Faithful and True

Rev 19:11    I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.

Rev 19:12    His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.

Rev 19:13    He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.

Rev 19:14    The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.

Rev 19:15    Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.

Rev 19:16    On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.  NIV

At this festive time of year, we hear a lot about the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes, and how He came to earth with  the announcement of bringing "good tidings of great joy."  For over 2000 years, nations all over the world have been celebrating His birth and proclaiming His good news. Through Him, we are saved and given new life, when we receive Him and His finished work on the cross because He sacrificed His own life for us at the age of 33.  Then He died and rose again and lives forevermore in heaven with His Father.  He also dwells in the hearts of all those who believe in Him and trust Him as their personal Lord and Savior.

But this morning the words "faithful and true" kept coming to mind and the verses above had particular meaning for me, especially after the Newton tragedy where 20 children were killed.  Some people may question where God is when such a thing happens.  My heart goes out to all the parents and anyone affected by this tragedy of so many young lives lost, and also the teachers and principal whose lives were taken.  I pray for God's comfort in a very special, real and tangible way at this time.  A few days after the tragedy, the Lord gave me a vision, which I recently shared on my Facebook page.  Here it is:

I see Jesus and his white robes, and the glow of His deep love and compassion surrounding the slain children. He's gathering them in His strong arms of love and protection. Then they are gone and the room is empty, swept clean. All that is left is His assuring presence.

He is Lord of all and in all circumstances, He reigns supreme.

It is the last part that was especially revealed to me.  HE IS LORD OF ALL AND IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES HE REIGNS SUPREME.  This is extremely significant to me because, in spite of the many human atrocities that occur in our fallen world, Jesus is still on the throne, He is still in control, and this is His world and always will be.  No one owns the earth or any part of it; we are simply renting a space, and all is on loan while we are allotted our time on this earth.  Evil will not rule forever, even though it may seem like it is out of control. 

So at this time of great loss and also celebration of Jesus' birth, may we keep in our hearts and mind that Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  May His excellent and glorious name be continuously praised.  

Grief and Gifts from God

Jas 1:17  Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. NIV

Rom 11:29  for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable (unalterable). NIV

Its Christmas time and this is the time of year when our emotions can run high.  We fluctuate between the joy of the celebration, and the sadness of remembering those we love that are no longer with us.  Financial pressures mount as we want to take in as many festivities as we can, and we want to buy appropriate gifts for our loved ones and friends.  Some of us want to remember to help the needy as well.  Today I want to talk about grief and some insights the Lord has opened up to me.  Above all, I think it’s appropriate for this time of year.

This past year has been difficult for me in terms of grief.  In the late winter, almost a year ago, we discovered that one of our beloved cats had an inoperable internal problem, and he was suffering, so we had to make the difficult decision to put him down.  We still have his brother with us.  At first when we got these two cats, I was really hesitant because I had just lost my orange tabby of 15 years, days before and the pain was so great I wondered how I could go on. But the Lord had gently assured me that these two black cats would be no problem.  He didn’t tell me I’d only have one of them for five years, and then I would lose him.  He didn’t tell me that I would grieve so much for so long and wonder if I’d ever stop feeling so much pain.  After my cat died, the Lord kept saying, “Your joy will be full,” and I keep waiting for that to happen.  But today I realized that there is a purpose in all this pain and suffering.  Each person in our life, whether it’s a child, a friend, a spouse, or even a pet, is a gift from God.  But in our busy day-to-day lives, we often take for granted the great gifts God has given us, even to the point of taking God for granted.

Some thoughts went through my mind about God’s gifts being irrevocable.  If my cat was a gift from Him, then why was he allowed to be taken from me when he was only five years old?  Other people who have suffered great loss came to mind, friends that lost babies and children, and some have lost both parents and siblings as well.  We hear of huge losses, and many this year in our own city, where many young people senselessly died in freak car accidents, some leaving behind small children, others just beginning their your adult lives.  Two young girls in their 20s both died in a house fire, one leaving behind a small boy.  For families and loved ones left behind, it is and can be so devastating and painful as they go through the grieving process.  Today, I wondered, why do some grieve and grieve and never seem to heal from the pain of these great losses?  What would God have us learn from all this pain and suffering?

