A Convenient Time

And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. Now as he [Paul] reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.” (Acts 24:24-25)

Dear reader, has God ever sent to you a messenger who reasoned with you about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come? How did you respond?  Did you banish the message from your mind, hoping for a more convenient time to consider its fearful implications?

I wonder if a convenient time ever came for Felix? I think it likely that Felix died in his sins, though of course I don’t know for sure.

There is a stern warning in Scripture for those who hear the voice of God speaking to them:

…The Holy Spirit says:  “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’”  (Heb. 3:7-11)

If you hear His voice calling to you for obedience, but you harden your heart rather than repenting, you will receive the same penalty as did the rebellious Israelites that were barred from God’s rest.  This warning is for those who have never known the Lord and hear His voice calling them today, as well as for those who have known the Lord in the past but have gone astray in their hearts since then.

Acts 24:26-27 offers more insight into the heart of Felix, who feared at the word of the Lord, but did not repent:

Meanwhile he [Felix] also hoped that money would be given him by Paul, that he might release him.  Therefore he sent for him more often and conversed with him.  But after two years Porcius Festus succeeded Felix; and Felix, wanting to do the Jews a favor, left Paul bound.

Clearly, Felix desired money more than he desired the righteousness and self-control Paul spoke of!  He sent for Paul and spoke to him often, seemingly over the course of two whole years, due to a personal ambition to get Paul to pay his way out of prison.  When Felix was replaced in his duties by someone else, he left Paul in prison to do the Jews a favor. Many conversations with Paul had not brought his heart into submission to God, but instead hardened his heart. Imagine regular talks with the Apostle Paul!–But these talks had profited Felix nothing.  Neither will your church attendance, your Bible studies, your friendships with Christians, or your religious status if you do not submit to the Lord Jesus from your heart and obey His commands.

What is holding YOU back from obeying Jesus?

Is it–as with Felix–a desire for money? Remember Paul’s warning in I Tim. 6:10–The love the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.  Remember the words of Jesus–What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matt. 16:26)

Is it a desire to please your family?  Jesus said divisions would come in families because of Him (Luke 12:51-53), and anyone loving family more than Him is not worthy of Him (Matt. 10:34-37). The dead (those who refuse to repent and believe) must be left to bury the dead, and no one looking back after putting his hand to the plow is fit for the kingdom of God. Remember Lot’s Wife!

Is it that you still enjoy the pleasure of sin? Oh, sinner, remember the pleasures of sin only last for a season; sin’s wages are piling up to heaven and they are DEATH.  If you are still alive, it is because a space for repentance has been granted you by the mercy of God. As surely as the Flood came and carried away Noah’s neighbors, the wrath of God is coming on the disobedient.

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Cor. 6:2)
Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts…(Heb. 3:7,8)

Tomorrow is not promised. Keep playing with sin, keep loving the world, keep seeking after earthly things all while hearing the word of the Lord, and that Word you hear will not help you.  If you wait for a convenient time to get right with God, you may never have the chance. Your sin may blind you and keep you bound until final destruction is determined for you.  Unless you obey, your hearing of the Word will only produce self-deception.  You will be like those who pleaded with the Lord, “We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.” But Jesus will answer, “I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.” (Luke 13:26-27)

The only wise time to get right with God is NOW and TODAY.

The Example of Pompeii

A dear friend has written a powerful word of exhortation and warning to all of us, drawing upon the example of Pompeii, which was suddenly destroyed.

Here is a snapshot:

Pompeii was a real city, with a thriving culture, under the severe rule of the Roman Empire.  Its citizens appeared to have lived very opulent lifestyles in lavish homes, where its walls were decorated the various cult gods.  Some of these frescoes portrayed a serpent which was used in some of their rituals. Standing in the midst was the great mountain, Vesuvius, known for its prior eruptions.  They lived in a virtual city of destruction.

The timing of Vesuvius’ eruption is interesting.  Just several years prior to Pompeii’s annihilation, the city of Jerusalem was overcome and destroyed by the Roman leaders Vespasian and Titus, just as Jesus told us:

And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. Mat 24:2 

Vesuvius was speaking long before the eruption occurred.  It had erupted in the past, and just a few years before the destruction of Pompeii, earthquakes were occurring.

