect to Himself. If we, indeed, are those who “obey the Gospel”, we definitely “shall be saved” at the end of our lives when we receive our glorified, spiritual and eternal bodies at the resurrection of the Last Day.

Matt 3:1-2 “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matt 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Mark 6:12 “And they [disciples] went out, and preached that men should repent.”

2 Tim 2:24-26 “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will."

Acts 11:16-18 “Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.”

Rom 10:13-17 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

God is Longsuffering to Us-ward, Not Willing that Any should Perish - How can it be then that the Holy God who destroyed the world of Noah’s day has not destroyed us? How can it be that the God who destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah has not yet destroyed us? Why does God wait? Why not destroy this sin cursed earth along with the whole band of rebellious sinners that take great pleasure in their evil deeds? 2 Pet 3:9 gives the answer, God “is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”. He is waiting for the last of His elect to become saved. He is not willing that “any” of His chosen people should perish. But He will put up with man and his scoffing and his sins until He draws that last sinner to Himself. God gives us the flood as the example of His longsuffering, patience near the end of the world in 1 Pet 3:20. What was God waiting for in the days of Noah? He was waiting for the ark to be prepared, which resulted in the salvation of Noah’s house hold: “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water” (1 Pet 3:20). What is God waiting for today? He is waiting for the house of God to be completed. He is waiting for the last living stone to be inserted into the New Jerusalem. Turn back to 2 Pet 3:15; and we will see without question that the sun has risen today ONLY BECAUSE THE LAST OF GOD’S ELECT HAVE NOT BEEN SAVED: “And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation;” The Greek word translated as “leadeth” (ago:G71) in “… the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance (synonymous with salvation)” in Rom 2:4 emphasizes God’s sovereign power and grace to save His elect people, as 2 Pet 3:9 teaches, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”. God is merciful to His elect and saves them because of His goodness; and He works all things “together for good” in their lives, as we read in Rom 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose”. As I mentioned earlier, repentance has to do with a “change of mind”. When a person becomes a child of God he is transformed spiritually, as Rom 12:2 instructs, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”. And Tit 3:5 declares, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”. Php 1:6 states, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”.

2 Pet 3:3-7 “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 5For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”

2 Pet 3:8-9 “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Satan's Ministers as the Ministers of Righteousness. Read more...

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 05:57:00 +0000

Ye are of Your Father the Devil, the Liar - We read about the basic nature of Satan, “he is a liar, and the father of it [the lie]”. In John 8:44, Lord Jesus addressed the religious leaders of His day as “Ye are of your father the devil”, though in the larger context, this verse is directed to all who are without a Savior. The Greek word for “worketh” in Eph 2:2 is similar to our English word “energy” and conveys the idea of “working in”, “operating”, or “energizing” the unsaved: “Wherein in time past ye [believers] walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air [Satan], the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience [unsaved]” . “Worketh” is also employed in Php 2:13 with reference to the work of God in His children’s lives: “For it is God which worketh in you [saved] both to will and to do of his good pleasure”. Eph 2:2 reveals that all who are unsaved are under the spiritual domination of Satan, who is called “the prince of the power of the air”, also called “the prince of this world” in John 14:30: “Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world [Satan] cometh, and hath nothing in me” , and “the god of this world” in 2 Cor 4:4 whose goal is to blind the minds of the unsaved to the Gospel: “In whom the god of this world [Satan] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God [Jesus], should shine unto them”. Moreover, in John 8:23 Jesus pointed this out to the religious leaders of His day, “ye are of this world; I am not of this world”. 1 Cor 2:14 describes the unredeemed “natural man”, as the one that cannot receive “the things of the Spirit of God” because “they are spiritually discerned”. On the other hand, in 1 Cor 2:12 we read of the saved born-again believers, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God”, and are made able to “know the things of God”.

John 8:44 “Ye are of your father the devil [Satan], and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie [the lie], he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it [the lie].”

John 8:23 “And he [Jesus] said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.”

1 Cor 2:14 “But the natural man [unsaved] receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

1 Cor 2:12 “Now we [saved] have received, not the spirit of the world [of Satan], but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God”

All Men are Liars - The usual dictionary definition of “truth” is “conforming to reality or actuality” and man can only make inaccurate guesses at what “reality” is with his limited knowledge. Now, man’s definition of lying is “deliberately making a false statement with the intention of deceiving someone”, which is really the opposite of honesty. However, according to God’s standard of Absolute Truth, and since the Bible is the Absolute Truth, then anything we say that is contrary to the Bible – the True Gospel – is a lie. Because we do not know the Absolute Truth about anything, that makes all men liars by nature: “The wicked [unsaved] are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies” (Psa 58:3). Even if a Bible teacher ignorantly teaches a wrong(or erroneous) doctrine, he is lying. For example, those who teach that human beings can somehow contribute to their salvation are lying – no matter how sincerely and fervently they believe they are teaching truth. Rom 3:4 also reiterates: “God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged”. And God tells us that the fate of all unsaved liars is the “lake of fire”, as we read in Rev 21:7-8: “... all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death”. Just as there are many counterfeit “gospels” all over the world, there are also many counterfeit “Christians” within every congregation who claim to be saved – usually because of some effort on their part – but have not become “born from above”. Many embrace Christianity because they were born into or grew up in a family or culture that was part of a denomination, sect or cult that claimed an affiliation with Christ and the Bible. However, we see in John 1:13 that true believers are those who are “born of God” and “not of blood” (or man’s special bloodline or genealogy), “nor of the will of the flesh” (man’s natural procreation or heredity), “nor of the will of man” (man’s freewill, or individual or governmental endeavors, or works). Thus, God does all the work of salvation, and man’s efforts play no role whatsoever. In actuality, the “laborers” in Luke 10:2: “The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few”, are the ones whom God has redeemed and set apart to be His ambassadors (2 Cor 5:17-20). Sadly, there have always been those who masquerade as God’s servants, who are still in Satan’s kingdom and are his unwitting ambassadors. This phenomenon is even more pernicious in our day.