I had to ask myself what I have learned from this on-going grief from losing my cat.   One thing was a surprise to me, and that is that I made him an idol, because so much of my time and energies went to thinking about how much I missed my cat.  Gifts are just that – gifts.  They are not and should not be our whole life.  Only the Lord can be our whole life because we are commanded to love Him with ALL our heart, soul and mind.  So I have had to repent of making my cat into an idol, whereas my love and energies should have been focussed on the Lord.  I also learned that when it comes to grief, Jesus took all our pain and suffering on the cross when He died for us.  We don’t have to bear it.  He already bore it for us:

Isa 53:3  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Isa 53:4  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

Isa 53:5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Everyone grieves a little differently.  Some make a point of remembering their loved ones on their death anniversary, and they write memorials.  They never want to forget the people who meant so much to them.  For me, I try to reach out to those who are alive and in need in some way right now.  This gives me the most peace and provides a healing balm for my sometimes troubled and sad soul.  Those who are gone have lived their life in the time they were allotted.  Now life still remains for me and many others who are reading this right now.  So we must carry on and help each other through life.

Yes, pain and suffering have a definite purpose and a place in our lives, but I believe that it is only for a time, and then we must seek to move on, and live fully, richly and with great purpose.  Suffering can most definitely make us better, but too much suffering and for the wrong reason can make us bitter and serve no useful purpose, especially when it comes to the things of God.  We are never to become immobilized by our grief and suffering. We are to continue to live a life that is praiseworthy to God and be thankful in all things. There is a time we must let go of our grieving and trust God fully with our lives.  Perhaps today it is your time.

May we, like Job, be able to say:

Job 23:10  But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

This Christmas season, there will be many people who are grieving and will need a friend and some Christmas cheer.  This is an opportunity to bear one another’s burdens, and offer friendship and encouragement.  After all, isn’t this all a big part of what Christmas is all about?

Truth or Error?

In the past several months, my husband and I have been involved in a ministry of sending forth and defending the Word of God to people who claim to be Christians, and yet, do not believe in hell as an eternal place of punishment.  We have responded to their outright denial and dismissal of the Word of God, and the many passages of Scripture that emphatically state the existence of hell.  As I've continued to read their responses to us, I couldn't help but notice they seldom, if ever, use Scripture to back up their heady opinions.  And I've also noticed they seldom, if ever, mention Jesus.  They have never mentioned Him in the context of the full salvation and His work on the cross to save us from such a horrible place as hell.  But then again, why would they mention Jesus?  They don't need Jesus, the cross, or salvation if they don't believe in hell as a place of eternal torment.  This is and has been deeply perplexing and disturbing to me. 

As a Christian, my new life in Christ began with confession.  I had to confess that I was a sinner, and I had to repent of my sins and literally abandon and turn away from the sinful life I had led.  Then I publicly confessed Jesus as my Lord and Savior, and continue to confess Him as such to this very day.  Jesus is my life and my all in all, because He gave His life for me and I owe Him more than I could ever pay.  I am constantly challenged to put Him first and love Him above all, even my own self.  I realize that a person can be a Christian and not love Jesus as fully as they should.  In fact there are different degrees of love towards Jesus, since Jesus Himself pointed this out in the Book of Revelation. 

Rev 3:14    And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

Rev 3:15    I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

Rev 3:16    So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 

Today’s message is for us to clearly be able to discern those who have the spirit of error, and those who have the spirit of truth, so that we are not easily deceived.  In I John, we see how this is done.  

1Jn 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.

1Jn 4:2    Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

1Jn 4:3    And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

1Jn 4:4    Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

1Jn 4:5    They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

1Jn 4:6    We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

1Jn 4:7    Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

1Jn 4:8    He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

1Jn 4:15    Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 

If we are truly a born-again Christian, it all has to be with heart-felt and sincere confession.  Jesus must be first, right, left and center.  He must be our all in all.  And our lives and our works will reflect our allegiance and faithfulness to Jesus. We may falter, but the Spirit He puts within all those who are saved according to the Bible, never will.  He will always bring us back to the place of confession, and our lives will noticeably be changed. 

