Why There Must Be A Great Tribulation

Posted on July 2, 2018 by bibleteacherorg

tree-and-storm-2

 image courtesy of publicdomainpictures.net

Coming through the Book of Revelation we have talked about the Church, the Rapture of the Church, and a terrible time on the earth that has yet to come called the Great Tribulation.

Why must there be a Great Tribulation?

Before we go into Revelation 11 let’s review what we learned last week.

To understand chapter 11 you have to understand chapter 10.

I hope you weren’t asleep as we talked about chapter 10. In chapter 10 we are in a period of time before the Seventh Angel blows the Seventh Trumpet. Another mighty angel came to earth – we saw last week – with a little bookin his hand. John was told to get that little book (the Word of God) and eat the book– let it become a part of his life. Then God told John something we’re going to read together now.

Revelation 10:10-11 (KJV) And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up, and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. 11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

Revelation 11:1-2 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. 2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

John must preach the Word that God has given him.
An angel gave John the Gospel, but John must share it.
An angel told the shepherds that Christ was born, but they had to tell others.

Right after John receives his commission to preach the Word the Lord gives him …

Revelation 11:1 … a reed like unto a rod:

Often in Scripture when preachers preached God had them use props or illustrations. God gives John a reed like unto a ROD. A REED is used to measure things. It is first mentioned in Ezekiel 40:5, and is used twice in Revelation, here and in chapter 21:15-16. The length of the Reed is about 6 cubits or about 10 feet long. What is interesting about this “measure” is that it is a reed like unto a ROD.

Now what is a ROD? A shepherd had two tools that he kept close to hand, both of which he used to tend his sheep. The shepherd had a STAFF. The staff was a long heavy stick with a crook or hook on one end. Sheep are often foolish, and would often get into places where they trapped themselves. Sometimes sheep ran TOWARD danger instead of running AWAY. In cases where the sheep were trapped or running in the wrong direction, the shepherd would use the crook end of the staff to hook or grab the sheep by the leg, to pull them from harm or stop it from going toward harm. This was the STAFF. But the shepherd also carried a ROD. Barclay writes:

“He [the shepherd] had his rod and his staff. … He carried the rod at his belt. It was a stout piece of wood, perhaps three feet long, with a lump of wood the size of an orange at one end of it. With this the shepherd fought the battles of the flock, using it to drive off wild beasts and to defend the flock against the robbers who would steal the sheep.”

The ROD was a weapon used to strike the enemy. When the Psalmist David wrote of the Lord he wrote:

Psalms 23:1,4 (KJV) … The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. … 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

The sheep – the Child of God – is comforted both by God’s STAFF (which guides us) and ROD (which protects us). Sometimes the shepherd used the Rod on his own sheep. If a sheep kept doing dangerous things then the shepherd would resort to the Rod. The Bible tells us that God disciplines His people.

Hebrews 12:5-6, 8 (KJV)… My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. … 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

TheRODis used to stop an enemy or punish the wayward. We are told that …

Revelation 11:1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod:

John was given a REED (used to measure things)like unto a ROD (used for punishment or defense). What is John to do with this Reed/Rod?

Revelation 11:1 … Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar,
and them that worship therein.

John was to measure the Temple of God with this instrument of punishment. Now who worships in the Temple of God? In the New Testament the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. With the beginning of the Church Age the TEMPLE is no longer a building where you worship, but each believer in Christ. The Scripture says:

1 Corinthians 3:16 (KJV) Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

1 Corinthians 6:19 (KJV) What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

In New Testament, every believer is a living and moving Temple of God. The Holy Spirit indwells you, and you are to walk by the Spirit. But in the Age of Israel, they had a building they called a Temple. Within that Temple was the Holy of Holies, and in that Holy of Holies, God stayed.

John was told to take this Reed/Rod and “measure” three things:

The Temple
The Altar
The Worshipers therein

There Is A Great Tribulation Because Israel Rejected Christ

John must preach the truths found in the “Little Book”, and this “Little Book” speaks from start to finish of Christ. It was Christ Who – working with both Father and Spirit – created the world.

John 1:10 (KJV) HE WAS IN THE WORLD, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

Jesus Christ was in the beginning with God, and was God (John 1:1-3).

  • The Temple Is Measured.

Israel had a Temple, but the Temple was not what wanted His people to have. God wanted His people TO BE A TEMPLE, resurrected and lifted up to worship Him. The Temple was a place where you went to be with God, but God wanted to be wit His people ALWAYS. He told His Israel:

Deuteronomy 31:6 (KJV) Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

God wanted to stay with His people. But until Christ came and made a way through His Blood no one could be united to God in that way. Sinful and imperfect people – YES, I MEAN YOU – cannot have the indwelling God with them always. Yet Christ made a way through the veil of His flesh so that God could be with us. We are told in Hebrews:

Hebrews 10:19-25 (KJV) Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21 And having a high priest over the house of God; 22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Christians come together as a Church today to worship God and love one another. But the Jews were forced to the Temple to worship God. Why? Because Christ had not yet come. But Jesus HAS COME. The Bible declares that He came for the Jews first, THEN the gentiles. Jesus Christ ….

John 1:11 … came unto his own, and HIS OWN RECEIVED HIM NOT.

John is given a Reed/Rod to measure the Temple – that which is rebuilt during the Great Tribulation by Israel. This rebuilt Temple is INSUFFICIENT, just as it has always been INSUFFICIENT. God does not want a people just to walk with Him when in the Temple.
HE WANTS YOU AS HIS TEMPLE.

Thus the Reed/Rod measures the Temple and declares it NOT UP TO SNUFF.

  • The Altar Is Measured

When Jesus came to this earth He came to do the Father’s will. In the Temple was the Altar of God. Before Christ came the Jew was to sacrifice an animal without spot or blemisheach year to cover sin. But there’s a problem with this. God tells us in Hebrews:

Hebrews 10:1-10 (KJV) For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices, there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. 5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. 7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. 8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10 By the which will, we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

The Law which made the Temple also made the Altar. The Altar had to be visited over and over again because the sacrifice of animals – no matter how pure – were insufficient to pay for the sin of man. Do you know why?

Because MAN is NOT an ANIMAL.

I don’t care what the godless Darwin and his worshipers declare,
MAN is NOT an ANIMAL.
And NEITHER is WOMAN!

Mankind was made apart from animals in the image of God. No animal can pay for our sins. Sin came by Man, so a perfect Man must pay for our sin. The only perfect Man Who ever was is Jesus Christ.

Christ was born of a Virgin.
His Body created by the Holy Spirit.
He never sinned.
But came forth for one reason – to pay for our sins.

Galatians 4:4-6 (KJV) But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

The Altar of the Temple is measured with the Reed/Rod of John because human works are measured and found wanting. Christ came to be the Lamb without spot or blemish to save us from our sins.In the Tribulation, Israel will worship at their rebuilt Temple, but the Altar they sacrifice on will be insufficient. At one point the Anti-Christ will enter the Temple and defile it by offering a sacrifice to himself on the Altar. The Altar is insufficient. Christ’s Blood has once and for all been shed, and presented to the Father for us in Heaven.

  • The Worshipers In The Temple Are Measured.

The Prophet Daniel foresaw that the Anti-Christ would rise up during the Tribulation and form an alliance with Israel. Daniel wrote:

Daniel 9:27 (KJV)27 And he {the Anti-Christ} shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:{a “week” is symbolic for a 7 year period) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

The Temple will be rebuilt during the Great Tribulation or just before it by the Anti-Christ. Israel will worship in this Temple – a Christless and humanistic worship such as occurs in many American Churches today. John measures the worshipers. Without Christ, they are found wanting as well.

Revelation 11:2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

The Court of the Gentiles is not measured. Why?


Because the Great Tribulation is a time where ISRAEL is measured, punished, and trodden underfoot because they have not come to Christ for salvation. For 3 ½ years Israel was blessed by going along with the world and the Anti-Christ. But the last 3 ½ years (forty and two months) Jerusalem shall be TRED UNDER FOOT by the unbelieving Gentiles. This reminds me of what Christ warned:

Matthew 5:13 (KJV) Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and TO BE TRODDEN UNDER FOOT OF MEN.

Israel rejected Christ and so they are trodden underfoot of the Gentiles. Our power and strength is to be in Christ.

The heat of the Great Tribulation willrefine Israel, separating the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the chaff, and the silver from the dross. The Great Tribulation was foreseen by Daniel as the seventieth week(a prophetic “Week” is Seven Years) or the Seventieth Seven Year Periodprior to the return of Christ:

Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

Daniel saw the Great Tribulation as a time “determined upon Thy people and Thy Holy City (Jerusalem)”. This time of Tribulation would “finished the transgression, make an end of sins, make reconciliation for iniquity, and bring in everlasting righteousness”. For years Israel as a nation has rejected the Lord Jesus Christ. Because of this God will allow an anti-Christ to rise up, and Israel to be afflicted. This ROD SHAPED LIKE A REED will not kill Israel but it will whip the nation. The Temple of God, the Altar, and those that worship therein will be spanked by this rod. This means that no unbelieving Jew will escape suffering during this time.Our Lord Jesus spoke of this terrible time for Israel in

Matthew 24:14-21 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. 15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation-the anti-Christ, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, STAND IN THE HOLY PLACE, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

The anti-Christ – one that Israel thought they could trust in – will rise up and STAND IN THE HOLY PLACE. He will be in the Holy of Holies, a place that only the High Priest should have gone. When the anti-Christ does this he does it with the intent of taking over Israel’s place of worship along with the nation itself. Jesus told the Jews “when that time come – RUN! Run to the mountains and hide, for THIS is the Great Tribulation!” Going back to our focal text we see that “the temple of God, the altar, and them that worship therein” are measured – disciplined by this Rod. Every unbelieving JEW will be under discipline. This doesn’t mean that the Gentiles will not suffer. They will suffer and have suffered. BUT the focus is on Israel, not on the Gentile nations. We read:

“it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city (Jerusalem)shall they tread under foot forty and two months”

The Tribulation is a seven year period – the Seventieth Week of Daniel. The last forty-two months or 3 ½ years when unbelieving Israel shall be under intensified discipline. The Holy City (Jerusalem) shall be tread underfoot by the Gentiles. The height of this discipline (which comes from the Gentiles, by the way) shall be when the anti-Christ sets himself up to be worshiped in the Temple. Paul wrote of this in :

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 8-10 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; 4 Who 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. …8 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: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. ..

The Great Tribulation must come because Israel will not repent. But God will send two witnesses and 144,000 Hebrew Evangelists to Israel and the world to share the Gospel of Christ with all.

The Two Witnesses Will Preach

Revelation 11:3-5 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. 5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

Who are these “Two Witnesses”? They belong to God. The Mighty Angel – who came from Heaven and represents God Almighty – calls these Two Witnesses “my two witnesses”.We are told that “they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth”. That figure is equal to 42 months of thirty days or 3 ½ years. These Witnesses will stand and issue a Gospel call to the world – and to Israel in particular – as she suffers 3 ½ years of persecution under the anti-Christ. Who are these two Witnesses?

aThese Two Witnesses Are Olive Trees. In Romans, the Apostle Paul speaks to us Gentiles and tells us that

Romans 11:17-18 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them, partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; 18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.

Romans 11:24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

Israel is “the Olive Tree” and the Gentiles, saved by faith in Christ, are “the wild Olive Tree”. We Gentiles were grafted into the promises that God made to Israel because Israel rejected the Christ. Israel is “The Olive Tree”. These two witnesses are “Two Olive Trees”, two Jews who have received the Gospel of salvation.

bThese Two Witnesses Are “Two Candlesticks Standing Before The God Of The Earth”. God is watching them, and they are standing – firm and immovable – on the Word of God. They are His Ambassadors and under His protection. They are mortal men.Just as candlesticks burn down as they give light, these men burn down as they give light. Their lives are finite – but they trust in God. Though only two men, they stand up for God in a lost and Satan following world. They refuse to compromise …. even unto death.

cThese Two Witnesses Use No Weapons For Defense Other Than The WordThat They Have Been Given. The text states “fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed”.They use no weapons other than the Word of God.

Who are these witnesses? The Bible does not tell us who they are for a reason. We can speculate on who they are. Some have suggested Moses and Elijah, others Enoch and Elijah since these two men never died. All of this is just speculation. The text doesn’t tell us who the two witnesses are, BUT it tells us whatSpirit these men have.

Revelation 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

These witnesses have power to shut Heaven so that it will not rain, much like Elijah did when he prophesied. They also have the power to turn water to blood and bring plagues, much like Moses did. This does not make them Moses and Elijah, it just tells us that they have the same power that God gave to these great Prophets of old. Though they will be doing a hard job, God will be with them.