John 1:12-13 “But as many as received [as in recipients] him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

2 Cor 5:17-20 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us [born-again believers] the word of reconciliation. 20Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

Satan’s Ministers as the Ministers of Righteousness - In order to maintain his hold on mankind, Satan works feverishly at his main objective, which is that of deceiving mankind with false gospels to keep them from hearing the Truth. As we approach the Last Day when the Lord Jesus Christ will return, Satan will be actively deceiving many unsaved churchgoers who profess to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. He accomplishes that primarily by keeping people in bondage to various religions and false gospels and using his lying human “ministers of righteousness”, as we read in 2 Cor 11:13-15: “... false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ ...”. Although there have always been false brethren in God’s earthly, institutional churches, the proliferation of today’s [end of times] worldly false gospels tends to increase the percentage of false brethren, or nominal Christians, within the various congregations. This expands the worldly influence in the churches and accelerates the worldwide “falling away” from the True Gospel, or apostasy, that is so much in evidence at the present time: “... that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first ...” (2 The 2:3). The popularity of most false gospels can generally be attributed to their appeals to man’s pride and basic sensual desires for political freedom, economic security and good health. Although they are spiritually dead, some of these unsaved churchgoers seek to teach others their unbiblical ideas about spiritual matters; but it is a very dangerous thing to be an unsaved, self-proclaimed “teacher” of the Scriptures. In Jam 3:1 God indicates there will be a “greater condemnation” in Hell for those hypocrites who handle His Word carelessly: “My brethren, be not many masters [teachers], knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.”

2 The 2:3-4 “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he [Satan] as God sitteth in the temple of God [congregation], shewing himself that he is God.”

Isa 14:12-15 “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God [believers]: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”

2 Cor 11:13-15 “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”

Gal 2:3-5 “But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised: 4And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: 5To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.”

Rev 19:20 “And the beast [Satan] was taken, and with him the false prophet [his ministers] that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.”

Satan Himself is Transformed into an Angel of Light. Read more...

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 04:47:00 +0000

The Truth-God and His Word - God and His Word are Characterized by Truth. Absolute Truth is the very nature of God and His Word. The Lord Jesus Christ said that He is the Truth (John 14:6), that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13), and that God’s Word is Truth (John 17:17). In fact, the Bible is the Gospel of Christ, which is the Truth of God’s salvation program. Philosophers have struggled with the concept of “truth” for thousands of years, and in John 18:37-38 Pontius Pilate reflected man’s confusion about it when he said, “What is truth?”. If we try to go beyond God’s revelations about “God’s salvation program” – no matter how “logical” we try to be – we quickly get into “error” (or “falsehood”), which is the opposite of Truth. The only way we can come to Truth about any Biblical subject is by carefully comparing Scripture with Scripture. The main theme of the entire Bible is God’s salvation program – the Gospel – and “The Gospel” is synonymous with “The Truth”. One thing we can say with absolute certainty is that God created this universe and put His salvation plan into motion on this earth for His glory and honor, based on what God declares in His Word.

John 18:37-38 “Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. 38Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.”

John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

John 14:17 “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

John 15:26 “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:”

John 16:13 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”

John 17:17 “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

The Lie and The Liar-Satan and His Word - Satan and His Word are Characterized by Lie. Biblical notion is that all sin is based on deceit, or based on a lie. Deceit is the opposite of truth and is, therefore, the opposite of the Word of Truth, the Bible. Sin first reared its ugly head in the least likely of places – a perfect environment where two individuals who had been created perfectly by God and in His image existed in perfect fellowship with their Maker. Unfortunately, this idyllic situation was short-lived as their Creator presented them with a test, which they tragically failed, as “the serpent [Satan] beguiled Eve through his subtilty”, as we read in Gen 3:11-14. At the very onset we see how rapidly and to what extent sin manifested itself in the form of lies, and blaming others in verse Gen 3:13. The deceptiveness of sin affected every human being born after Adam and Eve as Rom 5:12 explains. Satan acquired control of this present universe by default, and became our spiritual father, owing to the sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve. In John 8:44, Jesus declares “Ye are of your father the devil” and contrasts “the lie” with “the truth”. The most fundamental deception of sin denies the very existence of sin itself. 2 Cor 4:3-4 gives us more insight.

Gen 3:11-14 “And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 14And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.”

Rom 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”

John 8:42-45 “Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 43Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 44Ye are of your father the devil [Satan], and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie [or the lie], he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it [or the lie]. 45And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.”

Eph 2:1-5 “And you [believers] hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air [Satan], the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)”

Tit 3:3-6 “For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. 4But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;”

2 Cor 11:3 “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”

2 Cor 2:11 “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”

2 Cor 4:3-4 “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world [Satan] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

False Gospels are Characterized by Error - We know from earlier studies that Old Testament Israel was an earthly representative of the Kingdom of God and served as a type, or figure, of the New Testament institutional churches and denominations that also were earthly representatives of the Kingdom of God during the Church Age. Thus, it is important to understand what happened to ancient Israel, in order to relate those events to how God is dealing with the churches of our day. For example, in the following Old Testament passage God warned Ancient Israel not to turn away from drinking the pure, life-giving water of the Truth of God and imbibing the spiritual wine and strong drink of the erroneous and deceptive doctrines of salvation based on the faulty reasoning of men, which leads to the fire of God’s eternal wrath. God says “woe” unto those who indulge in that kind of spiritual foolishness and drunkenness and uses Ancient Israel in Isa 5:20-22 as an example of what is happening in our day as Satan has been loosed to “deceive the nations” (as we read about in Rev 20:3). Just as the Old Testament Israelites were overcome by error and apostasy, so too were the New Testament churches; and there is now a great “falling away” from the True Gospel, as we read in 2 The 2:3-4. The word “woe” in the verses we just read from Isaiah 5 is a pronouncement of judgment, and later God brought about the destruction of Ephraim by the Assyrians. The Southern Kingdom of Judah suffered the same fate due to their apostasy and rebellion. “The lie” is contrasted with “the truth” in 2 The 2:9-12, which is speaking about God’s judgment on the institutional churches and denominations during the Great Tribulation period.

1 Cor 10:11 “Now all these things happened unto them [ancient Israel] for ensamples [types]: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”

Isa 5:20-22 “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 21Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! 22Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink [deceptive doctrines]:”

2 The 2:3-4 “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day [the day of Christ] shall not come, except there come a falling away [apostasia:G646] first, and that man of sin [Satan] be revealed, the son of perdition; 4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God [the institutional churches], showing himself that he is God.”