Today there are many false doctrines and false prophets among us who are deceived and trying to deceive.  Our greatest defense is the Word of God.  We must get back to reading and studying our Bible, the precious and powerful Word of God given to us to live by (in fact, we are to live by EVERY WORD of God - see Luke 4:4).  There is a great added benefit to turning to the Word of God - as we read the Word, we will grow in our faith, and become ever stronger to stand against the evil work of the enemy performed through those who are deceived.

The Distinction between the Believer and the Unbeliever

Last week after seeing the movie “Hellbound?” I kept thinking about the belief they were pushing that all people eventually make it into heaven regardless of whether or not they accept salvation while still alive on this earth.  In other words, we have to question whether the makers of the movie and many of the men and women interviewed have a true grasp of salvation, and the great price Jesus paid in order to spare us from eternal separation from God.  Scripture makes it clear in John 3:16 that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  As much as they will try to explain that “perish” is not eternal and does not mean eternal separation from God, there is more than enough Scripture elsewhere to indicate that that’s exactly what it means.  Also, it is alarming to me that they seemed to skim over major portions of the Bible that clearly state the conditions for entering heaven.  With this kind of erroneous thinking, our life here on earth might as well be lived any way we please, because there will be no dire consequences to our choices and actions in the hereafter.  In today’s blog, I’d like to share Scriptures that absolutely refute these destructive and heretical lines of thinking.

Part of this humanistic thinking affecting our world today is to tolerate the behavior of everyone under the guise of “love and acceptance,” and then attempt to lower God’s standards to ours, so that we feel more comfortable.  The truth is, whenever we try to lower God’s standards to suit us, we cannot have seen the depth of our own sin, or experienced any of the true love, grace, forgiveness, and holiness of God in a personal and life-changing way.  Clearly, we are all sinners, but we are not all saved and on our way to heaven, as humanistic and Universalist thinking would have us believe.  The Bible offers many distinctions between those who are saved and those who are not, and the Bible is unmistakably filled with them from cover to cover. Personal opinions based on misinterpretations or omissions of Scriptures do not count - this is classic false cult tactics. Take a look at these verses in Psalm 37 as an example.  Notice the different treatment/reward of the upright compared to the wicked/transgressors.

Psa 37:18  The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.

Psa 37:19  They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

Psa 37:20  But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.

Psa 37:37  Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.

Psa 37:38  But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.

See all of Psalm 37 for many more distinctions between the upright and the wicked.  This is only one Psalm.  You will find many more distinctions in other Psalms and other books in the Bible.  Let’s take a look at a few more.

Those that believe vs. an unbeliever:

Rom 4:5    But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Rev 21:8    But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Clearly, we are responsible for the choices we make in life, and in the following verses, we either reap corruption or life everlasting:

Gal 6:7    Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

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.

Many Universalists like to play with words, and many are not open to hearing the Word of God.  Are we so foolish to think that personal opinions will count for anything when we stand before God on judgement/rewards day? He will either say - Well done good and faithful servant, or He will say, Depart from me, I never knew you.

Mat 7:21    Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Mat 7:22    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?

Mat 7:23    And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Mat 25:21    His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Mat 25:41    Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

Mat 25:42    For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

Mat 25:43    I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

Mat 25:44    Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

Mat 25:45    Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

Mat 25:46    And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Jesus Himself made the distinction of who are His children and who are not:

Joh 10:24    Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.

Joh 10:25    Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.

Joh 10:26    But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.

Joh 10:27    My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

There is a personal responsibility whenever we are faced with choices, and we are held accountable for the choices we make. The idea of choice and consequence began in the Garden of Eden with the simple word - "but."

Gen 2:16  And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;

Gen 2:17  but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." NIV

Adam and Eve, when confronted by God to confess what they had done, tried to blame someone or something else. They had bought into Satan's lie about God, and this is what many misguided people are doing today.  Consequences for all of mankind was immediate - death to all, and no more pleasures in paradise. We should never take lightly the consequences of our choices, when God has clearly laid it out in Scripture.

This is a day and age of no-consequences, but just like Adam and Eve's response in trying to blame someone else, this does not get us off the hook - there is a day of reckoning and judgement coming - God will judge the quick and the dead. Our works will be tested. There is no turning back once you are dead – the choices we make today have consequences later on. This thought alone should give us a healthy fear of God, for He is righteous and Holy.  The only One who can save us is Jesus because when He died on the cross for us, He declared us righteous before God then. But we must receive Him and repent of our sinful life in order to benefit, now, today, BEFORE we die.