God never sends the equipped, He equips those He sends. If God gives you a job to do He will be with you. Trust Him, no matter how hard that job might be.

God bless you all!

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When Chariots Come

Posted on July 2, 2018 by bibleteacherorg

broken-wagon-wheel

image courtesy of  publicdomainpictures.net

Exodus 14:13-14 (KJV)  And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever.  [14]  The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

What are we to do when trials and tribulations come our way?
What do we do when chariots come?
Soldiers heavily armored that we cannot defeat?
Sometimes chariots sneak up on us, coming in the night.
At other times we hear their roar in the distance long before they arrive.

When Chariots Come, Do A Life Inventory

The least productive thing you can do when chariots come is to play the blame game. You know what the blame game is. You see it every day in the political world. Something bad is happening, but it’s never MY FAULT. It’s always someone else’s fault. When chariots came for Israel how did they respond? The Bible tells us:

Exodus 14:10-12 (KJV)  And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.  [11]  And they said unto Moses Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?  [12]  Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

When chariots came initially the Israelites did right. They cried out unto the LORD. They cried out to the Eternal Father, the One Who was able to help them. But rather than keep their eyes on the Lord they looked for someone to blame.

They looked at Moses.
They get SARCASTIC.
“Is it because there are NO GRAVES IN EGYPT that YOU – a lone man –
carried US – 6 million people – into the wilderness?”

This is sarcasm. Egypt is a land known for its graves. The PYRAMIDS are graves for kings. In fact, the only place I know there are PYRAMIDS is in Egypt. I’ve been to the Great Pyramid. I’ve got pictures of these giant tombstones. When I was in the military we watched light shows shown on pyramids. These are gigantic tombstones.“Moses, wasn’t there ENOUGH tombstones in Egypt that YOU had to DRAG US here?”Nothing good ever comes of the blame game.

The blame game is the oldest game in the world. It started in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. Adam had been told NOT to eat the forbidden fruit. Implicit in this statement is the understanding that ADAM WAS TO KEEP HIS WIFE FROM DOING THE SAME THING. If a man loves a woman, and a woman loves a man, they want what is best for their partner. They will stand idly by while their partner does the wrong thing. This is what Adam did. We are told in Genesis …

Genesis 3:6 (KJV)  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and DID EAT, AND GAVE ALSO UNTO HER HUSBAND WITH HER; and he did eat.

Adam was with Eve when she ate the forbidden fruit. Rather that point her back to God he went along with her sin. Oh, how often we go along to get along. How often do we allow peer pressure rather than the love we have for God to draw us to the right path?

After the fall came the sound of chariots. Oh, it wasn’t really chariots, but it was the sound of God walking through the forest. “Adam, where are you? Eve, where are you? I love you. Come out, let’s talk as we have always done. Adam and Eve, why are you hiding in those bushes?”

What Adam should have done was taken a life inventory, looking at what he had done. Instead, Adam tells the Lord:

Genesis 3:12 (KJV) …. The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

Lord, the woman YOU gave to me messed up (and YOU messed up, too). You gave me a defective woman. She ate and forced that fruit on me. Eve knocked me down and sat on my chest until I ate what YOU said not to eat. Playing the blame game shifts responsibility. So God asked Eve what she did. She followed her husband in a bad decision.

Genesis 3:13 (KJV)  And 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.

It was the serpent’s fault. He tricked me. He tricked me. The blame game did not stop Adam and Eve’s punishment, but it did stop them from being honest with themselves. When chariots come have they come because I have not listened to and obeyed my God? This is what happened to Adam and Eve. In fact, this is what happens to us many times. The Bible says:

Romans 6:23 (KJV) For the WAGES of SIN is DEATH …

Sin is anything that stands away from God.
Sin is anything that does not come through Jesus Christ.
Sin glorifies me and ignores the Lord.
Sin is an EMPLOYER who PAYS a SALARY called DEATH.

II was watching an old television show on Hulu (an Internet stream) the other day called “Hillstreet Blues”. I always liked to watch Hillstreet when it came on back in the 80’s and found it to be fairly clean compared to today’s standards. In an episode, I watched the other night a detective called “Henry” saved a woman from muggers. Taking her home this rather attractive woman – a widow – invited Henry to spend the night with her. Henry replied “No, I can’t. I’m happily married.”She said, “That doesn’t matter to me.”Henry ran from her apartment, and I applauded him. Later on, Henry was discussing what happened with the Captain of Hillstreet and said: “As I talked to the woman I began to think What’s the harm?”. The captain told him “You can bring a lot of complications to your life if you do.”Henry said, “I guess you’re right”. The show ended with Henry knocking on that woman’s apartment door, and she opened it and let him in. “What’s the harm?”Oh, Beloved, there is always harm in sin.

Sin destroys marriages.
Sin destroys families.
Sin brings disease and disgrace into your life.
Sin enslaves you.

When chariots come because of sin in our lives we do not need to blame others, but to LOOK UP and turn to the Father of Lights. We need to take our sin to Him Whom it offends, and let Him cover it with His love.

I heard a story once of a little boy and his sister playing in the farmyard. The little boy had a slingshot. Though he had been told to not shoot at the chickens like most little boys he forgot the rule, and in a flash loaded his slingshot and let fly. The rock hit the head of one of grandma’s best laying hens. The chicken ran around in circles, and the little boy, frightened, chased after it. Then it fell over dead. The child took the bird out into a field and buried it there, hoping to hide his sin. But his SISTER saw him. “Ooooh – I’m telling Grandma!” The little boy begged her. “Please don’t tell grandma. I’ll do whatever you tell me to do.” With those words, he became a slave to his sister. For the next seven days, he did every chore – both his and his sister’s. Finally, he had enough. He went to grandma.“Grandma, last week I killed one of your chickens. I am so sorry. She said “Honey, I knew you killed that chicken. I was washing dishes and saw you from the kitchen window. When you grabbed that chicken its blood got on your clothes, and I had to scrub it out. I knew all about it. If you had brought that chicken to me we could have eaten fried chicken that night – but you buried it and got nothing but suffering and death.“

When chariots come ask yourself “Am I where I need to be in my relationship with the Lord?”If you are not, then is the time to draw close to God in Christ. The Lord died for your sins on Calvary. Confess your sins to Him, and believe that He is able to save. God loves to save.

1 John 1:5-9 (KJV) … God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.  [6]  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:  [7]  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.  [8]  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  [9]  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If You Are In God’s Will Then Know That HE Is In Control

When you hear chariots coming do a life assessment.
And if you are walking with the Lord trust that He is in control.

Before Israel ever saw the chariots coming the Lord told Moses what He was going to do. God knew exactly where He was going to lead Israel. Israel was not at the impassable Red Sea because God made a mistake. We read in the previous chapter:

Exodus 13:17 (KJV)  And it came to pass when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them NOT through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest PERADVENTURE THE PEOPLE REPENT WHEN THEY SEE WAR, AND THEY RETURN TO EGYPT:

God knew that His people were tender in faith, so God DID NOT lead them the shortest path from Egypt. The shortest path from Egypt was in land occupied by the Philistines, a terrible godless and warlike people. If Israel passed through Philistia there would have been attacks from the city-states of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath. Israel had been newly freed from slavery. They had no standing army. So God led them in the way that was best for them at that time.

When the Apostle Paul spoke of the Exodus and how God led Israel he said:

1 Corinthians 10:13 (KJV)  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but WILL WITH THE TEMPTATION ALSO MAKE A WAY TO ESCAPE, THAT YE MAY BE ABLE TO BEAR IT.

If you are doing your best to love the Lord and obey Him when you hear the sounds of chariots – when chariots come –
know that what is happening is God’s best for you.

God knew EXACTLY where He was leading His people. He knew His people’s heart. He knew what they – and WE – are capable of. God controlled where Israel was at. He told Moses:

Exodus 14:2 (KJV)  Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: BEFORE IT SHALL YE ENCAMP BY THE SEA.

Israel is EXACTLY where God wanted them to be by the sea.
When they heard chariots they were where God sent them.

When I am doing what God wants me to do,
God will protect me when chariots come.
If I am not where I need to be with God then REPENT and turn to Him!
He can defeat the chariots! He can defeat anything.

God told Moses:

Exodus 14:4 (KJV)  And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, that he shall follow after them; and I WILL BE HONORED upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the EGYPTIANS MAY KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD. And they did so.

God put Israel where they were so that the UNBELIEVERS could see the power of God. When God sends us to the hospital bed have you ever considered that this is so an unbelieving NURSE or an unbelieving DOCTOR can see the power of God in you? When God brings trials to us the unbelieving world looks at us to see if our God is real, or if He is but a figment of the imagination. I have seen Christians in hospitals, nursing homes, and funeral parlors who were absolutely indistinguishable from an unbeliever. God is not glorified in that, and neither are you.

I remember years ago a young man was diagnosed with incurable liver cancer. While in the hospital he gave his life to Christ. He left the hospital long enough to be baptized, then went back to the hospital. I went to visit him. When I stepped into the room he was beaming like the Son. We didn’t talk of his cancer, but of his salvation and the glories that he was going to see very soon. The Scripture says:

James 1:2-3 (KJV)  My brethren, COUNT IT ALL JOY when ye fall into divers temptations;{many trials}  [3]  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

This young man exemplified this. The chariots were coming, but he was trusting God. He wasn’t worried. Then one day God sent a chariot for him, a chariot of fire like He sent for Elijah– and my friend went to be with our Jesus. His was one of the few bodies I saw laying in a casket with a smile on his face!

God Is In Control So DO NOT FEAR

Exodus 14:13 (KJV)  And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not,

When Moses says“Fear ye NOT”this is not a SUGGESTION but a COMMAND. God commands His people in the Scripture to NOT FEAR. He says in:

Isaiah 43:1-2 (KJV)  But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.  [2]  WHEN THOU PASSEST THROUGH THE WATERS, I WILL BE WITH THEE; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

God CREATED us. He CREATED us in our mother’s womb. God FORMED us. The Scripture says:

Ephesians 2:8-10 (KJV)  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  [9]  Not of works, lest any man should boast.  [10]  For WE ARE HIS WORKMANSHIP, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS UNTO GOOD WORKS, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Israel is where they are because God MADE Israel. God FORMED Israel. And God LED Israel to where the chariots are. God is controlling the approach of the chariots. We read:

Exodus 14:19-20 (KJV)  And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:  [20]  And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.

I love this passage! Here come the chariots! They are going to kill Israel! But then the Lord takes the pillar of cloud that was leading Israel and moves it between Israel and Egypt.

The Pillar that led Israel became the Barrier that blocked Egypt!

When that pillar of cloud moves it brings darkness on the Egyptians, but light on Israel. God redeemed us. God redeemed Israel. He is not going to let His children be defeated by the chariots. God has a plan for His people, and defeat is not in the plan. Let me say that again:

God has a plan for His people, and defeat is not in that plan!

If we have taken a life assessment and we are in a right relationship by faith with our Lord we should not fear when chariots come. Fear paralyzes us. Fear makes us focus on the wrong things. Focus on Him and His glorious purpose. Has He not said:

Deuteronomy 31:8 (KJV)  And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: FEAR NOT, NEITHER BE DISMAYED.

God has a purpose for the chariots and a purpose for you. The Scripture declares:

Romans 8:28 (KJV)  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.

Focus On Your God, Not On Your Enemy

Exodus 14:13 (KJV)  And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, STAND STILL

Moses said YARE’ (do not fear) YATSAB (be still). “Stand still” doesn’t mean to do nothing. It is a military term that many of you probably won’t understand, but I understand. “Stand still” means ATTENTION! I’ve been out of the military for 24 years now but if someone comes in a room and says ATTENTION I snap to. ATTENTION means to SHUT UP. To get focused. To stand up straight and await further orders. This is not an uncommon phrase in the Scripture. When Moses was to receive the Law he told Israel:

Numbers 9:8 (KJV) ….STAND STILL, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you.

Stop moving about like 6-year-old children in a church pew. ATTENTION. Pay attention. Focus on God. When Samuel was preaching to Israel he said:

1 Samuel 12:6-7 (KJV)  And Samuel said unto the people, It is the LORD that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.  [7]  Now, therefore, STAND STILL, that I may reason with you before the LORD of all the righteous acts of the LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers.

Stop. Pay attention to what I’m saying. Get off your smartphones and listen. If you want to be blessed, listen to what the Lord says and DO IT. Then Moses says:

Exodus 14:13-14 (KJV)… and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever.  [14]  The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

When you are focused on God God will fight for you. When you are obedient to your God, God will bless you. Are you focused upon God, or are you screaming at the sea of trouble facing you? If you will honor your Lord (if He is YOUR Lord) He will bless you. The Egyptians will die shortly under the weight of the sea, but God’s Children shall cross over as if on dry land.