2 The 2:9-12 “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie [or the lie]: 12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

Satan is a Counterfeit Christ - Sin was not simply confined to the human race, but occurred among the spirit beings as well either prior to, or simultaneously with, the fall of man. Satan’s rebellion with the sin of pride and subsequent defeat at the Cross is outlined in Isa 14:12-15. God allowed Satan to deceive Eve, and Adam, consenting, followed her example of eating the “forbidden fruit”. Satan’s cunning is never to be underestimated, as we see from 2 Cor 11:14-15. He comes with false gospels that are so close to the truth, he comes with Scripture in a wrong manner, uses the Bible in such a way as to cast doubt upon the very character of God, that even the elect could be deceived if it were possible (Matt 24:24). 1 Pet 5:8 alerts us to Lucifer’s tactics that have been honed by use throughout the history of the world: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”. However, Satan’s greatest deception is at work now in the end times. 2 Cor 11:14-15 warns about Satan’s deceptive show as an imitator of Christ. We read that he comes as “an angel [or messenger] of light” with his counterfeit “ministers of righteousness” and he sits in “the temple of God [the institutional churches], shewing himself that he is God” (2 The 2:3-4). Rev 12:7-10 predicts the Devil’s ultimate defeat (which in principle occurred at the Cross).

Gen 3:15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

Isa 14:12-15 “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”

Luke 10:18 “And he [Jesus] said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.”

2 Cor 11:13-15 “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”

2 The 2:2-4 “That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin [Satan] be revealed, the son of perdition; 4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God [the institutional churches], shewing himself that he is God.”

Rev 12:7-10 “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”

Lo, Here is Christ, or There; Believe it Not. Read more...

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 05:04:00 +0000

Lo, Here is Christ, or There; Believe it Not… - The Lord Jesus makes an important point in Luke 17, verse 20: “… The kingdom of God cometh not with observation …”, it has to do with what is physically observable in each instance. In other words, one does not “see” Christ or the Kingdom of God with physical eyesight – even though people may say, “He is in our church”, or “Look what He is doing through that televangelist”, or “God spoke to me in a beautiful dream”. The Bible clearly insists in 2 Cor 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight”. In Matt 24, verses 24-25, the Savior warns for the third time in this chapter (see verses 4-5 and 11) about false Christs and their deceptive “signs and wonders”. Before we move on, I want to mention something about the two words rendered as “desert” (eremos:G2048) in “Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth” and “secret chambers” (tameion:G5009) in “behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not” found in Mat 23:26. The former is translated as “wilderness”, “desert”, “desolate”, and “solitary”. There are instances where this particular word is used in a positive sense; but in the majority of cases, it is referring to rebellion and/or testing (as in the case of Israelites’ sojourn in the wilderness for 40 years), or it is referring to the kingdom of Satan (as typified by the world at large) and the end-time apostate churches: “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate [eremos:G2048]: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Luke 13:35). The latter word, “secret chambers” tameion:G5009) in the other three verses (Mat 6:6, Luke 12:3 and 24), it is translated as – “closet” and “storehouse”. The context of these passages has to do with being preoccupied with outward appearances or physical needs instead of “seeking first the kingdom of God”: “Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse [tameion:G5009] nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?” (Luke 12:24) . It highlights the contrast between the great crowds thronging Christ in John 6:26-66 and the publican in the Temple in Luke 18:13, who quietly cried out in anguish, “God be merciful to me [the] sinner”. The chief interest of the former group was only to get a free meal and then just as quickly abandoning Christ when He started speaking about obedience to His Word. The latter is an example of those to whom God gives “a broken and a contrite heart”, and draws them to Himself.

Mat 24:23, 26 “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not ... Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.”

Luke 17:20-24 “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. 22And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. 23And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. 24For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.”

John 6:26-30 “Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. 27Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. 28Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. 30They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?”

Believe Not Every Spirit, but Try the Spirits whether They are of God - This brings us to a very practical question: How does one determine who is a “false prophet”? In both Mat 7:16 and 20 we learn that we “shall know them by their fruits”. Mat 7:17a and 18a add: “Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit ... A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit ...”. Jam 3:12 further explains, “Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh”. Every human being produces some type of “fruit” with their lives that can be either good or evil. That fruit stems from their words, actions, and thoughts, as Pro 23:7 maintains: “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he ...”. This principle is also evident in Luke 6:45. A “good man” is one who has become saved: “A good man [saved] out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good ...”. Sadly, there have always been those who masquerade as God’s servants, who are still in Satan’s kingdom and are his unwitting ambassadors. The popularity of most false gospels can generally be attributed to their appeals to man’s pride and basic sensual desires for political freedom, economic security and good health. Although they are spiritually dead, some of these unsaved churchgoers seek to teach others their unbiblical ideas about spiritual matters; but it is a very dangerous thing to be an unsaved, self-proclaimed “teacher” of the Scriptures. In Jam 3:1 God indicates there will be a “greater condemnation” in Hell for those hypocrites who handle His Word carelessly. But how can we really know? We must turn exclusively to the God’s Word – The Bible – the Christian’s sole authority. 1 John 4:1 informs all believers of their obligation to be on guard: “... believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God ...”. So, how does one “try [test] the spirits”? We must test what every so-called “prophet” says against the Bible, as we read in Acts 17:11 about the Bereans: “... they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so”. I will leave you with a verse that encourages all of us to trust the only the Bible and look to it for divine truth. These citations encourage the child of God to depend on God’s Word by obeying it, and hence proving that it is indeed 100% reliable, 100%of the time! It is also extremely useful for distinguishing truth from error, as we just read in 1 John 4:1. It is such a wonderful blessing to recognize that God will not allow His children to wander into error for very long, but will lead them into truth as they “continue in my [Jesus] Word” (John 8:31). John 16:13-15 and John 10:1-5 should be a great encouragement to each true Christian, because these verses assure that it is the Christ himself and the Holy Spirit that guards them.

Luke 6:45 “A good man [saved] out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man [unsaved] out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.”

1 John 4:1 “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”

Matt 24:24 “For there shall arise false Christs (pseudochristos), and false prophets (pseudoprophetes), and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”

Isa 8:20 “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word [The Bible], it is because there is no light in them.”

John 16:13-15 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

John 10:1-5 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 4And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 5And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.”

There Shall Arise False Christs, And False Prophets. Read more...

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 05:38:00 +0000

There shall arise False Christs, and False Prophets - To whom are you listening? Mat 7:15 cautions: “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves”. This warning is especially serious as we are now living in the end times. In Mat 24:4 Jesus cautions, “Take heed that no man deceive you”, and then He informs us three times in the rest of the chapter that this period of time will be characterized by an intense amount of spiritual deception, as stated in Mat 24:24-25: “... there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect”. This deception is carried out by Satan and his “false prophets” and is described throughout the Bible. Mat 24 highlights this worldwide apostasy and the impact of this global deceit, in verses 4-5, 11, and 23-25: “... many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many”. 1 Pet 5:8 alerts us to Satan’s tactics that have been honed by use throughout the history of the world: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”. Satan comes as an “angel of light”, in other words, Satan comes trying to look like Christ, who is the true light of the world. Satan comes with false gospels. He tries to get as close to the truth as possible, but there are lies mixed with the truth. We see in the parable of the wheat and the tares, how Satan creeps in and sows tares among those who are in that physical body, the church. Likewise, he also employs those who masquerade as God’s servants, who have never experienced true salvation, whom God has not called, who are “transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ”. They are emissaries of Satan, “deceitful workers”, deceived into thinking they are working for God.