God has not left us without a witness.  Even in nature we see the evidence of Him all around us.  He also sent the Faithful Witness, our Lord Jesus and His words, life and history are preserved in the last witness which is under vicious attack – the Word of God.

Please visit Hoshi’ana to read the whole entry.  Let the truth sink down into your ears, obey it and be saved.  For as my friend has witnessed, “Fire is coming.  It will be as Vesuvius, unquenchable.  It will destroy all the evil doers that are offending God.  Jesus is returning and will judge all of mankind.  There is no escape.”

God bless you.

The Unreasonableness of Sin

Today, I spoke to a pregnant mother outside an abortion mill with the hope of holding her back from murder.

At first, she spoke kindly, saying that she appreciated what we were doing, and she agreed with us. She said she was against abortion, but was going to get one anyway. I asked her why she was against abortion. She said, “Because this is a child God has given to me, and abortion is killing it.” Incredulous, I asked, ” So you KNOW that you are killing a CHILD? And you KNOW it is WRONG? But you are going to do it anyway?!”  She said she would do it anyway, because she “couldn’t live with herself if she gave her child up for adoption.”

Odd, no? She couldn’t live with herself if she gave birth to the child and found parents who wanted him/her, but she fancied she could live with paying an assassin to vacuum her baby into a bag (this procedure rips the baby to pieces).   Incidentally, the longer our conversation continued, the more angry she got, and the more determined to kill the child. She was clearly laboring to harden her own heart against the truth that she already knew.

Oh, the unreasonableness of sin!  There is nothing rational or sensible about sin–nothing.

People have all kinds of excuses for the sinful things they do, but none of their excuses make sense.

• I have to lie to my wife about the adultery I’m committing. I don’t want to hurt her.  Really? You don’t want to hurt her? This is why you are committing adultery?
• I steal from my company because they owe it to me anyway.  Really? They owe you?
• I am killing my baby because I couldn’t live with myself if I gave my baby to someone else. No, you are killing your baby because you are too selfish to put this baby’s needs before your own desires.

Oh, that I could make people see the unreasonableness of sin, and the reasonableness of obedience to a loving God!

Sin deceives the mind, and causes one to have skewed thoughts. Both the conscience within–and the revelation of God without–witness against the sin, and the sinner must either submit to the truth or attempt to override it with foolish arguments. How dangerous it is to hold the truth in unrighteousness! (Rom. 1:18)  Such people become vain in their imaginations and their foolish hearts are darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they speak and act as fools; and no wonder, for they have exchanged the truth of God for lies!

Our only hope, if we have found ourselves deceived by sin, is to renounce it.  Agree with God; He is the wisest Person alive–to disagree with Him is pure folly.  If you aren’t with Him 100%, you are against Him. Believe what God has said about the sin, turn against it, and refuse to do it anymore. Sorrow (with godly sorrow) over having done it, and sorrow thoroughly to repentance. What does godly sorrow produce in a person?– diligence, clearing of yourself (from wrongdoing),  indignation (against evil),  fear (of God), vehement desire (to please the Lord),  zeal (to do good rather than evil), and vindication. (2 Cor. 7:9-11)

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself, for this sums up all the law of God.  Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble. (Psa. 119:165)

What does love look like?–

If you love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15)

He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him. (John 14:21)

If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. (John 15:10)

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.  For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. (I John 5:2-3)

In the spirit of Heb. 3:13, I exhort you while it is called “today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. May God open our eyes to see how truly deceptive and destructive and indefensible sin really is.

God bless you.

A Consumption Determined Upon the Whole Earth

The Lord Jesus said the end of this world and His coming will be as the days of Noah were.

For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,  and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (Matt. 24:37-39)

Noah worked out his own salvation with fear and trembling for 120 years. It isn’t as though he saved himself, for it was the Lord who gave him the plan of salvation by which he and his family could live. But when Noah was warned by God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, he prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. (Heb. 11:7)  God shut him in the ark at the end, just before destruction came, and watched over that family for their good–BUT, had Noah not dedicated his life to obeying the instructions God gave him for salvation, he and his family would have been finally destroyed with everyone else.