God is able.
God is able to save you.
God gave Himself for you on Calvary.
God rose again, defeating death.
God is able.
Christ is able.
Will you turn to Him and believe?

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Wilt Thou Be?

Posted on June 28, 2018 by bibleteacherorg

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John 5:1-18 KJV “After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. {2} Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. {3} In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. {4} For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. {5} And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. {6} When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?

I was thinking about Heaven last Friday as I sought the Lord in prayer. I began to think about how people view Heaven. Several many years ago I watched Billy Graham appear on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Johnny loved to ask Billy teasing questions – and Billy was always quick to respond with good-natured love. Johnny asked Billy “Billy, why would you come on a show with worldly people like us?”Billy with a smile answered,“Johnny, even Jesus ate with publicans and sinners!”Johnny asked Billy a question about Heaven. He asked:

“Will there be golf in Heaven?”

Johnny loved to play golf. I wondered how Billy would answer that question. He replied:

“Johnny, I believe if it’s necessary for our joy God will give us golf in Heaven”

That was a good answer. People view Heaven as a place where we’ll go one day – all of us – where our every need will be catered to. But that’s not what Heaven is. Heaven is a place where we will finally be complete. God will be the center of Heaven, and we will be face to face with our God. There will be no suffering nor pain in Heaven because God will give us glorified bodies. We will not lounge in Heaven, but spend forever serving God in love and worship as we love one another. Heaven will be a place where “we will know as we are known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). There will be no misunderstandings, but unity in Heaven. I will speak, and you will understand what I meant, not just hear what I said. We will be complete because things will not define us, but relationships will. Our relationship with God will be most important, followed by our relationship with Christ and those He has redeemed.

On this earth, we suffer.
That’s a good thing.
Suffering is the scalpel of God that cuts sin and silliness out of us.
Suffering can bring us face to face with Jesus so that one day
We can be face to face with God in Heaven.

God Calls Us Into Relationship With Him

Our text today begins with a RELATIONSHIP. We read:

John 5:1 After this there was a FEAST of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

What is this FEAST? God established FEASTS that His Israel was to have at certain times during the year. We read in …

Leviticus 23:4 (KJV)  These are the FEASTS of the LORD, even holy CONVOCATIONS, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.

A “holy convocation” was a sacred assembly– times when God’s Israel was called to come to Jerusalem and worship. These Feasts were celebrations of love and were supposed to be much like Heaven on earth. Jesus went to Jerusalem because He was in a union – in a RELATIONSHIP – with the Father. He was going to Jerusalem to celebrate just as Israel should be doing. In this midst of this celebration – joy in the Lord –, what do we see?

Suffering.

John 5:2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda1, having five porches2.

There is a sheep market near the pool called Bethesda. What does “Bethesda” mean? It means “House of Kindness”. Now a sheep market is not a place of kindness. The sheep are sold at this market to be sacrificed on the altar at the Temple. The sheep will suffer. They will die for the Festival. They will die screaming. This is not a picture of kindness for the sheep – but it is a picture of kindness for humanity.

You see, we are all sinners. Sin is in the world because we are sinners. Sin separates us from the God Who would love us. The sheep die because of sin. God told the Israelite to sacrifice the “lamb without spot or blemish to be a covering for your sin”. The sheep dying is a picture of what God would do for us in Christ. Christ will go to the Cross. He will die in my place. His Blood will be shed to cover my sin and your sin.

1 Peter 1:18-19 (KJV)  Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain {way of life}received by tradition from your fathers;  [19]  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

The pool called Bethesda is a place of kindness. Jesus goes to this pool. Around the pool are five porches or flat spots where people can lay. We are told:

John 5:3 KJV “In these {porches}lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. “

I want you to see what Jesus saw. He is in Jerusalem for a Feast to celebrate God and His love. But here – in this place – there is no celebration. The blind are groping in the darkness, hoping for a bit of light. The halt or crippled are dragging themselves about, leaving trails of agony behind them. The withered need the sustenance of God. Who will hire a blind person when a sighted person is there? Who will protect a blind person? Will not thieves rob them, and rapists take advantage of them. Blind, and unable to see – what will they do? But there weren’t just blind people here, but there were people who were halt(limping, crippled), withered(shrunken or dried up, scorched), and impotent(sick or weak) people around this pool. These people were in various stages of suffering, of misery, of agony. Can you hear the moans, perhaps even the screams of these people? These people waited for the water of the house of Kindness to begin to boil, to stir. The Bible says these poor suffering people were …

John 5:3b-4 KJV “… waiting for the moving of the water. {4} Foran angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.”

I’ve never heard anyone preach a sermon about the angel who went down at a certain season into the pool to stir the water. We see the word angel and immediately assume that this is a creature from God. Some, like Robertson in his Word Pictures3say that this verse is not in the original manuscripts of Scripture. The New International Version even omits the translation of this text, skipping it entirely. I have a problem with that on a couple of grounds. First, I admit that I’m not the brightest tack in the pack, but when Jesus asks one of the sick men wilt thou be made whole? that man answers in verse 7:

John 5:7 KJV “… Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.”

It’s obvious that the man equated healing with the stirring of the waters but, because he couldn’t get down into the waters he couldn’t be healed. The man was looking to the waters to be healed. He was looking for someone to help him into the stirring waters4. So something stirred those waters.

Isn’t it interesting that we so often look to things of this life to make us better rather than looking to God? I don’t know whether the “angel” that stirred the waters was righteous or unrighteous, godly or devilish. But I do know that GOD IS THE SOURCE OF HEALING. The people should have been looking UP, not AROUND. When we are suffering we should be looking to our God, looking to Jesus.

God will bring judgment on the sinner, but GRACE to those who love Him.

2 Peter 2:4-7 KJV “God …. 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; {6} And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned [them] with an overthrow, making [them] an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; {7} And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked”

God saved all who would get on the Ark.
He saved all who would follow Him out of Sodom and Gomorrah.
God wanted to save Nineveh, and sent Jonah to that place:

Jonah 1:2 (KJV)  Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

because God wants everyone who will hear the Gospel be saved. The Bible tells us that God is

2 Peter 3:9 (KJV)  The Lord is … is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

God loves to save those who will turn to Him.

John 3:14-17 KJV “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: {15} That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. {16} For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. {17} For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

God Saves All Who Will Respond To Him

God wants you to stop looking at the House of Kindness and start looking at the House of Christ. He wants you to stop looking at the House of Human Effort and start looking at the House of Divine Power.

Please notice the text:

John 5:5-6 KJV When JESUS SAW HIM LIE, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?

The man doesn’t come to Jesus – Jesus comes to the man. This is the Way of salvation. In our suffering and in our need God comes to us. He asks us “Wilt thou be made whole?”Do you want a life where God is a very real presence, enabling you to walk in faith? Do you want a Companion Who will walk with you through this life, giving you the confidence you need to live apart from this evil world? You cannot heal yourselves – but Christ can heal you. Human strength and good works cannot heal you – Christ must heal you. Wilt thou be made whole? The man does much like we all do. He replies to Christ’s question almost defensively:

John 5:7 (KJV) …. Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.

Christ asks “Will you be made whole?”He asks that of each and every person He approaches. Our reply? “Jesus, it’s my brother’s fault, my neighbor’s fault. I could get down in the water if they would help me, but they’re so selfish. Why, just the other day, I was near to the water with that rascal Billy stepped over my body and got the blessing. He knew I had been waiting for 38 years to be healed, but did he care? No! It’s not my fault. I’m doing my best!”

Oh, the excuses we make. We cast the world into hell, but know we’re going to Heaven. Jesus doesn’t debate with the man. He says:

John 5:8 KJV “Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.

Quit looking at the water. Quit waiting for the scrubbing bubbles. Do what Jesus said do. Hear His Voice. What has God said:

Hebrews 3:15 (KJV) … Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

Israel would not hear God’s Voice, and so became crippled as a nation. Hear Christ’s Voice. Do what Jesus says to do. Get up! Pick up your bed and walk. Let others see that you are following Christ. Be baptized. Make the waters bubble. Quit waiting for bubbling waters, and do as Jesus said to do.

John 5:9 KJV And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the Sabbath. “

The man responds to Jesus’ voice. The man hears Jesus. He was made whole. And hearing Jesus, he obeys Jesus. The Christian obeys Jesus. He hears the Word of the Lord. He does not live by the Laws of the Pharisees. When you start following Jesus the Pharisees will come. Here comes one now. Hear his whiny voice…

John 5:10 KJV “… It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.”

God gave the Law to lead us to Christ. The Apostle wrote in …

Galatians 3:24-26 (KJV)  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.  [25]  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.  [26]  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

The man who was healed didn’t know Jesus’ name – but he knew it was Jesus who healed Him.

If You Are Saved, You Are In A Relationship With Jesus

Though Jesus healed this man and then left, the Lord returned to him later. We read

John 5:14 KJV “… Afterward, Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.”

I love this! Jesus came to where the man was in his suffering and called to him. The man responded and was healed. Then Jesus comes back to this man. Beloved, this is a picture of the Christian Way of Life.

Those whom Christ saves stay saved because Christ stays with them.
And Christ molds them.
We become His workmanship, “Created in Christ Jesus to do good works”.
We are not saved to SIN,
We are saved to SERVE.

Jesus tells the man:

sin no more, lest a WORSE thing come unto thee.

Sin is deadly. The Scripture says:

Romans 6:23 (KJV)  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Christ does not save us to enable us to sin freer but saves us to serve the Living God. Sin grieves the Holy Spirit Who indwells the believer (Ephesians 4:30). Sin brings a barrier between us and God. Sin also brings with it its own punishment. We are not to sin, but to DRINK OF CHRIST. Jesus said to the Samaritan woman:

John 4:14 (KJV)  But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

When you follow Jesus He brings the water to you, not you to the water. Jesus comes to you, comes to live inside you, and causes you as a new creature in Him to become a pool of life.

Those who are Christ’s are creatures with the potential to bring Living Water to all around us. Those who are Christ’s take the message of Jesus to a lost and dying world, a thirsting world, a parched world. We carry the hope of Eternal Life by faith in Christ in us, with us, and are supposed to be stirred not by the Law nor by an angel but by Grace and love and service to the King.

John 5:15-16 KJV “… The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. {16} And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.”

This is what religious people do. They set the standard of life by their own laws, and not by Christ. But our confidence is in Christ. Our confidence is in Him.

Is yours?

1G964 (Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries) ΒηθεσδάBēthesda {pronounced bay-thes-dah’} Of Chaldee origin (compare [H1004] and [H2617]); the house of kindness; Bethesda, a pool in Jerusalem: – Bethesda.

2G4745 (Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries) στοάstoa {pronounced sto-ah’}Probably from G2476; a colonnade or interior piazza:– porch.

3Robertson states “All of this verse is wanting in the oldest and best manuscripts like Aleph B C D W 33 Old Syriac, Coptic versions, Latin Vulgate. It is undoubtedly added, like the clause in Joh_5:3, to make clearer the statement in Joh_5:7. Tertullian is the earliest writer to mention it. The Jews explained the healing virtues of the intermittent spring by the ministry of angels. But the periodicity of such angelic visits makes it difficult to believe. It is a relief to many to know that the verse is spurious.” (Robertson’s Word Pictures)

4Oh, by the way, no one disputes verse 7 as spurious or added text, so I stand alongside the King James here!

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A Long Vision And A Little Book

Posted on June 25, 2018 by bibleteacherorg

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Revelation 10:1-11 And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: 2And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, 3And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. 5And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, 6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: 7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. 9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book.And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. 10 And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. 11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

As we come to Revelation chapter 10 we are given the longest vision that John has had up to this point. As John received visions he always introduced them with the words:

“I saw”

When John saw the Churches as 7 golden candlesticks (1:12)
When John saw Jesus as Almighty God (1:17)
When John saw the Church in Heaven, the 24 elders (4:4)
When John saw the Tribulation saints martyred for their faith (6:9)
When John saw the 7 Trumpet Angels (8:2)

I haven’t listed every instance of the “I saw” statements of John for my time is limited. With this “I saw” in chapter 10 John does not say “I saw” again until chapter 13. The sixth trumpet has sounded, but before the seventh trumpet is played this long vision unfolds.

There Is ANOTHER Mighty Angel

Revelation 10:1-2 And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:

Who Is The Angel At The Beginning Of Chapter 10?
This is NOT the Seventh Trumpet Angel.