Mat 24:4-5 “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.”

Mat 24:23-25 “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25Behold, I have told you before.”

2 Cor 11:13-15 “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”

2 Pet 2:1 “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 3And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. 4For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 5And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; 7And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds) 9The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:”

The Working of Satan with all Power and Signs and Lying Wonders - The Scripture makes clear that these are signs of a false gospel and a great delusion. God gave all supernatural healings, miracles, signs, wonders, and tongues to prove that those who were speaking for God in the Bible were truly from God (Hebrews 1:1-2; 2:3-4, 2 Cor 12:12, Acts 2:22). Also he taught invisible heavenly spiritual truths of God through these visible signs. When God finished writing the Bible He withdrew those supernatural manifestations. Those who claim to practice these alleged supernatural wonders are deluded. As we have seen, 1 Pet 5:8 highlights the Satan’s masterminding deceit as he is both a destroyer as well as a deceiver (John 8:44). It is helpful to note that Satan is busier than ever during our day as he is ruling in all apostate churches and denominations according to 2 The 2:34, “Who [Satan] opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God”. Satan was spiritually “bound” at the Cross and through out the New Testament “Church Age” [ typified by figurative “thousand years”] and is now released for a “little season” to deceive the nations – but his doom is sealed. Notice “the lie” is contrasted with “the truth” in 2 The 2:9-12 and that those who “perish” have not received “the love of the truth” – God and His Word are Characterized by Truth. What is even more frightening is that God “shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie”. 2 Tim 3:8 states “Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith”. Jannes and Jambres [It appears that the names are of Egyptian origin, leading to speculation that they were the “magicians” spoken of in Exodus chapters 7-9], Elymas the sorcerer (in Acts 13:8) and Alexander the coppersmith (in 2 Tim 4:15), who resisted the truth of God along with a host of false prophets and teachers (named and unnamed) in both the Old and New Testaments. God’s judgments upon the Israelites with the “spirit of deep sleep” according to Isa 29:10 and the “spirit of slumber” in Rom 11:8 are parallel to the “strong delusion” in 2 The 2:11-12, which refers to God’s judgment upon the apostate institutional churches and denominations who do not have the authority of the God’s Word, the Bible. Eventually, all the unsaved will end up in the Lake of Fire, along with Satan and all his demons, according to Rev 20:10, “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever”.

Acts 2:22 “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:”

2 Cor 12:12 “Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.”

Heb 2:3-4 “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; 4God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?”

Matt 24:24 “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”

2 The 2:3-4 “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition [Satan]; 4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”

2 The 2:8-12 “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

Rev 19:20 “And the beast [Satan] was taken, and with him the false prophet [Satan’s ministers] that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.”

Days of Noah - But Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the LORD. Read more...

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 05:16:00 +0000

But Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the LORD - By examining the two verses Rom 4:4: “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt” and Rom 11:6: “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work”, one quickly realizes that “grace” and “works” with respect to salvation are incompatible. “Work” is labor, or effort, that usually earns some kind of compensation. You have a job, so you do your work and get paid for it. “Grace”, on the other hand, is not work. It is an undeserved gift, so you get something for doing nothing. Tit 2:11 informs us of the Divine purpose of the grace of God: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men…”. God’s grace first and foremost accomplishes salvation – to save sinners from eternal punishment in Hell for God’s honor and glory. Grace is God’s Divine Prerogative. Since God’s grace is an undeserved and unearned gift that is bestowed on whomever God so chooses, it is available to all kinds of people regardless of location, age, gender, race, social status, religion, or any other human classification. Since God uses the word “grace” to describe Noah in that he “found grace”, this indicates that Noah was a sinner as anyone else. In Genesis 9, we read about him falling into sin when he became a husbandman and drank of the fruit and got drunk. No one needs grace unless they are a sinner, unless they have transgressed the Law of God and need a Saviour. God bestowed upon him grace, which means that God gave him His Spirit (Eze 36:26-28). He gave him a new heart and a new soul. This is the identical way of salvation today, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God”. The ark, represented God’s salvation program, according to 1 Pet 3:20-21.

Gen 6:5-9 “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 9These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”

Eph 2:5-8 “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”

1 Pet 3:20-21 “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21The like figure [water = the Gospel] whereunto even baptism [the washing away of our sins] doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:”

Noah was a Just Man and Perfect in his Generations - When we see these kinds of descriptions of individuals in the Bible, we think that they were good, that they were morally good. Then we tend to think that if we could only be as good as them, then we, too, would find grace or we could also be accepted by God. Nothing can be farther from truth. As far as that man goes himself, he is just a sinner, like you or me or anybody. There are no exceptions, except for Christ who was the God/man. But every other human being who comes through the line of Adam is a sinner because the Bible also tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and Rom 3:10 (quoting Psa 14:2-3) declares, “There is none righteous, no, not one”. Job was a sinner and Moses was a sinner and Noah was a sinner and Daniel was a sinner. All have sinned. These were individuals who found grace (Salvation) in God’s sight. “Noah was a just Man and perfect in his generations”, this can be true of Noah only after “Salvation”. So Noah was a righteous man, a just man, because of the imputed righteousness of Christ. He was perfect because God had made him perfect, and he walked with God. Rom 3:20 makes it clear that, “by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight ...”. As one studies God’s salvation program as delineated in the Bible, two aspects become very clear: We need the Lord Jesus Christ to bestow His Grace and pay for our sins by suffering death and destruction on our behalf, and we need Him to give us His righteousness. Heb 11:7 helps us to understand that Noah inherited the “righteousness which is by faith”. Notice the actions that God initiated: (1) God warned Noah – by faith Noah was moved to prepare an ark, which was a picture of the salvation of the Lord Jesus and also a picture of judgment to the world. (2) Noah (as a picture of all believers) inherited the righteousness which is by faith. When God uses the word faith in conjunction with salvation, He is speaking about the “faith of Christ” – the righteousness which is of God by faith (Php 3:9). In other words, Noah was saved by Grace and Justified by Faith of Christ. He was declared Righteous by Christ’s Righteousness being imputed to him by Faith. We also learn from 2 Pet 2:5 that Noah was not only a recipient of God’s righteousness, but also a preacher of that same righteousness : “And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly”

Gen 6:8-9 “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 9These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”

Heb 11:7 “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”

Rom 4:4-8 “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. 6Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.”