Clearly, there is a distinction between life and death and the choices we make.

Deu 30:15    See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;

Deu 30:16    In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

Deu 30:17    But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; Deu 30:18    I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.

Deu 30:19    I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Deu 30:20    That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

From these and the many passages in the Bible, we can see that there is indeed a distinction between the believer and the unbeliever, the righteous and the unrighteousness.  And in the final chapter of the Bible, nowhere is it more evident that the two will never dwell together in heaven:

Rev 20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Rev 21:27  And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Rev 22:3  And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

Rev 22:4  And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

Rev 22:5  And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

These are sobering thoughts.  May we always search the Scriptures and not waver when it comes to the reality of the two opposite destinations frequently mentioned in the Bible - heaven for the believer, and certain hell for the unbeliever.  If we are truly saved according to the Biblical way, may we in good conscience pray for and minister to the lost accordingly.   

   

  

Review of Movie: Hellbound

When we first discovered that the documentary movie Hellbound was showing in a theatre near us, and the Director Kevin Miller, would be there, we were quite excited about going.  I had checked the web site to find out more about it, and discovered that some well-known names had been interviewed and were part of the movie.  They were people like Ray Comfort, Bob Larson, Brad Jersak, William Paul Young (author of The Shack), and Chad Holtz (more about him later), and others I had heard about, but didn’t know that much about.  So we thought the movie would present a balanced and Biblical view of hell, as it seemed to indicate on their webpage, sprinkled with other trains of thought that might disagree with the Bible.  We were so wrong. 

The movie began with an attention grabber, interviewing members from Westboro Baptist Church, who are picketing at Ground Zero in New York, with their “hate” propaganda.  Of course, you couldn’t take anything they said seriously (since most of what they said was confusing to begin with), and also since many believe they are an extremist group, and some claim they are a cult.  Then when it got to Ray Comfort, it showed him asking a young man questions about ever lying, cheating, and so on, but important parts of the significance of admitting those sins, had been omitted.  In other words, when Ray Comfort asks people these questions, he does it to point out that we have all sinned in some way (and that no one is good enough on their own), and we are all in need of a Savior if we want to make it into heaven.  This part was omitted.

Most of the men and women interviewed took the view that there is no such thing as eternal torment, and that hell, as we know it, does not exist.  Very few, if any Scriptures were used, and most of the comments were based on their personal and emotional feelings, and what they personally thought, rather than what the Bible had to say.  One of the people interviewed tried to explain hell away by saying whatever mention of hell there is in the Bible is a place on earth called Gehenna.  The name means “valley of Hinnom,” a form of the Hebrew word GE-HINNOM found in Joshua 18:16.  It is supposedly a valley found to the west and south of ancient Jerusalem (see Joshua 15:8; 18:16; Jeremiah 19:2,6).  It had been the place where humans were sacrificed by fire for the idolatrous worship of the pagan god Molech (see 2 Chr. 28:3; 2 Chr. 33:6).  The Universalists (most, not all, of the people being interviewed) believe that ANY mention of Gehenna in the Bible, including Jesus reference to it in the New Testament, refers to this geographical place mentioned in the Old Testament, and that it was a past event.  But according to trusted Biblical scholars, when Jesus made reference to hell (Gehenna), He used it 11 times in reference to a FUTURE time.  Therefore, the Universalists are wrong because they omit the important fact that it is also a FUTURE place of torment (hell) for all those who do not believe in Jesus and accept His free gift of salvation.  Also, the big problem with this argument that Gehenna is a place on earth and does not refer to a FUTURE place of torment, is that they don’t explain the many mentions of hell in the Book of Revelation, a FUTURE time in the history of the world, and a time we have yet to experience.  Therefore, if they had taken this one reference to hell and simply said it was used metaphorically based on a past historical series of events, you would have to question everything else they said from that point on. 

Another interesting  thing to note was that little mention was made of salvation and the great price Jesus paid for our sins so that we could be saved, and spared from eternal separation from God.  In other words, if the gospel was discussed at all, it was a minimal part of the documentary, and not presented as anything really significant.  I began to wonder what was the real point of the film, but as it neared the end, it became crystal clear that the stance of the movie, was to try and convince people not to worry, they wouldn’t be going to hell, and what a ridiculous belief to begin with.  In other words, if you believe in a literal hell, and that it is a place of torment, then you are sadly mistaken, a good and loving God would never “send” anyone there.  And such is their misguided human logic. 