We are told in …

Revelation 10:7 But in the days of the VOICE OF THE SEVENTH ANGEL, when HE SHALL BEGIN TO SOUND, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

The seventh trumpet angel is standing by. This is ANOTHER mighty angel. Some have suggested that this angel is Jesus Christ. I don’t believe this is Jesus. Jesus is the One who opened the Seven Seals, the “Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David”.We read in our text:

Revelation 10:1 And I saw ANOTHER MIGHTY angel come down from heaven

This Messenger is called “Another Mighty Angel”. He is“Another” like unto the first Six Trumpet Angels, but he is not a Trumpet Angel. He is not called the “Lamb of God” but a “Mighty Angel”.

When Jesus returns He will return nine Chapters from now in ..

Revelation 19:11-16 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His 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. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And 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 wine press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

When Jesus returns He will rule this earth and sin will not be winked at. No, I do not believe this Angel is not Jesus – nor is he the Seventh Trumpet Angel. This Is Another Angel – A Mighty Messenger Like Gabriel Who Announced The Birth Of Christ. The Angel is described as:

Revelation 10:1 And I saw ANOTHER Mighty Angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:

This angel comes down from Heaven. He represents God. The Angel is immense in size. He is “clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow was upon his head”. I’ve never seen either rainbow or cloud that I could touch with my hands – they are high above me. The Rainbow is a reminder of God’s mercy. After Noah left the Ark with his family the Lord told him:

Genesis 9:12-13 …. This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I doset my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

The Rainbow is not human symbol of unity, but it is God’s symbol of mercyto a world that rejects Him even today. Though Judgment is coming and the Seventh Trumpet will reveal the anti-Christ, even in this 11thhour God is merciful and loving. God’s saving arms are extended. God is, indeed, LOVE!

The Angel has a face like unto the sun.

When Moses went up into the Mount Sinai to receive the Commandments from God the Bible says that when he came down that mount that …

Exodus 34:29-30 …. Moses {did not know} that the skin of his face shone while he talked with {Aaron}. 30 And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come nigh him.

This Angel’s face is shining like the sun, for it came from the Presence of God.
The message this Angel brings is not its own, but the Lord’s – and his face proves it.

The Angel’s feet were like pillars of fire, again symbolic of God, for it was with “pillars of fire” that God led His Old Testament Family out of Egypt (Exodus 13:21). This is God’s Angel, a huge and mighty Angel.

Revelation 10:2-3 And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.

Imagine what John saw. Here is an Immense Angel who’s right foot is on the sea and left foot is on the land. He is holding “a little Book”. The Word of God is often discounted by the world, and the Bible often disparaged by even professing Christians. What this Angel does will affect both land and sea – but it is not the angel that is doing it. It is the “Little Book”, the Word of God.

  • God Is Still In Control. No matter what may come next – and we will see the anti-Christ and Satan revealed – God is still controlling events. The Angel is not running, but he is holding God’s Word in his hand and in his heart. He is not retreating but he is OCCUPYING. God is in control. GOD IS IN CONTROL!

Proverbs 19:21 ESVMany are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

1 Chronicles 29:11 ESVYours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.

Isaiah 14:24 ESVThe Lord of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand,

Thomas a Kempis wrote in his book Of The Imitation of Christ:

Man proposes, but God disposes.

  • God’s Word Is Going Out Across The Land. This“Little Book” so despised by the world now takes center stage. We often think that we hopelessly preach God’s Word, but His Word is power. TheAngelstands on LAND and SEA,“Little Book” in hand, and SEVEN THUNDERS utter their voices.

THUNDER precedes a storm!
These “Seven Thunders” have a voice.
They convey a message.
The message is only for believing John.

Revelation 10:4And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I WAS ABOUT TO WRITE: and I heard A VOICE FROM HEAVEN SAYING unto me, SEAL UP THOSE THINGS WHICH THE SEVEN THUNDERS UTTERED, AND WRITE THEM NOT.

John hears what the seven thunders of the angel say, but God tells John to “seal up these things and do not write them”. What the angel said was not to be written. Why? Because God said so. We can surmise that the “seven thunders” were all impending judgments on the earth, for thunder comes before a storm. But God did not want what the angel said to be exposed.

Why?
We have a good example in John 12.

In John chapter 12 Jesus is teaching His disciples about His upcoming crucifixion. As Jesus speaks to His disciples He Himself is overwhelmed by the thought of Calvary. Jesus says:

John 12:25-28 (KJV)  He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.  [26]  If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor.  [27]  Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.  [28]  Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

John – the same John writing Revelation – heard the prayer of Jesus and Heaven’s response. John heard the Father say:

I have both glorified My Name, and will glorify it again!

But look at the verses that follow:

John 12:29 (KJV)  The people, therefore, that stood by, and HEARD IT, SAID THAT IT THUNDERED: others said, An angel spake to him.

John heard what the Father said to the Son because he believed in Jesus. The people who stood around Jesus – there but not believing – heard only thunder. I believe the same thing is happening in the Book of Revelation in this chapter. John believes in Christ and so hears the words of God from Heaven. But the Lord says “seal it up – do not reveal it” because it is not for the unbeliever.

Those who believe hear God’s Word, but those who will not hear only thunder. John understood the Seven Thunders from God for to him they were not Thunders but God’s Word! If you will not believe, you cannot hear. If you will not believe, you cannot receive!

The “Little Book” Is To Be Taken By John

Revelation 10:8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.

The Words of that Book are to be cherished by John, even in the midst of his trial. John knows what the Seven Thunders said. He receives the little open Book from the Angel. Then the Voice from Heaven says:

Revelation 10:9 … And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.

God’s Word is so sweet and satisfying to the believer.
We take it and cherish it.
We literally eat it up until it becomes part of our very lives.

Tempted and tried by a fallen world we who love the Lord say with Jeremiah

Jeremiah 15:16 THY WORDS WERE FOUND, AND I DID EAT THEM; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.

Ezekiel 3:1-3 (KJV)  Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this {scroll}, and go speak unto the house of Israel.  [2]  SoI opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.  [3]  And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.

The seven thunders promised judgment on the earth, but John was safe. Why? Because John loved the Word. The Christian loves the Word of God. We love His Bible. We do not make excuses for it. We do not try and modify it to make it more palatable to a sinful and dying world. We do not compromise it to satisfy the sons of men. We cherish His Word. We believe His Word. We eat it, we digest it, we take it into our souls and grow by it.

Jesus illustrated this one day when He told those following Him:

John 6:54-58 (KJV)  Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.  [55]  For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.  [56]  He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.  [57]  As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.  [58]  This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

We are not called to be “fans” of Jesus, but are to take that which He has said and live by it. It is to enter our souls, to be our sustenance and our strength. I am saved from judgment because of what God’s Word has promised. Shall I cherry pick what I believe? No! My God’s Word will not

Isaiah 55:9-11 (KJV)  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.  [10]  For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:  [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.

The world cries out for a gentle, Christ rejecting Word. It is to them a “Little Book”.

Isaiah 30:10-15 … Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: 11 Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. 12 Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon: 13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant. 14 And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters’ vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit. 15 For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.

If we “return and rest”in what God has said we have peace in the midst of the storm. John takes the “Little Book”.

Revelation 10:10 … And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up, and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.

Seal up these words –store them in your hearts. They are sweet to the mouth, but bitter in the stomach. What is this “bitterness in the stomach”? Receiving Christ’s Word – the Word of God – you are obligated to share it with those around you. The chapter closes with:

Revelation 10:11 (KJV)  And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

You must share what God has given you with others. We are to share His Cross, His salvation, and the impending judgment to come for those who will not hear Him. It makes us nervous – we are in a spiritual battle. But we can do no less! Let us live out His Word and share Christ with others.

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Let My People Go

Posted on June 25, 2018 by bibleteacherorg

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Exodus 5:1 (KJV) And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.

Exodus 7:16 (KJV) And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness …

Exodus 8:1, 25-28(KJV) And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me. … 25 And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land. 26 And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us? 27 We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our God, as he shall command us. 28 And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: entreat for me.

You might wonder why we would study Israel and the Exodus that they had from Egypt. When I was a young Christian I often saw the Bible as two books. One – the Old Testament – I saw as a book of history, and the New Testament as current teaching for the Church. I focused a lot of my studies on the New Testament. But as I was reading through Corinthians one day I found out I was wrong. You see, the Old Testament is the foundation for the New Testament. The Bible that Jesus used in His ministry was the Old Testament. The Scriptures that He quoted were the Old Testament. When Jesus was attacked by the devil in the wilderness He fended off the devil quoting Old Testament texts. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3

Matthew 4:4 (KJV) …. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

and Deuteronomy 6:16

Matthew 4:7 (KJV) …. It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

and Deuteronomy 6:13

Matthew 4:10 (KJV) … it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

When Jesus preached His Sermon on the Mount He preached from the Old Testament, relying heavily on the books of Deuteronomy and Numbers. And when Jesus spoke of the Greatest Commandments He quoted from Deuteronomy 6:5, 10:12, and Leviticus 19:18when He said:

Matthew 22:37-40 (KJV) … Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

When the Apostle Paul preached, he often quoted Old Testament text. When Paul preached of Israel and the Exodus he said:

1 Corinthians 10:6 (KJV) Now these things were our EXAMPLES, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

1 Corinthians 10:11-12 (KJV) Now all these things happened unto them for ENSAMPLES: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

What happened to Israel is a τύπος tupos (too’-pos) –a “MODEL” or a“TYPE”, an example for we who are Christians in the Church. When we look at the Book of Exodus Israel was literally led out of Egypt by God. This is true. But Israel is a model of the Church, and what happened to Israel an example we need to take heed of.

Israel is a Type of the Church
The Israelite a Type of the Christian
Pharaoh is a Type of the devil
Egypt is a Type of the sinful world

God is giving us not only a historical account but a picture of what He wants and expects from us. TEN TIMES God sent Moses before Pharaoh with a message. Over and over again God tells Pharaoh:

Let My people go

Over and over again God brings a judgment on Pharaoh and on the nation of Egypt. Over and over again we see a struggle between God and Pharaoh, between Israel and Egypt. We see the persistence of evil – but the superiority of God.

God Can And Will Free His People

Israel was a nation of slaves bound to Egypt. This was literally true. But this is also the model of every person who has ever been saved by God. We are born into this world bound by the sin that indwells us. We are born enslaved to sin.

The Apostle Paul quoting Psalm 14:3 and Psalm 53:3states:

Romans 3:10-12 (KJV) As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

The Israelite was born in bondage to Egypt, a picture of the sinful world. Every person born into this life is born in bondage to sin. We are told in

Romans 3:23 (KJV) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

We – like the Israelites – are hopelessly enslaved to sin and to this world. The Lord Jesus said:

John 8:34-36 (KJV) …. Verily, verily, I say unto you, whosoever committeth SIN IS THE SERVANT OF SIN. 35 AND THE SERVANT ABIDETH NOT IN THE HOUSE FOREVER: BUT THE SON ABIDETH EVER. 36 If the Son, therefore, shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

God wants His people to be free from the world. He sends Moses to Pharaoh. “Let My people go”He says. “Let My people go” from what? From Egypt. From Sin. Sin is no pleasure, but a terrible thing that robs us of our joy.

Romans 6:23 (KJV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

If you stay in Egypt as a slave eventually you will die. If you stay in the world enslaved eventually you will die. The wages of sin is ALWAYS death. We see this in the trials that come on Egypt. God tells Pharaoh:

“Let My people go that they may serve Me in the wilderness”

Pharaoh that old Devil says:

Exodus 5:2 (KJV) …. Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.

This is sin. Sin says “Have the slaves make bricks without straw”. Sin is never a blessing. It may seem a blessing, but it is not. Sin hurts people. Sin brings oppression and the judgment of God. Our world today is under sin, and nearly falling over because of it. If you are saved you do not embrace sin but HATE sin. The Apostle said:

Romans 6:6-11 (KJV) Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth WE SHOULD NOT SERVE SIN. 7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11 Likewise, RECKON YE ALSO YOURSELVES TO BE DEAD INDEED UNTO SIN, BUT ALIVE UNTO GODthrough Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Israelite could not save themselves – God had to save them.
The Christian cannot save himself – God has to save us.

IllustrateOne the greatest songs – and one of my favorites – is Amazing Grace. Listen to the words. Sing it with me if you know it.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a WRETCH like me;
I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see!

A preacher told me once that he had a relative that was playing this song on the piano. He said that this relative had scratched out the word WRETCH and put in its place, SOMEONE. The reason he scratched out that word is that he thought he wasn’t really a WRETCH. He was a nice guy. He went to Church. He paid his taxes and his tithes. But Beloved, if you weren’t a slave to sin prior to meeting Christ, then you never met Christ. Who did Jesus come to save? He said:

1 Timothy 1:15 (KJV) …Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

Luke 19:10 (KJV) For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

And Jesus, quoting from Hosea 6:6 and Micah 6:8said:

Matthew 9:12-13 (KJV) …. They that be whole need, not a physician, but they that are sick.13 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.