Contrary to the example of Noah, there are many professing “Christians” today who are not moved with fear at the warnings of God, but have been lulled into carelessness by teachers who tell them what their itching ears want to hear. They are in the gravest of eternal dangers. How many warnings in the Scriptures have you passed over, being told by some teacher that the warning does not apply to you?  Be not deceived, dear reader. Every warning in Scripture is for you. Paul wrote that the Old Testament was written for our learning, upon whom the ends of the world have come (I Cor. 10:1-12), and the entire  New Testament was written and preserved for us as well.  The warnings of Jesus are not merely for the Jewish people, and the writings of Paul for only Gentiles–this is another lie designed to rob the fear of God from men. This lie has people avoiding the Scriptures that they ought to simply obey.

When Jesus said to cut off the offending hand or foot rather than risk eternal fire (Matt. 18:8), He meant it, and He meant you to heed the warning and remove from your life the things that are making you stumble.

When Jesus said whoever denies Him before men will also be denied before the Father in heaven (Matt. 10:33), He meant it, and He meant you to heed the warning and unashamedly stand for Him in word and deed.

Paul himself taught that what counts is the keeping of God’s commands (I Cor. 7:19) and only those who patiently continue in doing good will receive eternal life (Rom. 2:6-11).  His message agrees with the teaching of Jesus.

How did Noah condemn the world?–by preparing an ark. Christian, if you spend your life obeying the Lord by preparing an ark, you too will condemn the world. By your fear of God and obedience to Him, you demonstrate that the world is without excuse. If Noah could fear the Lord and obey His instructions for salvation, so could everyone else. If Noah could stand out as a preacher of righteousness before his ungodly neighbors, and if Noah could reject the eat, drink, and be merry mentality; so could everyone else (2 Pet. 2:5).

The difference between Noah and his neighbors was that Noah feared the Lord and heeded His warnings, while his neighbors didn’t fear the Lord nor harken to His warnings.  If you do as Noah did, the world will feel condemned, and they will hate you for it. They wish you would run with them in the same flood of dissipation [intemperance, indulgence in sensual pleasure, wasteful consumption, amusement] they run in, and they will speak evil of you for your careful obedience to God (I Pet. 4:4); nevertheless, deny yourself and follow Jesus, knowing that the ark you are preparing will be to your deliverance in the day of wrath.

I Peter 3:20 says the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the ark was preparing. What was God waiting for?–He was waiting for the people to repent of their wickedness at the preaching of Noah. I believe the longsuffering of God is waiting today for the last few people to repent at the preaching of modern-day Noah’s, and get on board the only way, truth and life there is. But unfortunately for many, because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. (Eccl. 8:11)  They mock, “Judgment is coming?–You’ve been saying that for 100 years!”  And even professing Christians mock at the righteous who are laboring in the narrow way, denying themselves and following Jesus. They jeer, “You think you can earn your salvation! You think Jesus died in vain!” Their view of Jesus is that He delivered them from the eternal principle of reaping what is sown, so they can continue to do abominations without judgment! (Jer. 7:10)  Woe to them!

Today, God has His Noah’s before this modern wicked generation. God has given instructions for salvation, and the Ark in which man can be saved is Jesus Christ. The instructions include repentance toward God (turning away from everything God calls sin) and faith toward Jesus (trusting that Jesus is your salvation, and therefore following Him and doing what He says to the end.)  Jesus taught that if a man obeys the Word of God, he will be saved from destruction, but if he doesn’t obey, he will be destroyed when the flood of judgment arrives (Matt. 7:21-29).  Listening to the Word of God is not enough; without obedience to it, a man is only deceiving himself to think he will be saved (James 1:22-25). Going to church, doing some good things, visiting Christian blogs, etc., cannot save you–you must, by faith, carefully obey the instructions of God if you want to be saved. By faith Abraham obeyed (Heb. 11:8).