After the movie, the Director showed up, and wanted people to ask questions about the movie.  My husband and I knew we had to share, since we have been lovingly contending with the Universalists for months now, trying to shed some Biblical light on their mistaken anti-Biblical views about hell.  Out of all the people in the audience, we were the only ones that challenged him with Scripture, and he was not able to answer us, but quickly moved on to answer the questions of others.  We had also pointed out that Chad Holtz, one of the people being interviewed who once denied that hell is real, had undergone a complete change of mind and heart.  We said that he no longer believes that hell is not real, but emphatically and publicly states that he was wrong, and that he believes it is real.

What was alarming to me, is that since my husband and I were the only ones that actually quoted the Bible from the audience in the theatre, is that perhaps people no longer really know what they believe because they are not reading the Bible and asking God for revelation to reveal His truths to them.  I also wondered if maybe the audience were not Bible-believing Christians, or they did not have a grasp of the Bible, and therefore, would not know what to ask, or perhaps were afraid to speak up.  This is one of the biggest issues I have been writing about for months now in my blogs:  READ YOUR BIBLE so that you will not be led astray by false doctrines.  I mentioned it in yesterday’s blogs and I talked about freedom of speech and how long do we have until we can no longer proclaim the Gospel message?  I can see that if someone in that audience who did not know their Bible or perhaps wasn’t sure about what Scripture means when it talks about hell, they could easily be led astray by the deluge of “feelings” and “personal thoughts” (biased at best and highly subjective), by so-called learned men who may have written a book, could quite easily be convinced that maybe these Universalists are right.

Who are we going to believe?  The Lord, or the confused opinions of a few men who perhaps have fallen away from the truth, or one wonders if they ever really knew the God of the Hebrew Bible in the first place?  That is Chad Holtz’s testimony.  He knew that a year ago when he was a pastor of a church and asked to step down because he no longer believed in hell, that at that time, he never really knew the Lord.  But the Lord had great mercy on him and his eyes were opened to the truth, and now he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt – he is forgiven and saved, and yes, there is a literal hell.  Read Chad’s testimony here.

I feel that the verses I quoted in yesterday’s blog bear repeating here:

2Ti 4:1  I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

2Ti 4:2  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort  with all longsuffering and doctrine.

2Ti 4:3  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

2Ti 4:4  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

2Ti 4:5  But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

The task to proclaim God’s Word feels enormous, especially when someone has released such a movie, hoping to change people’s minds about the Truth of the Bible.  I do not recommend this movie, since although it is entertaining, is laced with anti-Biblical notions that only serve to confuse the unsuspecting and anyone not well-versed in the Bible as the Holy Spirit reveals His Word. 

I also encourage you to download my recent book, NO FEAR OF HELL.  In it are many references to hell as an actual and literal place, and it will challenge you to search God’s Word and find out for yourself the truth about hell. 

Freedom: How much time do we have?

Recently, I was reading the news online, and discovered a story about a newly appointed Chief of Police in our city who believes in prayer.  A former chaplain, he said that he believed prayer would decrease the crime rates in the city. A couple of university professors responded to the effect that they didn’t think “religion” should have anything to do with politics.  Most people who commented responded favourably and I would assume most of them were dedicated Christian believers.  In fact, the naysayers were far outnumbered.  I went back to the article a couple of hours later, and noticed that the online newspaper had completely changed the article, and seemed to be trying to capitalize on just the religious aspects of the article.  In fact, they had deleted all the previous comments, most of them being from the believers who were pleased with the new Chief’s stance on prayer.  In this second article, the naysayers were trying to take over the comment forum, and were making typically snide, insulting, disrespectful comments about the new Chief of Police’s stance on prayer.