God did not come to save the Egyptians satisfied in their sin. He came to save His people from their sins.

Sin’s Hold Is Broken So We Are Able To Serve The Lord

Exodus 5:1 (KJV) And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.

What does God do when He frees the Israelite? They are freed from the world to serve the Living God. What does God do when He frees the Christian? We are freed from the world and sin so that we can serve the Living God. Israel wasn’t freed so they could go live however they wanted. They were freed to serve God. The Apostle wrote:

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (KJV) What?know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

God’s people are saved from serving sin TO serving God. We are saved not to just occasionally to look to God, but to live for Him Who saved us. We are to glorify God in all that we do.

1 Corinthians 10:31 (KJV) Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

We do not glorify God when we sin. We glorify God when we do the things He has commanded us to do. We glorify God when we love one another. We glorify God when we give Him our first consideration. We glorify God when we forgive, and do good to our enemies. We glorify God when we brag on Him and let Him use us to reach others. We do not glorify God when we sin.

Romans 6:14-18 (KJV) For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law but under grace. 15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16 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?17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

God wanted Israel out of Egypt so that they could go out and serve Him in the wilderness. God saves us to serve Him. He said, “so they can have a FEAST in the wilderness”. God is not hungry. God is not thirsty. But God wants us to celebrate Him, to glorify Him. Why? Because though sin was persistent, God was MORE persistent in seeking our salvation. Israel didn’t save Israel. God saved Israel. David didn’t save David. God saved David. But now saved, God calls Israel and David to celebrate and worship Him.

We do not glorify God when we compromise with sin.

We live in a compromising age. Church after Church compromises with the world in order to “reach more people”. Our God does not compromise with sin. At one point Pharaoh called for Moses to compromise:

Exodus 8:25 (KJV) And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land.

This is what the devil and the world say to every child of God. “You can live for your God – just don’t leave Egypt. Stay here with us.”Moses replied:

Exodus 8:26-27 (KJV) … Moses said It is not meet so to do …We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our God, as he shall command us.

We will do what our God has told us to do. Oh, Beloved, we must never compromise with the world. To compromise with the world is to reject God. The stepbrother of Christ James wrote:

James 4:4 (KJV) 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.

God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son. But God does not love sin. God does not compromise with Egypt. If you are His you are called out of Egypt.“Out of Egypt have I called My Son” (Matthew 2:15; Hosea 11:1).

Being rebuked, Pharaoh offered another compromise:

Exodus 8:28 (KJV)28 And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away:…

You can worship your God – but don’t be a fanatic! Don’t take it too seriously. Stay close to the world. The devil is not threatened by the person who is uncommitted, the one who sits on the fence hanging between two worlds. Yet this is not what God has said. When Israel left Egypt they went where God went. The Bible says that God went before them as a pillar of fire by night and pillar of cloud by day:

Exodus 13:21-22 (KJV) And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: 22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

You cannot be a servant of God and hide it. If you are following God people we see His Pillars in your life. Coming to Christ changes your life. There’s been a lot of talks recently about the nature of salvation. Some say “God will save me as I am, and allow me to rest in my sin”. That’s not true. God didn’t save Israel by leaving her in Egypt, and God doesn’t save the Christian to leave him wallowing in his sin. Sin is persistent. The devil is persistent. But God will conquer sin. God will break sin’s hold on your life.

Redeemed People Worship The Lord
By Changing Our Position

Moses told Pharaoh …

Exodus 8:27 (KJV)… We will go THREE DAYS’ journey into the wilderness,

Why did Moses tell Pharaoh “we will go THREE DAYS journey”to worship God? Why not just say “We’ll go”?Because that’s what God told Moses to say in:

Exodus 3:18 (KJV) … now let us go, we beseech thee, THREE DAYS’ JOURNEY into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.

Three days was God’s demand. Moses did not compromise the Word of God. I don’t know that Moses knew why three days was important, but what God said Moses stayed with. There’s a lesson in that. What God has said is true even if the entire world vote against it. Stay true to God.

Why three days?
Three days is a change of position.
It is an act of obedience.
It is a willingness to step outside the comfort zone for God.

When God told Abraham to sacrifice his only child
it took him three days to get to the mountain (Exodus 22:4).

When Jonah was swallowed by the great fish he stayed in its belly
three days and three nights until he repented(Matthew 12:40).

In obedience to the Father Christ stayed three days and three nights
in the tomb (again, Matthew 12:40)– He changed His position for us!

When you are saved by faith in Christ YOUR POSITION CHANGES. You become Christ’s possession, not the world’s. You are to live for Him and in Him. Jesus died for us so that we can attach ourselves to Him. He said:

John 15:5-7 (KJV)  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.  [6]  If a man abides not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.  [7]  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Our strength and power for living are in Christ. We must live for Him. If you wish to be a child of God – one of His people – then you must receive Christ as He is. You must ADMIT your need for Him. ADMIT you are a sinner in need of the Savior. You must BELIEVE that Christ and Christ alone is the only way by which we can be saved from Egypt and death. The Israelite took a Lamb without spot or blemish and, killing that Lamb, placed its blood on their homes. Christ died for you. He took your place of punishment on Calvary. Finally, we are to CONFESS Christ before men. To do as He said without argument. To be baptized because He commanded it. To walk distinct and loving, in the world but not of the world.

Jesus Christ came in the flesh to conquer sin. Sin was a barrier between us and God.

Galatians 4:4-7 (KJV) But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

We who are saved are saved because we have heard and believed what God has said. We know that Jesus Christ came – born of a virgin – to die for our sins. We know that His Blood was shed to cover our sins. He is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world. God changes our position when we are saved. Positionally we are no longer sinners but are sons of God. The Blood that Jesus shed on Calvary was a covering for our sin. Being saved, we no longer serve sin nor this world but are to serve our Lord. Why did God save Israel? “That they may serve Me in the wilderness”. We are not saved to sit but are saved to serve. We are saved to celebrate Him!

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Well, Well (Reflections on John 4:1-29)

Posted on June 21, 2018 by bibleteacherorg

well.jpg

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John 4:1-7 (KJV)  When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,  [2]  (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)  [3]  He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.  [4]  And he must needs go through Samaria.  [5]  Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.  [6]  Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.  [7]  There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

Thus far in the Gospel of John, we have seen Jesus witness to John, Andrew, Peter, Philip, Nathaniel, and Nicodemus. The number of those following Jesus has increased dramatically. Wherever Jesus goes He commands “follow Me”, and people begin to follow Him. Yet one crowd still resists Christ, and that is the self-righteous crowd, the Pharisees.

Jesus never baptized anyone but commanded His disciples to do so. As the number of those baptized by Jesus surpasses that of John the Baptist the Pharisees begin to worry about Christ. Who was this young Upstart who ran people out of the Temple? The Man was rocking the boat, and they didn’t like it.

But Jesus knew their hearts. Jesus knew their thoughts (Matthew 12:25). Jesus is not just some new fad, an undocumented Rabbi. We learned in John 1 that Jesus is the Eternal Word of God. He is co-equal and co-eternal with God.

Proverbs 21:2 (KJV) the LORD pondereth the hearts.
Jeremiah 17:10 (KJV)I the LORD search the heart…

Jesus knew what was in the Pharisee heart. Jesus had a mission to fulfill from God His Father. Rather than stir a boiling pot Jesus …

must needs go through Samaria

The Spirit led Jesus away from Jerusalem and into the strangest of places. He led Jesus to Samaria.

Samaria Is A Fallen Place

John 4:5 (KJV) Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

As non-Jewish people, we would just read this text and not think about it, but to the Jew what is happening is significant. The Jews hated the Samaritans, and the Samaritans hated the Jews. No self-respecting Jew – particularly a Pharisee – wanted to be found anywhere near Samaria or near a Samaritan. What caused this hatred?

After King Solomon died his son, Rehoboam, ruled in his place. Rehoboam, unlike Solomon, was not a wise king. He did not seem to care for his people. Rehoboam took pains to take care of his tribe (Judah) and the tribe of Levi (the Priests), but used the other ten tribes horribly. He was not fair in taxation, nor in meeting their needs. A delegation from the ten other tribes of Israel went to Jerusalem to discuss the matter with Rehoboam. Their leader was Jeroboam. Jeroboam told Rehoboam:

1 Kings 12:4 (KJV)  Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.

The delegation asked for a lighter tax. What was Rehoboam’s answer?

1 Kings 12:14 (KJV) … My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

This is not diplomacy, nor was the answer well received. The ten tribes of Israel decided to break away from Rehoboam and Jerusalem and to form their own nation. Their capital city would be Samaria. Thus the Samaritans were born.

The ten tribes became Northern Israel. Jeroboam reigned from Samaria. Rather than worship at the Temple (which was what God decreed) the Samarian government established its own places of worship. As Samaria and the ten tribes drifted farther away from God the Lord caused the Assyrian Empire under Sargon II and his successor Sennacherib to overthrow Samaria and it’s tribes. The Samaritan population was flooded with Assyrian immigrants who intermarried with the population. As a result, many of those called “Samaritan” was blended Jews and Gentiles. The Jews of Judah and Levi despised these rebels and were in turn despised by the Samaritans.

John 4:6 (KJV) Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. 

Though Samaritan and Jew were enemies, God still loved ALL of Israel. Jesus stopped to rest at a place called “Jacob’s Well”. This was an area that Jacob – the Father of Israel – purchased(see Genesis 33:18-20). It was here that Jacob rested after his encounter with his brother Esau, a brother that he had cheated and robbed of his birthright. Jacob expected Esau to destroy him and his family, but God caused Esau to forgive his brother. When Jacob and his family rested in Shechem he purchased this land, built a well on it, and built an altar to God which he called:

Elelohe-Israel, or
El Eloshe Israel

which means “to the Mighty God of Israel”. This was a well dedicated to God by the father of a united Israel. After Rehoboam’s failure and Jeroboam’s revolt, this area fell into the Samaritan territory. But it was a place where all of Israel should have come together under the love of God. Had Esau destroyed Jacob then neither Jew nor Samaritan would be alive today. Our God is gracious. It is here at this historic well and on this holy ground that Jesus encounters a Samaritan woman.

John 4:7 (KJV) There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

Jesus Loves To Save The Fallen

That Jesus – an obvious Jew by His dress and deportment – would speak to a Samaritan was shocking to this woman. She asks …

John 4:9 (KJV) …. How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

To her, this is like a member of the Ku Klux Klan asking an African American woman for a glass of iced tea. This woman has never been approached civilly by a Jew, and I suspect that she herself has never been civil to a Jew. This is how racism works. Rather than accept all people as precious because all people are made by God in His image

Acts 17:26 (KJV) {God}hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, …

racism looks backward to perceived injustices and unfairness that humans – ALL HUMANS – have made. We cannot look at any color of people from any nation and not look backward and see injustices perpetrated. Every human of every color need only honestly think just a few moments before we realize we have “all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). There is “none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). We have all failed one another, and have all failed our God.

But Jesus loves us.
He loves the Samaritan and the Jew.
He loves the Red, the Yellow, the Black, the White.
Jesus loves the sinner but wants to save them from their sin.
He loves you and me enough to approach us in our wrong,
And to draw us to His right.

Jesus replied to her in

John 4:10 (KJV) …. If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

This intrigued the woman. Jesus had no means by which He could draw water from Jacob’s well. If He didn’t even have a bucket, how was He going to give her Living Water? Jesus told her:

John 4:13-14 (KJV) … Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:  [14]  But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

Jacob’s well was a great blessing, but Jesus’ well is better. Those who drank from Jacob’s well – whether Jew or Samaritan – would be thirsty again. But those who drank from the well of Christ would never thirst. Jesus would satisfy those who put their trust in Him. The woman had to have this water. She said:

John 4:15 (KJV) … Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

This woman – like many people today – think that Jesus is offering convenience. Come to Jesus and get everlasting life … but no difference in your life now. Listen, Beloved – Jesus did not come to save us IN our sins, but to save us FROM our sins. He came to change our posture in life. Jesus illustrates this next. We read:

John 4:16-18 (KJV)  Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.  [17]  The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:  [18]  For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

This woman was in heterosexual sin. She was sleeping around. Jesus does not give living water to a person drowning in sin. Those who come to Jesus REPENT of their sin, no matter what it might be.

Nicodemus repented of his self-righteousness.
Zacchaeus repented of his thefts.
Peter repented of his selfishness.
This woman will repent of her sexual sin.