While the Lord Jesus can come on any day and require the soul of any man (Luke 12:20), the Bible clearly teaches that there is a day coming when the Ark of salvation will be shut for good and the whole earth will be consumed. Final salvation and final destruction will arrive on the same day. Don’t be deceived by the Left Behind lies of some teachers, who say you will have seven years to repent after the rapture. Jesus has stated emphatically that the end will come as in the days of Noah. The same day Noah entered the Ark, destruction fell; and the same day Lot left Sodom, the wicked were consumed (Luke 17:26-27). When Jesus appears with power and glory, He will gather His saints to Himself and destroy the wicked.

Peter wrote the following about the end of this world:

But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us,not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?…Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.  (I Pet. 3:7-14)

Indeed, in the face of such warnings, what manner of persons ought you to be?  Are you a mocker, living carelessly as the day approaches, or are you like Noah, diligently preparing for the day that will surely arrive?

Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.  (Isa. 28:22)

God bless you.

The Serious Consequences of Unforgiveness

Jesus said that the one who is forgiven much, loves much. I hope this describes you, dear reader, for love will cover a multitude of sins.

Just after Jesus told Peter that forgiveness must be given to an offender not seven times only, but seventy times seven, He taught an important parable that every Christian should be careful to remember.

Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.  And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.  The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’  Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.  (Matt. 18:23-27)

Firstly, I’d like you to notice that being a Christian is likened to being in a kingdom under the jurisdiction of a King who will settle accounts with His servants. Jesus came preaching “the kingdom of Heaven” (or “the kingdom of God”) of which He Himself was and is the eternal King.  Each of us who have entered the good graces of that King, have done so by falling down before Him and desiring to be forgiven of a great debt we could not repay.  What man can cleanse his offending record and justify himself from the sins he has committed against this good King and His holy law of love? He cannot do it; he must have the compassion and forgiveness of the master, or he is all undone.  The master in this story (a picture of God) was “moved with compassion”–for the Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy (Psa. 145:8).  He released him from the debt and freely forgave him, just as God will do for any sinner who humbles himself before Him earnestly desiring the Master’s patience.

“But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’  So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.  So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.  (Matt. 18:28-31)

Forgiven Christian, the question before you now is what will you do when one of your fellow servants becomes indebted to you through some injustice in word or deed?  Will you respond toward him the same way the King has responded toward you? Or will you hold the debt over his head, refusing to follow the example of the One who forgave you?  It is very important that we receive not the grace of God in vain. The kindness of God is meant to lead us to repentance. We ought not only to forsake the sin previously committed, but to become different people–people who respond to our debtors as God has responded to us.

Jesus instructed His disciples to pray, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors,” and adds this warning: For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.(Matt. 6:12, 14-15)  This is plain language indicating that our own forgiveness (and salvation) is in part conditioned upon our choosing to forgive our debtors.  If instead, we hold our debtors in the prison of unforgiveness, what will become of us? The Lord’s teaching is dangerously clear.

Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’  And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.  “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”  (Matt. 18:32-35)

Is it possible to be a servant of the Lord, fully forgiven of all debt (sins) by the compassionate King, and then through our subsequent choices, forfeit the mercy that was ours? Indeed, it is, for the Lord has spoken truly: So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses. And what will He do?  He will hold our past offenses (which were previously forgiven) against us until we pay for them. How can we pay for them and free ourselves from “the torturers”? We can’t.

Dear saint, you are called to be perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect (Matt. 5:48).  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy (Matt. 5: 7). Therefore be merciful, just as your Father in heaven is merciful (Luke 6: 36).  You must forgive your brother from the heart, if you wish to remain in the love of God. Offenses sting and wound us, but as we forgive them, we are walking in the perfect way of love. We remember how great a debt the Lord forgave us, and how great a wound our sins imposed upon Him; and in the light of this, we count the sins committed against us of little regard and easily forgiven.  We lavish the same love on others that has been given unto us, thereby becoming conduits of the mercy of God to others. But if we reject this mission of mercy, we become debtors to God once again.