All of this brought to mind our current freedom of speech in Canada.  The Chief of Police, or anyone else for that matter, currently has the right and freedom to speak their beliefs.   But alarmingly, for Christians, the door seems to be narrowing more and more, and we know where this is coming from.  Satan is on the rampage and wants us to keep our mouths shut!  For this reason, I believe we need to be more and more vocal, and get the Word of God out there any way we can.  There are several ways to do this:  directly from our mouth, tracts, online forums, books, articles, blogs, wherever media is involved.  In addition, many believe we are in the last days, and false prophets and false doctrines will be more common, and they will try to lead as many astray as possible from the Truth of God’s Word.  Notice verse 3 and 4 in the following: 

2Ti 4:1  I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

2Ti 4:2  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort  with all longsuffering and doctrine.

2Ti 4:3  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

2Ti 4:4  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

2Ti 4:5  But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

It’s time to speak up, and not shrink back!  The time is so short, and we must take every opportunity, and not get too busy or too tired to do the Lord’s work. 

Mar 8:38  Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

 

And when we speak, we need to speak the powerful Word of God, and it will not return void.

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Isa 55:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Let’s remember we are not of this world, and we are only here temporarily on special assignment for the Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

2Co 5:18  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

2Co 5:19  that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

2Co 5:20  We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.  NIV

Today, may we seek to be faithful to this important calling while we can still do so with freedom of speech.

The Purposes of Pain

Today I know there are many people who are suffering with pain and illness.  They may be praying believers, but still, their pain and illness persists.  They may have gone to the doctor, but not even the doctor is able to help.  Many times we wonder why we have to suffer, especially if we feel we have been trying to do a good work with our lives, and now this pain and illness has come along, and is so persistent, we can hardly make it through the day.  In the past couple of weeks the Lord has allowed me to also go through a trying time with my physical health, which is something quite rare for me.  I came down with a cold that lasted far longer than I thought it would.  At around the same time a very strange sore appeared in my mouth.  Just before the sore appeared, I could feel the left side of my mouth and jaw stiffen up as if I had been struck by something.  I wondered if one of my teeth was in trouble, and this would not be good news since all my insurance has run out!  Normally I would have seen a doctor or a dentist, but this time I waited.  I kept praying about what to do and the Lord responded to me immediately.   

One of the first things he told me was that it was nothing to worry about and it would go away on its own.  I was at peace with that.  But as time wore on and the days began to number, the sore did not go away, and I began to wonder if I had heard from God.  Every time I'd look at the sore on my gums, I'd feel a sense of panic as many things crossed my mind.  So the Lord told me that each time I looked at the sore, I was to pray for someone else.  One day I did this every time I looked at it.  Many people were prayed for that day, and I was not focusing on the sore, which wouldn't have helped things anyway. 

The other thing the Lord was teaching me is the importance of continuing to do HIS WORK in spite of my own discomfort and fears.  So each day I busied myself preparing or doing something for someone else.  All the while, I was struggling with the cold as well, and feeling quite run down.  But it is really true; the Lord gave me strength for the day because I was working for Him.  The verse, And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not (Galatians 6:9), went through my mind over and over again.  The other verse that came to me is My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness, (2 Corinthians 12:9).  God wants to show His power through us, and He can only do this when we are empty of our own strength.  That is why in the next verse (10), Paul says Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.  Every time I allowed myself to fret and fear about my physical ailments, God was not getting the glory.  God must get the glory in everything, even when and especially when we are weak, frail, afraid and in need.  Later on, Paul says in Galatians 6:14, But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, because God gets the glory instead of Paul (especially if he had a problem-free life and tried to take credit for it).    

I learned through this that even though Satan will use our weaknesses to try and get us to focus on them instead of our great Lord, the Lord also allows us to go through things to teach us His amazing and awesome ways.  Many times it is exactly what I was going through - to learn to keep doing His will even when I'd rather wallow in my pain and focus on my fears (or any other besetting problem as far as that goes).  I also learned that God uses our weaknesses to grow us.  Do we really think that growing comes without pain?  And do we really believe that our service to Him begins only when all of our problems disappear?   

To sum it up, when it was well into the second week the sore seemed to be getting worse, and one day I ended up in a dreaded state of fear after noticing how big the sore had gotten.  I decided to go and see a doctor the following day.   My mother and my husband prayed very hard for me that night.  I went to bed and thought how strange I should feel so completely peaceful.  I went to sleep and woke up rested (a rare thing).  In the morning there was the sore as big as it had been the night before.  I got up and as I started to get ready for the day, I thought I'd pray a different way - I thought of the time Jesus cursed the fig tree and it died, so I thought I'd try that - I cursed the sore in my mouth and then said, "Help me Jesus."  I no sooner turned around, and felt the sore, then looked at it and it had already shrunk.  What a miracle!  I got in to see a doctor and was able to get in within the hour (another miracle).  He looked at it and said it was nothing to worry about.   