Jesus changes our want to’s to God’s want to’s. He transfers us from the Kingdom of Darkness and into His Kingdom of Light:

Colossians 1:12-14 (KJV)  Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:  [13]  Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:  [14]  In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

Sins are not only forgiven, but their power is removed in Christ. He changes our posture in righteousness. Not only this, but God changes our posture in worship. The woman told Jesus …

John 4:20 (KJV)  Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.  

The Samaritans worshiped not in the Temple, but in the mountains of Samaria. The Jews told them they needed to worship in the Temple. Jesus corrected both Jew as well as Samaritan when He said:

John 4:21-23 (KJV) Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.  [22]  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.  [23]  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

It is not the place that makes worship of God special – it is that we worship Him in spirit and in truth. God seeks those who will worship Him not just in the mountains, nor in the local Church building, but wherever they are.

Our lives should be filled with worship for the Lord if we are saved of Him. Every action we take in life should be to glorify our Creator and Savior. We are to live for Him!

John 4:24 (KJV)  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Jesus said, “God is a Spirit”. He is like the wind. He is everywhere. There is no place I can go to escape Him. The Psalmist said to God:

Psalms 139:7-14 (KJV)  Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?  [8]  If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.  [9]  If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;  [10]  Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.  [11]  If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.  [12]  Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.  [13]  For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.  [14]  I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

Every moment of every day we should worship the Lord. Jesus came to save us from our sins. Jesus came to enable us to worship God as He wants to be worshiped. Jesus came as the Messiah. We close with:

John 4:25-29 (KJV)  The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ: when he comes, he will tell us all things.  [26]  Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.  …  [28]  The woman then left her water-pot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,  [29]  Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

When Peter was called to follow Jesus, he left his fishing boat.
WhenMatthewwas called to follow Jesus, he left his tax tables.
When Andrew was called to follow Jesus, he left John the Baptist.
When Nathaniel was called to follow Jesus, he left his fig tree.
And when this woman was called to follow Jesus, she left her water-pot.

They all left that which was GOOD to follow Him that is BEST. Are YOU following Jesus or religion? Are you worshiping God in spirit and in truth, or just going through the motions? Choose Him Who gives living water and eternal life. Choose to follow Christ.

Posted in Faithfulness of God, Following Disciples, Following Jesus, John, Sermons Preached | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Faith Of Our Fathers

Posted on June 18, 2018 by bibleteacherorg

Exodus 2:21-22 (KJV) And Moses was content to dwell with {the priest of Midian}: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. 22 And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.

Exodus 3:1-6 (KJV) Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. 2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

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There have been two recent suicides that have shaken Hollywood and the art world. Kate Spade was very successful in the fashion industry, and was worth an estimated $200 Million dollars. She took her own life at the age of 55 years old. What a terrible tragedy! Less than a week later Anthony Bourdain – a very successful celebrity chef and television host – took his own life. He was young – only 61 years old. He was also well off. His net worth was an estimated $16 Million dollars. They had fame. They had fortune. They had power. Yet they were not satisfied with the lives they had.

I do not know where their final destination is – only God knows this. And I am certainly not one to pass judgment on anyone. But I am convinced that the things of this life do not bring soul satisfying happiness. America is one of the most prosperous nations in the world. And yet suicide rates have increased nationwide over the last twenty years, and half of the states the rates are up by 30%. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 15-34. Why?

One of the greatest warriors this world has ever seen was Alexander the Great. In his lifetime he conquered most of the known world – but died mysteriously at the age of 32. Before Alexander died he asked for three things:

Let my doctors carry my casket.
Take the gold and jewels from my treasury, and scatter them before my funeral procession.
Bury me with both of my hands outside of my casket.

His general assured him that they would do as he asked, but asked why he wanted these things done. Alexander replied:

I want people to know that no doctor can cure death.
I want them to know that I chased wealth my whole life, but I can’t take it with me.
I want all to know I came empty handed into this world, and leave the same way.

You may find happiness – brief happiness – in fame or fortune. But until you come to know the Lord Who made you, until you walk hand in hand with Him, you will be unhappy. Unhappiness and dissatisfaction left untreated can turn into depression, and when depressed you may be convinced your life is not worth living. Your life is worth living. God loves you, and made you not to be controlled by things, but to be with Him. God did not make you to walk about controlled by social media and the politically correct mind police. God made you to do great things WITH Him.

We Become Depressed When We Forget God

Exodus 2:21-22 (KJV) And Moses was content to dwell with {the priest of Midian}: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. 22 And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.

Our text starts out with “Moses was CONTENT”, but the context itself shows you this is not a good translation. If Moses is “content” then why would he name his child “Gershom” which means “stranger”? Why would Moses says “I am a stranger in a strange land” if he was “content”. He wasn’t “content”. He was – according to the Hebrew – YA’AL (יָאַל) which means “he was WILLING”. Moses had settled in life. He was just existing. He had a wife, a job, a new family – and Moses was willing to settle down into this life.

But something was lacking.
Moses said “I have been a stranger in a strange land”.
He was not where he wanted to be.
This is why he named his child Gershom!

God made us to be complete only in Him. We are made “in His likeness, in His image” (Genesis 1:26). We have no control over how we are born into this life. Some are born with silver spoons in their mouths. Others are born poor.

Moses wasn’t supposed to be born at all.

Moses’ mamma and daddy were born slaves in Egypt. The King of Egypt wanted to hold the Israelites in bondage, and wanted to restrict the number of male babies they had. So the King issued a decree to the midwives who delivered babies:

Exodus 1:16 (KJV) … When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.

This was selective abortion, much like we see in America today. If a child is inconvenient or not perfect in it’s form then let’s abort that baby. Kill the child, satisfy the King. But the midwives refused to do so because they realized that every life has value. Do you understand this?

Every life has value.
Every life is created by God for a purpose.
You have purpose. God made you for a reason.
That person next to you has purpose.
You will only find your purpose in Christ!

Since the midwives didn’t do their jobs, the Pharaoh told all of the nation:

Exodus 1:22 (KJV)… Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.

Moses was born into this world. His mother was under orders to “cast her son into the river”. What would his mother do? She “cast her son into the river”, but only after making a little boat to put him in. A mother’s love for God and her son saved her child.

Technically Moses’ mother obeyed the Law, but she wasn’t about to destroy her son. This was not only a violation of God’s Law, a but also a violation of her Divine Design. God made women with the ability to bear and mother children. No mother wants to destroy her child. And God honored a mother’s obedience.

Little Moses floated down the river, and was rescued by none other than the Pharaoh’s daughter. Moses was raised in the King’s household. Moses was taught to read and write, for God had a plan for his life. But Moses was a stranger in a strange land. A Hebrew, he was raised in the Egyptian household. His mother was ordered to look after him, but he was a man between two worlds. He was a stranger in a strange land.

God had a purpose for Moses, and that purpose was the Cross of Christ, the salvation of mankind. When man fell from paradise by sin the Lord God promised the evil one that a Redeemer would come. The Lord said:

Genesis 3:15 (KJV) 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.

Satan, your days will be numbered. The Seed of the woman will come forth and crush your head. He will destroy the sin and havoc that you through Adam brought into the world. Time passed. God called Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He promised first to Abraham:

Genesis 12:3 (KJV) … in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

It was through Abraham and his progeny that the Promised Redeemer would come. Abraham would have a child, Isaac, who would have a Jacob. From Jacob would come a nation and out of that nation “all the families of the world will be blessed”.

The Bible tells us that:

1 Peter 1:18-20 (KJV) Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain {way of life} received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

Christ would come through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Christ would come through Israel. Jesus Christ – Almighty and Incarnate God – would go to the Cross for us. God ordained this from eternity. God ordained Christ to die for our sins so that we would not be strangers to God. The Scripture declares of those who have received Christ as Lord and Savior:

Ephesians 2:19-20 (KJV) Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

Moses felt himself a stranger in a strange land. Why? Because he was without God at this time. Moses is in Midian in hiding because he murdered a man he never should have murdered. He is dispossessed. He is a stranger in a strange land. But God is working in the background to bring Moses where he needs to be. Though the Bible says:

Romans 3:10-12 (KJV) …. There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

God seeks us. Though the Bible says:

Romans 3:23 (KJV) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

God in His infinite love seeks us, calls us, loves us. Up to this point in his life Moses has followed his emotions, but not the Lord Who made him. The Lord seeks Moses. The Lord seeks you. He seeks our best, and knows our best will not come until we repent and follow Him.

Ezekiel 34:11-12 (KJV) For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

Gods seeks His people. He calls us to His side. Jesus said:

Luke 19:10 (KJV) {I have} come to seek and to save that which was lost.

We were made to walk with and worship God.
Not ourselves, but God.
Not money, but God.
Not sex, but God.
Not power, but God.
You were given eyes to look UP to Him.
You were given ears to hear His creation and His Word.
You were given hands to raise in praise, or to bow in prayer.
You were given feet to follow where He leads.
You were given lips to sing to Him, to pray to Him.
Your bodies are temples that should be inhabited by Him.

When We Meet Christ Life Begins To Make Sense

Moses is just existing. He has a wife, he has a son, and has a job. He is a shepherd. He’s doing his job, but he isn’t content. We read:

Exodus 3:1-3 (KJV) Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. 2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

God reaches out to Moses. Moses sees a bush burning – but not burning up.
God reached out to the Apostle Paul on the Damascus Road.
He reached out to David when he was but a boy shepherd watching his father’s sheep.
God reaches out to Moses through a burning bush.
God controls events around us to bring us to Him.
He will not force us to Him. But He calls.

Exodus 3:4 (KJV) And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

God approached Moses, just as He approaches every person at least once in their lives. God puts events and circumstances into our lives that make us turn toward Him. He calls – and we can choose or not choose to respond. Jesus said:

John 6:44 (KJV) No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

The Father draws through His Spirit. He does not force. He attracts. He opens the door. He directs events to bring us to Him. Moses saw the burning bush, and turned to approach it. Moses could have passed on by, and never heard the call of God. But he saw the burning bush – and from this bush God calls out to Moses. The Lord says:

Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I

God distinctively called Moses. Moses, Moses! And Moses responded to the Lord. Here I am. God calls to us through His wonderful creation.

Psalms 19:1 (KJV) … The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.

We see God in creation. God approaches us through creation. Moses turns, and God now introduces Himself.

Exodus 3:5-6 (KJV) And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

God introduces Himself as the God of our fathers.
He is the God Who called Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to salvation.
He is the God Who promised Satan’s destruction, and Abraham’s blessing.

Moses was afraid to look upon God, but God loved to reach out to Moses. God calls Moses to salvation. Moses is to repent, to turn from the life that he was at, and begin life anew with the Lord. God tells Moses something astounding. He wants Moses to go back to Egypt, to come from hiding, and to lead His people out of Egypt.

God has not forgotten His promise.
God has not forgotten the Cross.
God has not forgotten our salvation.
God never forgets to reach out in love to us!

Exodus 3:9-10 (KJV) Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

Oh dear ones, salvation comes but with it brings the Cross. Jesus said:

Mark 8:34-35 (KJV)34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.

You were not saved to sit on the sidelines, but to be like Christ. Moses, you have a Cross before you. Love my people. Lead my people from Egypt, from the godless world. Turn and follow Me, and call others to walk with us. This is salvation. It is not a selfish ticket punched to Heaven, but a life of love to God and to man!

J.D. Greear the newly elected President of the SBC wrote an article and a book called “Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart”. In this article he said:

“The gospel is the declaration that Jesus is Lord and has made an end to our sins. We are saved by submitting to those two truths. Conversion is a posture we take toward the declarations that Scripture makes about Jesus. The point is not how we felt or what we said at the moment of conversion; the point is the posture we are in now.”

When God saved Moses He called Moses to His side. When God saves a person, He calls that person to His side. God says to us in salvation:

You are not your own.
You belong to Me.
I have something I want to do through you.

God told Moses “I am going to send you to Pharaoh. You will be my instrument, and I will be with you.”. Moses asked God “Whom shall I say has sent me?” God replied:

Exodus 3:14-15 (KJV) … I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. … The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

God Is Able To Use You

The God Who saves you is the God Who sends you. God stands with His children. God is able! God is able! God knew that Pharaoh would harden his heart and not let his people go. But God also knew – and told Moses – that in time Pharaoh would relent and let Israel go. God is in control. He is always in control.

I would like to say that Moses immediately did mighty things for God – but this would be untrue. Moses was newly saved. He was full of doubts about his ability to do what God asked him to do. As Moses came up with objections the Lord showed how He could use a lowly stick – so He could use Moses. God’s reply to Moses’ worry is:

Moses, I called you.
Moses, I will equip you.
Moses, just do as I say.