By the Spirit of God, our brother James wrote: 

Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! (James 5:9)

Did James write that we will merely experience some loss of intimacy with God if we grumble against one another, or did he write that we will be condemned?  The wise Christian will take warning, and not try to explain away the clear teaching of God.  Forgiveness is not always easy, but it must be done by choice despite our feelings.  We choose to obey our Lord and follow His example, knowing His ways are right and good, and He in turn comforts us in our afflictions and removes the sting of our wounds. You can have a still-smarting wound and choose to walk in forgiveness, just as Jesus said, “Father forgive them” even as He suffered on the cross.  Choose today to always forgive your debtors immediately and thoroughly, from the heart, and you will be blessed.

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;  bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. (Col. 3:13)

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.  And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.  (Eph. 4:31-32)

May God bless you!

A Form of Godliness Denying the Power

Solomon wrote in Eccl. 1:9–

The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

Remembering this, we can take God’s words to His stubborn Israelites, and understand how they apply to those who claim to be His people today.  Just as God’s people turned to wickedness and idolatry in the Old Testament, but thought their past calling coupled with a traditional continuation in religious practices saved them, so many think today. This is gross deception, and it is to this deception that I would like to aim the truth written in Amos 5.

There, the prophet spoke the following for the Lord–

For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:  but seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.  Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel. Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth, seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name: that strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress. (4-9)

We must seek the Person of the Lord if we want to live. In Him is life. Think not that seeking religious places will save you. Think not that going to church will alone make you right with God. Think not that entering an “anointed” service and giving financially to “the man of God” will make you right with the Lord. His fire will break out even in these places, for judgment begins in the house of God (I Pet. 4:17).  Are you doing religious things while turning justice to wormwood and neglecting righteousness? You had better seek the One who is able to make the day dark, who is able to flood the earth with water from the sea, who is able to plunder the mightiest of men–seek Him in truth, seek His forgiveness, and seek to learn and practice His ways.  Make peace with this mighty King now, who is more than able to destroy you when you come face to face (Luke 14:31-32).

The prophet continues in verses 10-13–

They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.  Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them.  For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right.  Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time.

Oh yes, religious sinners hate the one who rebukes them and speaks what is right!  “Pharisee!  Legalist!” they cry, not knowing what they are talking about. Yes, religious sinner, God knows your manifold transgressions and mighty sins, though you think to yourself that professing Jesus blinds God to what you do, that God can be mocked, and that He can be made use of for free pardon while you have no intention of ever changing.  Are truly righteous men falling silent around you because of your abhorrence for truth and your trampling on them when their righteousness manifests your own wickedness? Have you perfected the art of excusing your sin and making your continuation in wickedness sound like humility? Have you falsely accused the Lord’s true brethren, who do the Father’s will, of “self-righteousness”?  It is an evil time when professors of Christianity are the wickedest of men, preaching that God’s children must be relentless sinners until the day they die, with fair speeches deceiving the hearts of the simple. They serve their own bellies and not the Lord Jesus. They make the heart of the righteous sad, and they afflict the just exactly as Cain afflicted Abel, hating them for their righteous works while their own works are evil (I John 3:12).

Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.  Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph. (14-15)

Do you really want the Lord to be with you in truth? You have  been saying He is with you, but He has been against you because you have denied Him by your evil works (Titus 1:16). Perhaps you have felt the void in your heart despite your fine-sounding words.  Do you want to change all that? You will have to seek good and not evil from now on. You will have to hate evil and love good! You will have to establish judgment in the gate–begin to uphold all that is true and right in every area of your life. You will have to love the one who rebukes you, and change accordingly.  It may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant. It may be.  Though they have sinned against His name, it may be that He will yet bless them.  Though He does not owe them a thing, yet He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy (Psa. 103:8). Let them seek good and not evil from here on; let them call upon Him for forgiveness and help.  His blood will purge the stain of the past; and He will speak peace to His people and to His saints.  But let them not turn back to folly (Psa. 85:8)!