The lesson I learned above all is that God has promised to heal and provide, but we must continue to do His work and His will in order to live victorious above and beyond all our troubles and woes.  We shouldn't wait for things to be perfect before we do the Lord's work and will (this has to do with helping and thinking of and loving others).  It is the only way we can rise above our own flesh and its many demands. 

The other verse that meant a lot to me during those difficult 14 or 15 days is this: 

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 

For me the "ALL THESE THINGS" was healing.  Praise be to God! I am so thankful for what I learned during this difficult time, and so pleased to be able to pass it on to you so that you can take heart and feel encouraged as you go through your own particular trials.

The Road to Hell

Many years ago, when I was a student in Bible School, one of the founding men, Mr. Marshall, said something I never forgot to this day.  The class he was teaching was appropriately called, “False Cults.”  Warning us about cults, in his gentle, persistent way, he said, “A text out of context is a pretext.”  What does this mean?  He explained that when you take a single text out of the Bible and fail to interpret it in the context in which it is given (this includes the surrounding verses before and after, other chapters in the same book, as well as other texts in different books in the Bible which will refer to it), you have the makings of being led astray.  When the Bible is properly read and studied, every student of the Bible who sincerely seeks to know God and His Word, will discover that certain texts are mentioned more than once, and that the Bible, as a whole agrees with itself.  There are no glaring contradictions, or at least ones that in any way question the character of God, and the truth about Him found only in His Word.

Sadly, today there are many people who are paving their own road to hell because they fail to interpret Scriptures correctly.  People who do not want to believe in hell (universalists) are convinced that everyone will “eventually” make it through the doors of heaven, regardless of whether or not (and here is the key), they “know” the Lord Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.  How can we be assured that we “know” Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior?  Clearly this is not something you can know in the flesh, or because you have university degrees or someone else telling you that you are a Christian; it is only something that you can know once it’s been revealed by God Himself.  Here is what Scripture says about it:

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Rom 8:15  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Rom 8:16  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

Rom 8:17  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. KJV

1Jn 3:23  And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

1Jn 3:24  And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. KJV

According to Scripture, not everyone belongs to the Lord as some would think:

2Ti 2:19  Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. KJV

In Jesus own words: 

Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Mat 7:22  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?

Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

The “kingdom of heaven” referred to in verse 21 is a future time, when we all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and give an account of our lives that we lived here on earth.  And here is another passage:

Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Rev 20:13  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

Rev 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Rev 20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

If we look at verse 15, the “whosoever” means anyone who physically dies without first having become a child of God through the finished work of Jesus death on the cross, is lost forever without God.  If we read the rest of the Bible in the proper context, these verses will verify that anyone who does not know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior is on a sure road to hell, and will be lost forever without God.  Here are many more references to the reality and surety of hell: 

Luke 16:19-31; I John 5:10-12 (those who have life, those who do not); John 3:15-21; Matthew 5:22,29-30; 2 Peter 2:1-22 (mentioned in a previous blog – No Fear of Hell); Matthew 8:11-12; Matthew 13:37-50; Mark 9:42-48; Matthew 25:41-46; Isaiah 5:14; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Rev. 21:7-8; Psalm 91:7; I Cor. 6:9-10; Rev. 14:9-11; Luke 12:4-5, 9-10; Matthew 23:33; Revelation1:18.

I challenge you to read the above verses with understanding and revelation from God.  Do not shrink away from what the Bible clearly warns about it.  Allow these verses to go deep into your heart because if you are not saved, now is the time to turn to the Lord, the only One who can save you.  If you have relatives and friends who are not saved, pray for them more than you’ve ever prayed before. Now is the time.  Many of the references to hell were made by Jesus Himself.  He did not die for us in vain, and we can only be eternally saved while we are still alive here on this earth, from the One who conquered death and hell for us, and that is Jesus Christ, God’s only Son. 