Noah and Ark represents the Rest and Comfort God provided for His people in Christ - The word Noah Means “Rest”. Gen 5:29 also gives the meaning of name Noah as Comfort – the Comfort that brings Eternal Salvation. In Deu 5:14, God spells out the essence of the seventh-day Sabbath: “But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou”. The essence of the Old Testament Sabbath, which is a ceremonial law pointed to the fact that God rested on the seventh day from His labors. The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ on that first Sunday that ushered in a new era of worship, which God instituted by abolishing the previous era of Old Testament (Saturday) worship. Spiritually “rest” pointed to the fact that true believers are to rest in the salvation which God has provided through the Lord Jesus Christ and are not to depend on any human effort, or work, as Heb 4:10 reminds us: “For he that is entered into his rest [God’s rest], he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his”. Eph 2:8-9 underscores this vital principle: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast”. Rom 11:6 further insists, “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work”. The “rest” for our souls is something only God can give to us – we cannot attain it through any of our own efforts, as Heb 4:10-12 clearly states: “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest ...”. The Greek word for “labour” in verse 11 means not “work” but “to be diligent” with reference to feeding on the Word of God as is pointed out in verse 12. We learn from Gal 3:11: “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.”

Gen 5:28-29 “And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: And he called his name Noah saying, This same [Noah] shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.”

Matt 11:28-30 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden [with the works of the law], and I [Lord Jesus] will give you rest [by fulfilling the demands of the law on the Cross for us]. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

1 Pet 3:20-21 “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21The like figure [water = the Gospel] whereunto even baptism [the washing away of our sins] doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:”

Isa 30:18 “And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him [rest in him].”

Days of Noah - God is Longsuffering to Us-ward

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 22:43:00 +0000

God is Longsuffering to Us-ward, Not Willing that Any should Perish - How can it be then that the Holy God who destroyed the world of Noah’s day has not destroyed us? How can it be that the God who destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah has not yet destroyed us? Why does God wait? Why not destroy this sin cursed earth along with the whole band of rebellious sinners that take great pleasure in their evil deeds? 2 Pet 3:9 gives the answer, God is “longsuffering to usward” because He is waiting for the last of His elect to become saved. He is not willing that “any” of His chosen people should perish. But He will put up with man and his scoffing and his sins until He draws that last sinner to Himself. God gives us the flood as the example of His longsuffering patience near the end of the world in 1 Pet 3:20. What was God waiting for in the days of Noah? He was waiting for the ark to be prepared, yes. But also as the ark was preparing this resulted in the salvation of Noah’s house hold. What is God waiting for today? He is waiting for the house of God to be completed. He is waiting for the last living stone to be inserted into the New Jerusalem. Turn back to 2 Pet 3:15; and we will see without question that the sun has risen today ONLY BECAUSE THE LAST OF GOD’S ELECT HAVE NOT BEEN SAVED “And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation;”

2 Pet 3:3-7 “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 5For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”

2 Pet 3:8-9 “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

1 Pet 3:20 “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.”

2 Pet 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”

2 Pet 3:15-16 “And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.”

The Heavens and the Earth are Reserved unto Fire against the Day of Judgment and Perdition of Ungodly Men - The Judgement of God against Sin is Second Death, Eternal Damnation in Hell. The “water” and “fire” pictures the judgment of God. In Romans 1 verse 32 God makes the point that man knows he deserves to be damned because he commits such sins; nonetheless, he not only persists in his sin, he also delights in the fact that others do as well. Now, what is this reference to 120 years? This is a reference to the time that Noah would have to construct the ark, to bring the animals into the ark, to do everything that God wanted done, as far as that ark was concerned. There was 120-year window before the flood came. The reference to 120 had to be to the flood because God did not set man’s age at 120. They were living to hundreds of years before the flood. Even after the flood, many people passed a date of 120. For example, Jacob, the father of Israel, became the last person in the Bible to live beyond 120 years. We know the importance of blood (which represents life), and how blood is intimately associated with atonement of the soul, “for it is the blood that maketh an atonement (H3722 kaphar) for the soul (Lev 17:11)”. God commanded Noah to build an altar upon which he offered burnt offerings of clean animals, which typified the Lord Jesus as He endured the spiritual fire of God’s eternal wrath in Hell. The same Hebrew word for “atonement” (H3722 kaphar) found in Lev 17:11 appears in Gen 6:14, where it is translated as the verb “pitch”: “Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch (H3722 kaphar) it within and without with pitch”. The ark that was completely covered with “pitch”, or “atonement”, was a beautiful picture of the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Only those eight people who were in the ark were saved from God’s judgment.

Rom 1:32 “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

Gen 6:3,7,13-14 “And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. 7And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 13And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.”

Gen 7:4,10 "4For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. 10And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth”

2 Pet 3:5-7 “For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”

2 Pet 3:10-12 “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. 11Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?”

Days of Noah - The Wickedness of Man was Great in the Earth... Read more...

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 17:28:00 +0000

The Wickedness of Man was Great in the Earth - The world before the flood was much like us today: they sinned daily against the Holy God of heaven. We read about God’s reaction to their sin in Genesis chapter 6 “it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart”. But consider this: our world today is populated by over 6 billion people (approaching 7 billion) compared to couple of millions population of the world of Noah’s day. By sheer numbers, the present generation of man is the most evil generation that has ever existed upon the earth. The sum of transgressions against God, in thought, word, and deed, in our day probably outweighs all the sins of mankind combined that have ever lived upon the face of the earth. Our evil generation is screaming unto the heavens (by their wickedness) to be destroyed. Rom 1:18-20 and 25 uncover the hideous fact that man fell into sin and rebelled against the very God Who had created man in His own likeness. Notice the emphasis that God is placing on “lies” and “changing the truth” in these verses as man attempts to promote his own ideas and lusts. Eph 4:18 underscores unsaved man’s spiritual depravity: “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart”. Though many today do not worship so-called “idols”, they are just as guilty for worshiping their own minds, or humanity, or education, or science, or fame or power, or money, or politics, or sports. In verse 26 of Rom 1, we learn that: “God gave them up unto vile affections” highlighting man’s evil inclination to delve into all manner of sexual perversion. In verse 27, God pinpoints the sin of homosexuality and lesbianism. In verses 29-31 God further lists 24 sins. Finally, in verse 32 God makes the point that man knows he deserves to be damned because he commits such sins; nonetheless, he not only persists in his sin, he also delights in the fact that others do as well.