And in all vineyards shall be wailing: for I will pass through thee, saith the LORD. Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.  As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. (17-19)

“I will pass through thee”–not to your joy, your laughter, your delirious drunkenness, but to your wailing.  This Day of the Lord, this darkness, will come upon the pretenders at Christianity–those who have an outward show, but refuse to deny themselves and carry their own crosses and follow the Lord Jesus in truth. Many of these occupy high places in the visible church;  they are parishioners in good standing, liberal givers, eloquent teachers, deacons, and even pastors.  They have a form of godliness that can fool the untrained eye of the undiscerning, but they do not have the power of God unto a holy life; and from such, the truly God-fearing turn away (2 Tim. 3:5). Consider what it is when the Lord Himself brings darkness and not light–when He gives men who did not love the truth over to a lie.  What a fearful thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God! Does God want your feasts, your meetings, your offerings and your songs while your heart remains far from Him?–

I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.  But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. (Amos 5:21-24)

Among His people, God is looking for judgment (between right and wrong) and determined righteousness (purposely choosing the right.)  If we won’t give Him this, He doesn’t want our feasting, our assemblies, our offerings or our noisy songs. If we won’t give up our idols and truly love and give Him the preeminence He deserves, we cannot rightly call ourselves His people, and we can expect only the judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the Lord’s adversaries (Heb. 10:27)

Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?  But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves. (25-26)

How about you? Have you fasted, tithed and given offerings to the Lord even while you held onto other gods? Did your heart seek after the world, its riches and goods, its celebrities, a job you knew was leading you away from Jesus, or a friendship or romance that choked the life of God in you? Were you doing your best to serve two masters? Were you afraid to speak of Christ before others because you loved the praises of men? Were you ashamed of His words, feeling the need to water them down and make Jesus more pleasing to those who heard you? In so doing, have you made a god to yourself–one that you can feel comfortable following and preaching because he is not intolerant of sin and offensive to rebels?

The Lord is a jealous God and rightly so. He knows that those who do not walk in the true Light will be destroyed in the shadows, not knowing where they are going. He knows that He alone is absolute Truth, He alone has the one Way, and in Him alone is Eternal Life. He does not want lip-service, which is only hypocrisy. He wants you to recognize His value and love Him from your heart, to recognize the folly of going your own way, and cling instead to His Way.  He is willing to forgive and cover past transgressions, but most professing Christians are not willing to leave them, and so their sin remains–creating an ongoing separation between them and God (Isa. 59). Many believe they are chosen and kept safe in the Lord even while they disobey the Lord, but no such promise is ever given in the Holy Scriptures.

What does the Lord say in Amos 5 to these who added the worship of idols to the worship of God?–

Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the LORD, whose name is The God of hosts.  (27)

Therefore. Because you have done this, you will be captives. Because you insisted on carrying the gods of the heathen with you, you will be ruled by the same.  Because you have willingly served sin, you will be a slave of sin. You will not be free anymore. Though you profess to be the Lord’s, He will cause you to go into captivity.

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?  (Rom. 6:16)

And so I repeat, for those with ears to hear:  Seek the Lord and you will live. Love good and hate evil. Establish justice and good judgment. Leave off hypocrisy and false Christianity, which is a stench to God and a snare to men. Humble yourself in the sight of God; be completely real with Him. Depart from iniquity and purge yourself from the deeds of dishonor, that He can have mercy on you and make you a vessel worthy of honor.

Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.  But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.  If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.  (2 Tim. 2:19-21)

God bless you.

My God, We Know Thee (Lord, Lord!)

Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee.  Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him. (Hos. 8:2-3)

Is God mocked? Can He be fooled into accepting those who treat His redeeming blood as an unholy thing by their continuation in disobedience after God has provided so great a salvation? No–

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.   For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Gal. 6:7-8)

Please note: according to this passage, depending on what we “sow” (do), we will either reap corruption or everlasting life (salvation).  This passage says nothing about losing a few rewards while still receiving everlasting life, as many are falsely teaching. Do not be deceived.  Israel was delivered from Egypt by the mighty power of God, and atonement was provided for his sins.  Yet because he cast off the thing that was good, counting the great things of God’s law a strange thing, the Lord declared, “The LORD accepteth them not; now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins: they shall return to Egypt.” (Hos. 8:13)