Expecting the Best

Luk 5:4  Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

Luk 5:5  And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

Luk 5:6  And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net broke.

Luk 5:7  And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.

Luk 5:8  When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

Luk 5:9  For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:

Luk 5:10  And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

Luk 5:11  And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him. KJV

     I love this passage of Scripture because it is so typical of Jesus – He always does the unexpected!  Have you ever gone through a dry spell in your life, a time where you worked so hard for little reward?  I have gone through this.  I felt that I should write three course books for creative writing and received so little response from my mail outs and ads in the paper, I just felt like giving up.  Simon Peter experienced similar.  He had “toiled” all night and was able to catch nothing.  Then Jesus said something totally unexpected and profound (as He always does) – Launch out into the deep … I love that.  Probably if you are a fisherman, you would move to another location where the fish would bite – it seems logical, but Jesus asked him to stay put and launch out into the deep.

     I interpret this in several ways.  First, launch out into the deep means, in modern terms, Take a chance… Give your best … Don’t give up … Look beyond the 5 senses – launch out into the area of the supernatural – the deep things of God that defy human logic.  It means, literally, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:20).  Real faith means launching out into the deep.  Launching is an action verb.  It means that you don’t just sit there – you do something.  Faith always requires an action.  It goes beyond human reasoning.

     Perhaps Peter was looking for an easy way out -- what can Jesus know?  He’s not a fisherman.  But when he obeys the Lord and launches his net as told, Jesus gives him a harvest of fish so great, he has another ship come and help him.  Both ships start sinking there are so many fish.  What is the secret here?  I believe that the lesson is to look beyond the natural means and look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).  It also says that when Jesus performs a miracle in your life, it will affect many people, and all the more will share in the joy.  Jesus often does things in a big way.  He loves showing us His wonder-working powers.

     There is another lesson here – did you ever notice that just before something really significant, wonderful and big is about to happen in your life, that everything goes wrong, and you feel like giving up? Peter must have, because after he saw the Lord’s miracle, he saw something else too – he saw his own sinful self – full of doubt and unbelief, fear, pride, and his own limitations.  Peter came unglued in the presence of Jesus – God revealed Himself in Jesus, in the form of a man.  What happens after he has this revelation and falls down at Jesus feet?  Notice how a person of pride and self-sufficient means always falls down before the feet of Jesus when they see their real sinful selves in the light of His glory?  Jesus gave a word of prophecy to Peter – “Fear not – you will catch men.”  Why would He say “Fear not?”  Because when the Lord brings in the harvest, man ceases to strive to bring it about in his own sinful way.  Did you know that your way and my way are sinful before God?  There can be no reward – no fish – no harvest.  Why?  Because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).  Simple.  Is it our glory or God’s glory?  When it’s to God’s glory, there is always a huge harvest.

     So Peter falls down at Jesus feet, then, and only then, does Jesus give him the call – you will be fishers of men.  He doesn’t say it before, because Peter wouldn’t have seen his own self-will and pride.  He had to see the glory and power of the Lord, and then he got the call.  After he got the call, what did he do?  Go back to fishing? No.  He FORSOOK ALL and followed Jesus.  That’s the kind of effect Jesus has on all He calls.  He gives you a distaste for the selfish things in this world, and gives you a heavenly feast of His glory so that you always desire Him and want more of Him: 

O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. Psalm 34:8

     Today, if you find yourself working hard for little reward, ask the Lord what He wants you to do.  He knows where the harvest is even if we don’t.  We don’t have to know the results of the work that we do, we just need to obey and do what He says.  

NOTE:  I wrote this article about 10 years ago.  I didn’t find out until much later that the Lord had a distinct purpose in me writing the three course books for creative writing.  It was to reach a very dear man who wanted to learn how to write his life story.  He was also searching for the Lord, and has more recently, been at death’s door.  He has become our friend.  We are still praying for him to accept the Lord, and we believe that one day He will be ready.  We believe the “harvest” is the impact it will have on his family and all the people he knows.  Sometimes the Lord asks us to work hard with something just so that one soul can be reached.  I thank God that the people who prayed for me when I was a backslidden Christian did not give up on me.  So please, never give up on the task(s) you feel the Lord is asking you to do, or to complete.  He knows the final result, and in the end, we will understand that it has been worth it all.