Gen 6:5-6 “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.”

Rom 1:18-23 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.”

Rom 1:24-17 “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.”

Rom 1:28-31 “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:”

Unequally Yoked together with Unbelievers - In Gen 6:2, we learn: “That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose”. The “sons of God” is referring to believers, the ones who are associated with the line of the faithful, the line of those who have identification with God Himself. The “daughters of men” is referring to unbelievers, women who were of the world, outside of that godly line, who did not follow Jehovah. It is actually saying that there were mixed, unequally yoked marriages. The people of God who saw that the “daughters of men” were very fair — they were beautiful outwardly — and they got mixed up in a relationship with them. As the divine institution that God established, marriage mirrors the spiritual union of Christ and His eternal church. That relationship is based upon God’s love and forgiveness. Human marriage was intended to pattern this union between Christ and His bride, which gives no excuse for divorce, “What God hath joined together, let not man put asunder”. The unequally-yoked marriages that were going on prior to the flood produced wickedness in the world to where the standard of God’s people was deteriorating until God warned Noah and gave instructions concerning the ark one hundred and twenty years prior to the flood and brought judgment. This is very similar to our day. Marriage in the present day is highly abused. The institution of marriage is broken and we have a very high divorce rate, couples living together and having children outside wedlock, same sex marriages, fornication and so on.

Gen 6:2-4 “That the sons of God [believers] saw the daughters of men [non-believers] that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 4There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. And JEHOVAH said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.”

2 Cor 6:14 “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?”

Matt 19:4-6 “And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”

Overcharged with the Cares of this Life - A very real and insidious problem of life on this sin-cursed earth is that we can became captivated by “... all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life ...”, according to 1 John 2:16-17. One hundred and twenty years prior to the flood, Noah was given instructions concerning the ark. Noah began to build the ark in obedience to God’s command, which was a warning to the people of the world of Noah’s day, yet they did not heed the warning. Noah was a preacher of righteousness (2 Pet 2:5). He was declaring the information that God had given him about the flood: “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith” (Heb 11:7). God has determined that mankind (of Noah’s day) has 7 days yet to live; and God made a decree, “Yet 7 days” until He would destroy everything living off of the earth. What was man’s reaction to this decree? Did mankind weep and howl? Did they put sackcloth on and repent in dust and ashes? No! We read about man’s reaction to Noah’s 120 years of preaching in Luke 17. Mankind continued to live as if they would be upon this earth for ever. There they were, busy about their business. When God told him, “Yet seven days”, He gave him the exact year, month, and day when the flood would come, Noah would have shared this information with the people of the world of his day. But their response was “eating and drinking” and that is normal life: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Let us compare this with the response of the Ninevites. When Jonah went into the city and he cried, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overturned”, the word got around. And from the king on down, they sat in sackcloth and ashes and fasted”. They fasted, which means that they abstained from eating and drinking. It was even commanded by the king, “Let not man or beast eat nor drink”. Of course, God uses this as a picture of a good response to a very serious warning of an approaching judgment. We, today, do not have to do that literally or physically. We do not have to tear our garments and put ashes on our heads and abstain from food and drink. But spiritually, it points to a brokenness in our hearts and minds, there should be a reaction where this has precedence, this has top priority. It should be constantly in our minds about ourself, if we are not saved, or about our family or our friends or how we can share the Gospel, and this is the point. When Christ returns as “a thief in the night”, this world will likewise be engaged in the various activities of living – eating, drinking, marrying, giving in marriage, buying, selling, planting, building – in a physical sense as well as spiritually.

Luke 12:29-34 “And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. 32Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. 34For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Luke 17:26-27 “And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.”

Luke 21:34 “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.”

Days of Lot - Be Not Deceived; God is NOT Mocked...

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Sun, 13 May 2012 16:02:00 +0000

Be not Deceived; God is NOT Mocked - All sin carries with it the punishment of eternal death, as we see from Jam 1:14-15: “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death”. The child of God fully comprehends the ominous warning of Gal 6:7, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting”. Everything in the Scriptures shows us that God is not to be trifled with or lightly esteemed, as we understand from a passage like Mat 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him [God] which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell”. The Judgement of God against Sin is Second Death, Eternal Damnation in Hell. Remember, Heb 10:31 admonishes, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God”. By nature none of us have this fear of God as we have previously learned from other verses, such as Isa 29:13: “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men”. This is a similar statement to what we find in Mat 15:9 where the Lord Jesus declares, “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men”. Genuine fear of God – like genuine worship of God – must be done according to God’s Word “in spirit and in truth”. The Bible is replete with examples that warn of us of this fact. Consider the testimony of Him, Who as the Judge of all the earth, is soon to appear to both try and condemn all who have not been clothed with His glorious righteousness. Deu 10:17 declares God as the supremely righteous Ruler and highlights God’s perfect holiness in meting out His justice and righteousness: “For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward”. The Lord Jesus Christ is the King of kings and Lord of lords, and the “rod of iron” in Rev 19:15-16 indicates His judgment upon the unsaved of the world.

Rev 19:11-17 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he [Lord Jesus] that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

How shall we Escape, if we Neglect so Great Salvation - In Rom 8:13 we find these words, “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die”. Mat 26:41 adds, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”. From even a casual reading of the Bible, we are brought face to face with not only our innate weaknesses and inadequacies but, more importantly, with our sins that are sending us pell-mell to eternal damnation. This is the accurately painful description that Eph 2:3 paints: “Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others”. The word “conversation” means “lifestyle”. What is the lifestyle of someone who has not been saved? Gal 5:19-21 itemizes the works of the flesh and warns: “... that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God”. Even if a person were to refrain from committing these particular sins outwardly, they would still remain guilty for having committed these in their minds. Thus, we are introduced to the principle of sowing and reaping. This principle is inherently active in the life of any person. They will either be sowing and reaping “to the flesh”, or they will be doing the same “to the spirit”. The outcome is also spelled out in Gal 6:8, “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting”. Rom 7:5 explains, “For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death”. To be “in the flesh” signifies that we are not saved; however, to be “in the spirit” is language that refers to somebody that has become a child of God. In John 3:6 the Bible declares, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” and verse 7 continues, “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again”. Wonderfully, today is still the day of salvation: “For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured [helped] thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor 6:2). Isa 55:6-7 admonishes “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon”. The Bible is crystal-clear: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”, as we are reminded of in Rom 6:23. In other words, the payment for our sin is eternal damnation under the white-hot anger of a Holy and Righteous God that demands absolute perfection from each of His rebellious subjects. That is why the Bible has so much to say with regard to our sinfulness, and by the same token, much to say about God’s love – “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” – the only solution to our sin problem. In Heb 2:3 we find this awesome question: “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him?”. This verse is even more frightening when we compare it with other statements regarding the holiness and justice of God, Who is under divine mandate to punish all sin to the full extent of the law. The Bible informs us that we cannot serve two masters. Rom 6:16 says, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”. Luke 21:36 exhorts the follower of Christ to watch and pray, watch for judgement day and pray for mercy.