Moses did what God said, and became the instrument by which Israel was led from Egypt. God was going to save Israel because He promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God was going to send Christ through Israel because He promised He would do so. God will always do as He has said He will do. God is able. God is able. God is able to save whosoever will. Will you trust God in Christ today?

A little boy was riding around and around the block. A man asked him, “What are you doing?”

“I’m running away from home,” he said. “But you’re just going around and around the block,” said the man. The little boy responded, “That’s because my mom won’t let me cross the street!”

You’re going to keep going around in circles until you give yourselves to the Lord!

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Something Supernatural

Posted on June 16, 2018 by bibleteacherorg

Revelation 9:1-6And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. 5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. 6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

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In Revelation chapter 8 we saw “seven angels with seven trumpets”which were released on the earth because of the seventh seal. When Jesus released the Seventh Seal it is not the end of judgment, but that unfolds into Seven Trumpet Judgments:

  • TheFirst Trumpet destroyed the third part of all green things, the vegetation of earth.
  • The Second Trumpet turned the third part of the ocean into blood, killing a third of all fish life.
  • The Third Trumpet turned the third part of all fresh water bitter and undrinkable – killing wildlife and fish.
  • TheFourth Trumpet blotted out a third of the light from the sun, moon, and stars.

These are all horrible – but as Chapter 8 ends we are told:

Revelation 8:13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

An angel flies out crying three woes – “Woe! Woe! Woe!”. This angel makes it clear that the first four Trumpets were nothing compared to what was coming. The Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Trumpets are triple Woe! Trumpets. The first four were scary – the next three are hide under your bed scary! What can be that bad?

Woe 1 – God Releases Locusts

Revelation 9:1-3 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

When the fifth angel sounds a Star falls to the earth. Though stars in the Bible are often celestial bodies, in this case, it refers to an angel (see Job 38:7). Why is this angel called “A Star”? Because all eyes are upon him. He has one job – to open the ABYSS. What is the bottomless pit or the ABYSS? Both Peter and Jude spoke of this pit.

2 Peter 2:4 … 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;

and Jude said:

Jude 6 … the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

When Satan led his revolt against God there were some Angels who followed the devil that God did not allow them to go free. Though God allowed Satan to roam the earth as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8), and though Satan was allowed to enter and exit the Throne Room of God even after his rebellion (see Job 1:7), these Angels were cast into a Pit, an Abyss, “Held until this time of Judgment”. These things look like Flying Scorpions.

Though I’ve never been bitten by a scorpion I’ve been told by those who have that it is terrible! These things released from the pit are given very specific instructions:

Revelation 9:4 And IT WAS COMMANDED them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but ONLY those MEN WHICH HAVE NOT THE SEAL OF GOD in their foreheads.

These “Demon Locust Scorpions” are commanded to hurt only the unbelieving, those who have rejected the Lord Jesus. The order to these Locust/Scorpions is very specific. They are NOT to hurt the earth or any green thing, but just the unbeliever that “has not the seal of God in their foreheads”. These creatures are intelligent. They can tell who is saved and who is not.

If these “Locusts” which are unbelieving demons can tell who unbelievers are, don’t you think the LOST can tell a fake Christian?

Those who have the seal of God in their foreheads may have to worry about the anti-Christ – but they do not have to worry about these creatures. They are tormentors of the lost world.

Revelation 9:5-6 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when he striketh a man. 6 And in those days shall SEEK DEATH, AND SHALL NOT FIND IT; AND SHALL DESIRE TO DIE, AND DEATH SHALL FLEE FROM THEM.

These creatures will torment the unbelieving, but will not kill them. As a matter of fact, no one will be able to die even if they want to. Men and women will be driven to suicide, but will not be able to take their own lives

The Demons Described

Revelation 9:7-10 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle, and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. 8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power WAS TO HURT MEN FIVE MONTHS.

Men may not die. They cannot kill these creatures. They must torment the unbelieving for five months. What relief is available? The unbelieving can REPENT and TURN TO GOD. They can seek Christ as Savior, and the mark of God will then be placed in their foreheads. The anti-Christ has not started marking anyone with 666 yet, the Mark of the Beast. There is time for man to repent – but WILL NOT – even though this is the only way out!

If the unbeliever would turn to God then
he would receive the mark of God
and relief from the torment of the locusts!

As a Pastor I have tried to preach God’s Word faithfully but there are those who REFUSE TO HEAR. Just like these poor lost souls during the Tribulation, they sit in the audience, number heads, stir trouble, and try to lead others down the pathway of hell. They hear Christ’s command to love and be loved but hate and teach hate. They are poisoned with unbelief. They will not be reached, and it is THEIR fault, not ours. In the end, you make your own choice.

The fifth Trumpet sounds LOUD AND CLEAR, saying “Choose salvation. Choose Christ and the torment will end”. Like the case of Ananias and Sapphira who lied to the Holy Spirit in Acts 5, Peter gave them every opportunity to repent and tell the truth. They wallowed in their sin and suffered for it. So shall it be with the unbelieving at this time in history.

Revelation 9:11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

Because they would not receive Christ as King, they suffer under King Abaddon Apollyon – which means “destruction”. They choose destruction over peace with God.

Five Months – The Number Of Grace – Then Woe #2

The Fifth Angel plays the Fifth Trump, and mankind suffers for five months. Five is the number of Grace – and God gives mankind time to repent.

After five months the terrible demons – flying scorpions – are removed, and along with them the power NOT to die. We now read of the Sixth Trumpet:

Revelation 9:13-16 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. 15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. 16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.

During World War II America had 12 million men serving in the combined Armed Forces. That pales in comparison to what we see in this section of Revelation, an army of 200 Million soldiers. That is a HUGE army. The population of the United States in 2014 was 318.9 million people, so this army is almost as big as our nation itself! This army will be led by Four Angels on Horses from the Euphrates. This is a supernatural Army, not composed of normal soldiers.

Under the Fourth Seal (Revelation 6:8) one-quarter of humanity died. Under this Sixth Trumpet or Second Woe, one-third of humanity will die. At the end of these two judgments over half of humanity (.58333) will be destroyed.

This is a supernatural attack force that cannot be defeated. John wrote:

Revelation 9:17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions, and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.

The “horses” were like fire-breathing lions.

Revelation 9:18-19 By these threefire, smoke, and brimstonewas the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. 19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

It is the smoke, the fire, and the brimstone that kills one third of humanity. If mankind would just repent and turn to Christ their destruction could be averted. But humanity has become hardened to God and His Grace. The Bible tells us in Exodus 12:40 that Israel was in Egypt 430 years. Why so long? Because they would not cry out to God. They would not repent. It was only when the Children of Israel cried out by reason of their bondage that their cry came up to God, and God heard their groaning and remembered …” (Exodus 2:23-25). God raised up Moses and sent seven plagues on Pharaoh, securing the release of His people Israel. God will bless, but there must be repentance! What of the unbelieving during the Great Tribulation? Will they repent? No! They are attacked and tormented for FIVE MONTHS by flying Scorpion Demons. A third part of humanity dies from a supernatural army of 200 million fire breathing horses. What happens? The Bible says:

Revelation 9:20-21 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues YET REPENTED NOT of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

They refused to repent of their idolatry.
They refused to repent of their evil.
They refused to repent of their sexual sins.
They refused to repent of their worship of money.
It’s MY BODY and I’ll do what I want to do.

Of all the scary things in the Book of Revelation this is, indeed, the scariest! A hardened heart that refuses to turn to God in spite of clear evidence that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Oh Beloved, harden not your hearts as they did in the provocation, in the rebellion of the wilderness (Hebrews 3:8). The scariest thing of all is the hardened heart. Guard your hearts against this terror!

God has room in His heart for you if you have room in your heart for Him. Turn to Him. Love Him. Worship only Him. Cherish one another, and praise God if you are in His family by faith in Christ – for Revelation 9 will never happen to you!

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Making Daniels – a Vacation Bible School Message

Posted on June 16, 2018 by bibleteacherorg

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Daniel 1:1-6 (KJV) In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god. 3 And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes; 4 Children in whom was no blemish, but well favored, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. 5 And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. 6 Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: … 8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

Every year about this time we as a Church sponsor a Vacation Bible School. Some of our members will take this as a time to “take off from Church”, to go to the park, to take a vacation. Some will justify their taking off by saying to themselves, “My children are grown, my grandchildren are not here. I don’t have anything to do, so I’ll just make myself scarce”.

May I say dear friends that the children are the future of our country and the future of our Church. As goes the children, so goes our nation.

When God was going to send Israel into the Promised Land He cried out to His people, saying:

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 (KJV) Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

God commands His people to love Him with all they have, but also to teach the children to love Him with all they have.

Children are fertile soil.
They can be taught hatred, or they can be taught love.
A child can be taught to trust in God or to trust in man.
A child can be taught to believe in a Loving Creator or to be Socialist in their faith.

The Bible says:

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

Children must be taught, and will be taught. A child will be taught respect for authority and how to be a good citizen in the land and in God’s Kingdom, or else the child will be taught that he or she is god above all. A child is taught humility or narcissism. A child will record – from its earliest days – what it is taught by you or by someone else. It is a fact that the first things learned are what the child will do as an adult.

Proverbs 22:6 (KJV) Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

A child trained to love the Lord will more often than not love the Lord later in life. A child trained to love himself will grow up selfish and greedy. We see this in the Book of Daniel. Daniel grew up in a Judah that was fallen from God.

Jehoiakim Was A Child Before He Was A King

Daniel 1:1 (KJV) In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.

As we start reading the Book of Daniel we don’t start with Daniel but Jehoiakim. Who was Jehoiakim? Jehoiakim was an evil King of Judah. He came to the throne when he was 25 years old. The Bible tells us:

2 Kings 23:36-37 (KJV) Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. … And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.

Though Jehoiakim reigned eleven years in Jerusalem, all but three of those years he reigned as a puppet king or a vassal of Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar came into Jerusalem and overthrew Judah, taking over Jehoiakim’s kingdom. But it was not Nebuchadnezzar who really conquered Judah. The One that conquered Judah was GOD. Jehoiakim was raised without Christ, and when he took the throne “he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his FATHERS had done”. He did what he was taught. The Bible commands us:

Ephesians 6:4 (KJV) … fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Children must be taught the things of God.

I read with bemusement an idiotic article the other day written at the liberal and obnoxious Huffington Post. In the article the author accused Christians and brainwashing their children by taking them to Church, reading Bible stories to them, and having them attend Vacation Bible School. The author accused those who did so of being child abusers. How foolish! What a child is taught is what the child will grow up to be, and if we do not teach our children someone will. It is not abusive to teach a child the Gospel of salvation and that God loves them. The Scripture says:

Psalms 127:3 (KJV) Lo, children are a heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

Children are precious gifts from God, but children must be taught of God. They must be taught of His Word. They must be taught of His Gospel. This is the responsibility of EVERY ADULT, whether you have children in your home or not. If you will not assist in training them they will grow up like Jehoiakim,

doing evil in the sight of the Lord

You say “but this will not impact MY life”. I beg to differ. We read:

Daniel 1:2 (KJV) … the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into {Nebuchadnezzar’s} hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.

Because Jehoiakim was not raised to love God, and because he as that Judah’s king “did evil in the sight of God”, the LORD GAVE THE NATION INTO A HEATHEN KING’S HAND. Failure to train the children to love the Lord in our nation has caused this nation to become postChristian and godless.

God turned Judah over to Babylon. He in effect said “If you’re going to act like unbelievers, I’ll let you be run by unbelievers”. That was God’s judgment. But God even went farther. Nebuchadnezzar took “part of the vessels of the house of God” to Babylon, and used these vessels to worship his false god.

God shut the Church down!
God shut the Church down!
God shut the Church down!

Judah is under siege. The nation has been invaded by a foreign power. The people can no longer worship God in the Temple because many of the necessities and furnishings have been taken away. This is like a bad nightmare. But what else is going on? We read:

Daniel 1:3-4 (KJV) And the king {Nebuchadnezzar} spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes; 4 Children in whom was no blemish, but well favored, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.

King Nebuchadnezzar decided that he would take the best children from Judah and send them to Babylon to indoctrinate them and use them in that godless land. These were called “children” (the Hebrew BEN orבֵּן) in verse 3, and (יֶלֶד yeled) in verse 4. These are words used for young children, probably (based on the fact that they had to be:

skillful in wisdom
cunning in knowledge
understanding science (able to reason)
ability to stand (and not run around)

This tells us that the children were not to be very young, but probably were TEENAGERS who were gifted. These children were taken from their families through no fault of their own. They were placed in a godless and foreign environment to be taught the ways of the unbeliever.