Gal 5:19-21 “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Rom 1:32 “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

Gen 7:4, 24 “4For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. 24Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;”

2 Pet 3:7 “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”

Luke 21:36 “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”

When they shall say, Peace and Safety; then sudden Destruction cometh upon them - Because mankind hates God and His clear teachings in the Bible about salvation by His sovereign choice and work, man vainly invents numerous “man-centered gospels” or “works gospels” that are more acceptable to his proud nature, pleasing to his puny mind and gives control to man. 2 Tim 3:8 reminds us: “Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these [unsaved men] also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith”. In Pro 30:12 one discovers, “There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness”. People who are trusting in their own works are “pure in their own eyes”, but are “filthy” in God’s eyes. Psa 106:39 explains that our so-called “good works” serve to defile us: “Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions”. Sadly, we are currently living in the “Great Tribulation” period, which is a time of unparalleled spiritual deception (Mat 24:21, 24). Unfortunately, in this deadly spiritual environment, a false sense of security or “peace” is fostered by many in the religious media and within all churches and denominations worldwide. Consider the fearful warning in the following passages: 1 The 5:2-3 states, “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape”. Jer 23:17 warns, “They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you”. In the book of Jeremiah, God uses language to indicate or typify that the judgment in view is against the end-time, apostate institutional churches and congregations, who have put themselves over the authority of the Bible and not only allowing the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, but teaching sin is no more sin. Zep 1:14-18 warns of that soon-coming judgement day and is particularly directed to those within the institutional churches and congregations of the world. 1 Pet 4:17 affirms, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?”. For many – who do not possess the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior will hear the words of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Judge – that will be a day of unspeakable terror and eternal foreboding as they hear with resounding clarity and trembling anticipation the solemn pronouncement from the Judge of all the earth as stated in Mat 7:23: “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

Jer 23:11-14 “For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD. 12Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein 13And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel [typifying the elect] to err. 14I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness; they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.”

Zep 1:14-18 “The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. 15That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. 17And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. 18Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.”

Days of Lot - Mockers, Walking after their Own Sinful Desires

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Sat, 12 May 2012 19:50:00 +0000

Mockers in the Last Time, Walking after their Own Ungodly Lusts - The following verses contrast the spiritual condition of the derisive mockers and scorners who hate God with that of those believers whose delight is in the law of the LORD (God’s Word). Unbelievers are called the “ungodly”, the “sinners”, the “proud”, the “wicked”, and the “fools”. Believers are referred to as the “blessed”, the “just”, the “lowly”, the “righteous”, and the “wise”. God curses and scorns the foolish (the unsaved) but gives blessings, grace, favor and wisdom to the wise (the elect). The end result of such mocking and walking after ungodly lust is the fearful reality of judgment that the unsaved can expect as seen in 2 Pet 2:6.

Gen 19:14-16,24,26 “14And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.”

Jude 1:17- 21 “But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. 19These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. 20But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”

2 Pet 3:3-7 “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 5For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”

Pro 3:33-34 “The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just. 34Surely he scorneth [mock] the scorners [mockers]: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.”

Rom 1:21-22 “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,”

2 Pet 2:6 “And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;”

Jude 1:14-16 "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. 16These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.”

The Lord Knoweth how to Deliver the Godly - “To This Man Will I Look ...”, we read in Isa 66:2, “... to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word”. Who is this person described as “poor, of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word”? This person is found among those to whom Luke 1:50 refers, “And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation”. Those whom God has saved, or reconciled, have a deep fear and sensitivity to God’s Holy Word, the Bible, because they are fully aware that His Word is an extension of God Himself. In His great mercy, God has accomplished salvation for each of His elect children and imputed His Righteousness through the work of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ “… whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come”, as 1 The 1:10 affirms. Believers are referred to as the “blessed”, the “just”, the “lowly”, the “righteous”, and the “wise”, not because of any of their own works but because they are covered with the Christ's robe of righteousness. Those who fear the Lord are under the watchful care of God, Who delivers them from spiritual death, or Hell, and from spiritual famine, as Psa 33:18-19 teaches. May God have mercy on us to rely solely upon the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who came to suffer Hell for His people, and to deliver them from His wrath and the awful punishment we all deserve, as a result of our sinfulness.

Isa 66:2, “For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.”

Psa 1:1-2 “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”

Psa 33:18-19 “Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.”

Gen 9:15-16,23-24 “And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. 16And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. 23The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. 24Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;”

2 Pet 2:7-8 “And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8(For that righteous [the righteousness of God which is by faith] man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)”

2 Pet 2:9 “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished”

Gal 1:4 “Who [Lord Jesus Christ] gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world: according to the will of God and our Father.”

Denying Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts, Live Soberly, Righteously, and Godly - In these very last of the Last Days, God commands all true believers to be spiritually sober and watchful in 1 The 5:6-8. It requires that each of us soberly examine ourselves in the light of God’s Word (2 Cor 13:5). For the genuine believer in Christ, who have been redeemed, there are numerous admonitions to live a life of obedient service to the Lord. Believers are not only made Holy by the death of Christ (Col 1:22) but are called to live Holy Lives as 1 Pet 1:15-16 asserts. After someone has become saved, God’s command to “be ye holy, as I am holy” found in 1 Pet 2:16 begins to manifest itself in the life of one who truly has become a “new creature” (or creation) in Christ and is given eternal spiritual soberness. These Scriptures are underscoring a vital element of this new life of holiness, love for God and love for others and a growing motivation to be obedient to the Bible in thought, word, and deed. May God cause us to hunger and thirst for Him and for His holiness.

Tit 2:12 “Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;”

1 Pet 1:13-16 “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: 15But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation [which is the word conduct]; 16Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

1 Thes 5:2-6 “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 7For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. 8But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation."”

2 Pet 3:9-10 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 10But 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.”

Days of Lot - Sins of Sodom and Gomorrah... Read more...

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Fri, 11 May 2012 01:45:00 +0000

Ungodliness and Unrighteousness of Men - The men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly. We learn that God did not save Sodom and Gomorrah, even though God promised Abraham that He would if there were at least ten true believers – sadly there were only three. We see the extent of unsaved man’s sinfulness and depravity, in these last days, that God outlines in this passage in Rom 1:18-32.

In verse 18 “the wrath of God” is in view.
In verses 19-20 we learn that man is “without excuse” as He sees God’s eternal power and Godhead demonstrated in the world around him.
In verses 21-22 we see unsaved man’s ingratitude and unwillingness to glorify God, a manifestation of his spiritual deadness beginning with our first parents, Adam and Eve.
Verse 23 chronicles man’s wickedness in changing the glory of God and debasing it to the level of sinful man and other creatures, which man seeks to ignorantly worship.
In verse 24 God speaks of giving “people up to uncleanness” leading to every imaginable “lust of the flesh” at the expense of defiling their bodies.
In verse 25, we learn that man has changed the truth of God’s Word into “the” lie (of Satan) leading to creature worship – rather than the worship of the true and living God.
In verse 26 we learn that: “God gave them up unto vile affections” highlighting man’s evil inclination to delve into all manner of sexual perversion.
In verse 27, God pinpoints the sin of homosexuality and lesbianism.
In verse 28 we learn that God gives people “over to a reprobate mind”.
In verses 29-31 God further lists 24 sins.
Finally, in verse 32 God makes the point that man knows he deserves to be damned because he commits such sins; nonetheless, he not only persists in his sin, he also delights in the fact that others do as well.

Gen 13:10-13 “And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. 11Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. 12Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. 13But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.”

Rom 1:18-23, 28-31 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

Thou shalt Not Lie with Mankind, as with Womankind - Homosexuality is a grave sin just like fornication and adultery and God punished the people of Sodom and Gomorrah with eternal fire. The sin of homosexuality is prominently featured in Romans 1 and was very much in view in Sodom and Gomorrah, as indeed it is considered an “alternative lifestyle” in our day. God pinpoints the sin of homosexuality and lesbianism in Rom 1:26-27. God, in turn, allows man to go deeper and deeper into their sin by giving people up, “God gave them up unto vile affections”, thereby causing sin to multiply like a very aggressive cancer in the human race in these last days. On the other hand, true believers will be motivated to obey the Bible implicitly and to not take their salvation lightly or for granted in any way, according to 1 Cor 9:27, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” Given the reality that unsaved man rejects God’s Word in his reprobate thinking, in his vain religiosity, and in his futile works, it behooves those of us who claim to be His people to indeed, “Examine [ourselves], whether [we] be in the faith; prove [or test] your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” May God, by His mercy, enable us to do this.

Lev 18:22 “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.”

Lev 20:13 “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death [eternally damned, just for like any other sin]; their blood shall be upon them. [unless blood of Christ cover them]”

Jam 1:13-15 “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

Jude 1:7 “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”

2 Tim 3:1-5 “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

Rom 1:24, 26-27 “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 26For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.”

Do not be caught up in the Cares of the World - A very real and insidious problem of life on this sin-cursed earth is that we can became captivated by “… all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world”, according to 1 John 2:16. 1 John 2:17 also indicates that this present situation is only temporary: “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever”. Col 3:5 points out the very important principle that lust or covetousness is actually idolatry: “Mortify [put to death] therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry”. There are a number of important truths that we can glean from Luke 17:26-37: During the days preceding the Flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire, it was “business as usual” for the vast majority of mankind, (albeit these activities are to be understood spiritually). There was a dramatic change as soon as the rain began to fall [once Noah and his family was safely within the confines of the Ark (a picture of salvation)]; likewise, after Lot and his wife and two daughters had left Sodom, and had entered Zoar, God poured out His judgment on Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim. When Christ returns as “a thief in the night”, this world will likewise be engaged in the various activities of living – eating, drinking, marrying, giving in marriage, buying, selling, planting, building – in a physical sense as well as spiritually. According to the Matthew, Mark and Luke accounts, believers who are on the “housetops” or “in the field” (places associated with intense spiritual activity) are not to come down, nor enter into the “house”, nor take “anything” or “stuff” out of the “house”. One also encounters the following parallel accounts related to Luke 17:31b, which include the idea of “returning back” to “take” one’s “garment” or “clothes”; this is not speaking of physical clothing, but rather of spiritual attire. In other words, to “turn back” would indicate that a person is seeking a man-made righteousness, instead of the “robe of Christ’s righteousness” which is what all genuine believers possess. Luke 17:31b also adds a further admonishment, “…and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back”. It is against this backdrop of “not returning back” that we find our next theme verse : “Remember Lot’s wife”.

Luke 17:28-31 “Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.”

Luke 21:34 “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.”

Luke 12:29-34 “And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. 32Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. 34For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Remember Lot’s wife - The Bible gives us very little details to go on regarding Lot’s wife. However, the little that we do know – “Remember Lot’s wife,” speaks volumes. Whatever is of utmost value to a person will receive the greatest amount of attention in terms of time, labor, and money. It is that which consumes our thoughts, is the object of our words, embodies our hopes, shapes our goals, molds our future, and ultimately gives meaning and purpose to life. In essence, one will either be serving Christ in the Kingdom of God or Satan and his kingdom. Lot’s wife comes to mind as an example of one whose heart was still anchored in Satan’s kingdom as she violated God’s command to not “look back”. In Jam 4:4 God pronounces a fundamental Biblical axiom: “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God”. A believer should be focused on advancing the Kingdom of God, and not become “captivated” by all that is in the world. When one “looks back” – as Lot’s wife did – one is effectively despising the Word of God. The danger of “looking back” is to invite certain destruction, because the world is fueled by the lusts incorporated in 1 John 2:15-17: “… the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life …”. No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God, warns Luke 9:62 and Luke 17:32 ominously warns, “Remember Lot’s wife”. Lot’s wife followed in the footsteps of King Saul, Jehu, Eli (the high priest), Judas Iscariot, Demas, Esau, Cain, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, Solomon, and countless others who drew “back unto perdition” (or destruction). Additionally, Heb 10:38-39 emphasize the hope of salvation which all of God’s saints possess. Could it be that you and I will not be one of those who “look back” or “draw back unto perdition” – as Lot’s wife did – during this time of intense testing. These “tests” will, by God’s grace, serve as guideposts for those of us who consider ourselves to truly be children of God, as 1 Cor 10:12 carefully reminds us: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”

Gen 19:26 “But his [Lot’s] wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt."

Luke 17:31-33 “In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. 32Remember Lot’s wife. 33Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.”

Luke 9:62 “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

2 Pet 2:20-22 “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 21For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 22But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.”

Heb 10:38-39 “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”