Daniel 1:5 (KJV) the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.

These children were put into a THREE YEAR training program. At the end of those three years they were going to have to stand before King Nebuchadnezzar and be tested. If they did not make the grade it was highly likely these children would either be killed, or at the least sold as slaves into hard service.

Daniel Was A Child Before He Went Before The King

Daniel 1:6 (KJV) Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:

You may recognize the name of Daniel, but the other three names you may not. We find out shortly though who these other three young people are.

Daniel 1:7 (KJV) Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.

This is Daniel, and his three friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These young teens were in a terrible place. Taken from their parents, and robbed of their homeland, they are put in a foreign palace and forced to learn Babylonian things. Babylon took everything away from Daniel and his friends. They took their names away.

Names mean something in the Bible.

“Daniel” means “my Judge is God”
He was renamed “Belteshazzar” which means “The god BEL is my father”

“Hananiah” means “Yahweh Gave Me Grace”
He was renamed “Shadrach” which means “A Little Friend Of The King”

“Mishael” means “Imitator Of God”
He was renamed “Meshach” which means “The Guest Of The King”


“Azariah” means “Yahweh Helps Me”
He was renamed “Abednego” meaning “A Servant of the god Nebo”

These four teenagers were renamed in an attempt to remove their identities. They lost their mommas and daddies, their brothers and sisters. They were taken from school and bused away from their friends. They lost everything, but that which is greatest.

They know Who Their God is!

Daniel and his three friends loved the Lord. They had been taught the truths of God. In this foreign palace strange foods were set before them. As a follower of God there were certain things that Daniel could not eat at this time. The Bible says:

Daniel 1:8 (KJV) … But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank:…

I love how this is written. Think of it. Dwell on it!

Daniel purposed in his heart

That which defined Daniel was not his name, nor peer pressure, nor what was going on around him. His heart was set on God. Daniel had been taught by his parents:

1 Corinthians 6:20 (KJV) For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Neither Nebuchadnezzar nor his circumstances defined Daniel. What defined Daniel was his living relationship with God. Christ walked with him. He had been taught:

Colossians 3:1-4 (KJV) If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

What did Daniel purpose in his heart? The Bible says:

Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile HIMSELF

Daniel saw any compromise with the godless a defilement of HIMSELF. Listen Beloved. When you get drunk you do not defile God, you defile YOURSELF. When you do drugs you do not defile God, you defile YOURSELF. When you sleep with a woman not your wife you defile YOURSELF. When you lay down with a man who is a hound dog, you defile YOURSELF. The Bible says:

Romans 6:23 (KJV) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

When you do that which God says is SIN then SIN will DO YOU IN!
Sin never defiles God.
It defiles us. It hurts us.

Carry a grudge, defile yourself. Eat what God told you NOT to eat, defile yourself. Don’t believe me? Ask Adam. He ate himself out of Paradise. Sin destroys. Daniel and his three friends had been taught this. Daniel did not want to defile himself by sinning against God. So what does he do? Is he defiant? No. He respects those in authority over him. He was raised to respect authority in the family. We read:

Daniel 1:8 (KJV) … {Daniel} requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

He “requested”. He did not demand. He respected the authority that God allowed over him. The Scripture says:

Romans 13:1 (KJV) Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

Daniel was where he was because God ordained it. But Daniel did not want to dishonor himself by dishonoring God. So Daniel went to his boss and asked that he not eat that which would dishonor his God. Do you know what happened? God supported Daniel. We read:

Daniel 1:9 (KJV) Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.

God can control a heart. The Scripture says:

Proverbs 21:1 (KJV) The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.

God touched Daniel’s master. Daniel and his earthly master began to discuss the matter. The Eunuch said:

Daniel 1:10 (KJV) … I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.

The Eunuch was in charge of training and feeding these young slaves. If he failed in his duties then he would literally lose his head. But Daniel replied:

Daniel 1:12-13 (KJV) Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. 13 Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king’s meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.

Daniel proposed a ten day trial. He and his friends were to be given zeroa` or vegetables and water for ten days. They went on a vegetarian diet. At the end of that period if they were not as healthy as the other youth then Daniel said “we’ll go back to doing it your way”. Daniel trusted God, and left the matter in God’s hands. What happened? It was just as Daniel said. God gave the youth healthier appearances.

God is in control. God is always in control.

God was in control when the little baby Moses was placed in an ark by his mother, and floated into the arms of the Princess of Egypt. Had Moses remained a slave he would never have been able to write. But as an adopted child of the King he was given an education, and wrote the Books of the Law.

God is in control. God is always in control.

When Joseph was sold as a slave into Egypt by his brothers, it was because God is in control. Joseph became right hand man to the King of Egypt, and through him Israel grew into a mighty nation.

God is in control. God is always in control.

When Daniel and his friends were taken into captivity, it was so that one day wise men would come to announce the birth of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Daniel and his friends were trained by parents who loved them, and taught them of Jesus. Their relationship with Christ would carry them through many bad times. In fact, at the end of their three years of training Daniel and his friends would not only succeed, but …

Daniel 1:20 (KJV) And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.

Do you want your child to succeed in life? Teach them of Christ. Teach them to love God. The children we teach this week will grow up in Christ or in Satan. Which do you think is best for our nation?

May God touch your hearts with His Word.

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What Does It Mean “To Believe”?

Posted on June 8, 2018 by bibleteacherorg

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John 3:16-18 (KJV)  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  [17]  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  [18]  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

John 3:36 (KJV)  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

The word “believeth” or some form of the word “believe” is found in the Scripture some 312 times. Most of these occurrences are found in the New Testament. That isn’t because God didn’t require faith to save the Old Testament Saint – for the Scripture says

Genesis 15:6 (KJV) {Abraham} believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Believe is absolutely necessary for salvation to occur. But what does it mean to “believe”? Last time we saw a well known Rabbi and Politician by the name of Nicodemus come to Jesus by night. As Nicodemus addressed Jesus the Lord told him:

John 3:3 (KJV) … Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

How can a person be “born again” in his own effort? He cannot. Jesus made it clear to Nicodemus that New Birth is not something that we as humans can work out. New Birth is a gift of the Spirit of God. So how does one go about being “Born Again”? You must BELIEVE. But WHAT does it mean to BELIEVE? How does GOD define belief? We see in our text

We Must Believe In God’s Narrow Gate

John 3:16 (KJV)  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

Everyone is familiar with this text. Many of you have it memorized. But have you ever really EXAMINED the text? These are Jesus’ words to Nicodemus. What do we read in His words?

For God so loved the world

God loves the world. He made the world, but the world walked away from God. Like a prodigal son the world took the grace of God, the good He daily bestows, and walked away from the lover of our souls. God loves this world. This is amazing not because the world is so BIG, but because the world is so BAD. God through His Son seeks to save the world. God does not rejoice in judging and condemning, but in giving of life and love. How did God show His love?

that He gave his only begotten Son

How is God going to show love for His world? He gave us His Son. He gave us Jesus. Jesus is the only begotten Son. He was born into this world of a virgin. Jesus Christ is and has always been Infinite God. The Bible declares that He is the Word of the Lord:

John 1:1-3 (KJV)  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  [2]  The same was in the beginning with God.  [3]  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Jesus Christ was with God from eternity past. But God sent His Son into this world. By man came sin into the world, and only by man could the debt for sin be paid. Jesus was co-equal and co-eternal with God from eternity past. When Jesus prayed He asked the Father:

John 17:3-5 (KJV)  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.  [4]  I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.  [5]  And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

Eternal life is only found when the belief we have is certain in Christ. We believe that He and He only is the “only begotten Son of God”. God the Father “gave” His Son to the world so that we can receive Him as Lord and Savior. He is the ONLY Begotten. There is no one else you can believe in to be saved.

Philippians 2:5-11 (KJV)  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  [6]  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  [7]  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  [8]  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  [9]  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:  [10]  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;  [11]  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus humbled Himself by coming to this earth. He lowered Himself into the pool of humanity and, being perfect and sinless, died in our place on Calvary. He is the ONLY MEANS by which salvation can be secured.

I read in a Christian news article the other day that a large Church hosted a Muslim Ramadan. During Ramadan – the holiest month of the year for the Muslims – commemorates when “Allah” presented the Quran to Mohammed, the Prophet of their faith. Now certainly every person has every right in America to worship or not worship the god or goddess of their choice. Our First Amendment guarantees this right. But for a professing Christian Church to celebrate a holy day of another faith smacks of idolatry. The Muslim faith does not teach that there are many ways to Allah, and the faith of Christ does not teach that there are many ways to God. As Jesus spoke to Nicodemus and to us He was very clear that “believing” is only “believing” when it is HIM. Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten!

that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Christ never presented multiple pathways of belief. He said “you must believe in the Only Begotten”. God only gave ONE WAY to Heaven, and that is faith in His Son. Shame on any Church or Christian who would say otherwise, for it is no more than hypocrisy. Jesus said in another place:

Matthew 7:13-14 (KJV)  Enter ye in at the straitnarrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  [14]  Because straitnarrow is the gate, and narrowcompressed is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

The Way unto salvation is through Christ and Christ alone. There are many false prophets and many false paths, but Jesus presented Himself as the ONLY Way. One of His most famous sayings was:

John 14:6 (KJV) … I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

To “believe” unto salvation is to believe that Jesus Christ is the unique and only way to be saved.

John 3:17 (KJV) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him MIGHT be saved. 

God sent His Son to this world that we MIGHT be saved. Each person has a choice. Nicodemus had a choice. He could believe what Jesus was saying, or go back to his old life of living by the laws of Judaism.

I am certain that Nicodemus was a “good” man as men are measured. I am certain that Nicodemus was a better man than I am. I am certain that there are people in other religions that are better people than I am. Yet whether I am better or they are better morally or otherwise does not make the difference. You see, unless I am “Born Again” I cannot see the Kingdom of God. And the only way I can be “Born Again” is to believe Jesus. He said:

John 3:18 (KJV) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

God says “Believe in My Only Begotten Son and you will be saved”. Believe that Christ is the Only Way to salvation. Repent and turn to Him and you shall be born again.

To “Believe” Is To Turn And Follow Jesus

John 3:19-21 (KJV)  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  [20]  For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.  [21]  But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

In this section Jesus levels an indictment against Nicodemus. You see, Nicodemus came to Jesus by night (John 3:2). He wanted to come and talk to Jesus, but he didn’t want anyone else to know that he came to talk with Jesus. Nicodemus are like many “secret agents of the Church”. They hide their faith in Christ. But such faith is not faith. You may come to Jesus by night, but you need to follow Him in the light if you are saved. What does the Scripture say?

1 John 1:5-7 (KJV)  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.  [6]  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:  [7]  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Those who love evil and darkness do not come to Christ because they love evil and darkness. When we come to Christ He reproves or rebukes our ungodly deeds. The Christian who has believed in Christ believes ALL of God’s Word, not just the parts we like. We follow Jesus openly. We are not ashamed of Him – we love and promote Him. We live in Him and through Him. Jesus said:

Luke 9:23-26 (KJV)  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.  [24]  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.  [25]  For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?  [26]  For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.

Jesus expects His Children to openly and willingly follow Him. Nicodemus would later be saved. How do I know? Because later on when the Pharisees began to plot to destroy Christ Nicodemus spoke up:

John 7:50-51 (KJV)  Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,)  [51]  Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?

The Pharisees turned their anger on Nicodemus, but he stood his ground. And much later when Christ was crucified – when He died on that bloody Cross – the Bible tells us that Nicodemus was part of the funeral detail that took our Lord from the Cross.

John 19:39-40 (KJV)  And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.  [40]  Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.

The person who is born again is not ashamed of Jesus nor of His Word. We cherish Him. We love His Bible. We praise God daily for His great mercy.

To Believe Is To Represent Christ In Your Life

Following His teaching of Nicodemus we read that:

John 3:22 (KJV)  After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

When Jesus moved into Judaea people started flocking to Him and leaving John the Baptist. This caused the disciples of John concern. Their Master was the most popular for the longest time, but now …

John 3:26 (KJV)  And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

Was John troubled by this? No, for John understood what every born again believer must believe. Life is not about ME, it’s about JESUS. John told his disciples:

John 3:27-30 (KJV) …. A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.  [28]  Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.  [29]  He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.  [30]  He must increase, but I must decrease.

We are nothing, but Christ is everything! We are of the earth, but Jesus is of Heaven. We receive Christ’s testimony to be born again. We believe in HIM, not in ourselves. We have no blessing outside of Christ. John then said:

John 3:35-36 (KJV)  The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.  [36]  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

The way to salvation is ONLY through faith in Christ. Let us follow Him. Let us celebrate Him. Let us love Him, and share Him with others.

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