It is not enough to cry out, “My God, we know thee!”–even if you really knew Him at one time. It is not enough to have a Bible and knowledge of what it says. We must cease from casting off the thing that is good. We must willingly wear the good yoke of Christ, keeping in step with Him through the Spirit, living as He is–holy–in this world (I Jn. 4:17). If we cast off the thing that is good, the enemy shall pursue us, for sin always brings forth death.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.  (Matt. 7:21-23)

Have you escaped the pollutions of the world through knowing Jesus Christ, only to become entangled therein again? Have you known the way of righteousness only to turn from the holy commandment? Are you a worker of iniquity that must be barred from entering the kingdom of heaven?  Unless you repent, you would have been better off having never known Him! (2 Pet. 2:20-22)  For we will be judged according to what we did with what we were given, and the one who knew his Master’s will and did not do it will be beaten with many stripes, as opposed to the few stripes that will punish the ignorant (Luke 12:47-48).

Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. (Jam. 1:22)

God bless you.

Be Strong and Do Exploits

And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.   And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.  (Dan. 11:32-33)

These passages appear to have been fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanes, who took the kingdom of Syria in 175 BC by stealth and flatteries and proceeded to wage war against Egypt. After being routed by the Romans in his endeavors against Egypt, he took Judea and began to act out his hatred against the Jewish people and their covenant. Concerning this, Matthew Henry writes and directs us to the histories of the Maccabees–

He [Antiochus] had a rooted antipathy to the Jews’ religion: His heart was against the holy covenant, v. 28. And (v. 30) he had indignation against the holy covenant, that covenant of peculiarity by which the Jews were incorporated a people distinct from all other nations, and dignified above them. He hated the law of Moses and the worship of the true God, and was vexed at the privileges of the Jewish nation and the promises made to them…He carried on his malicious designs against the Jews by the assistance of some perfidious apostate Jews. He kept up intelligence with those that forsook the holy covenant (v. 30), some of the Jews that were false to their religion, and introduced the customs of the heathen, with whom they made a covenant. See the fulfilling of this, 1 Mac. 1:11-15 , where it is expressly said, concerning those renegado Jews, that they made themselves uncircumcised and forsook the holy covenant. We read (2 Mac. 4:9 ) of Jason, the brother of Onias the high priest, who by the appointment of Antiochus set up a school at Jerusalem, for the training up of youth in the fashions of the heathen; and (2 Mac. 4:23 , etc.) of Menelaus, who fell in with the interests of Antiochus, and was the man that helped him into Jerusalem, now in his last return from Egypt. We read much in the book of the Maccabees of the mischief done to the Jews by these treacherous men of their own nation, Jason and Menelaus, and their party. These upon all occasions he made use of. “Such as do wickedly against the covenant, such as throw up their religion, and comply with the heathen, he shall corrupt with flatteries, to harden them in their apostasy, and to make use of them as decoys to draw in others,’’ v. 32. Note, It is not strange if those who do not live up to their religion, but in their conversations do wickedly against the covenant, are easily corrupted by flatteries to quit their religion. Those that make shipwreck of a good conscience will soon make shipwreck of the faith.

This passage and this history still speaks today. It was written for our learning, that we too might have hope when we see evil prevailing against the people of God for a time (Rom. 15:4).  There are those who profess to know God, but in works deny Him (Titus 1:16), and these persecute the people of God as Cain persecuted Abel. They do wickedly against the covenant, forsaking the One whose blood was shed to save them, bringing reproach to His name though they sometimes pretend to honor Him.  These are easily corrupted by the flatteries of antichrist (John testifies that there are many antichrists already among us–I John 2:18), not enduring sound doctrine, but having itching ears for doctrines that suit their own particular lusts (2 Tim. 4:3-4).  How conveniently can satan and his children exploit these apostates, using them to hurt the faithful, with lies making the heart of the righteous sad by strengthening the hands of the wicked (Ezek. 13:22).  Even more, under strong delusion, they throw the faithful out of the churches, and even kill them, thinking they do God a service (John 16:2).  Brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death (Matt. 10:21).  Thus shall many people of God fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.

But he that endures to the end shall be saved. They endure the temptation to fall away, and hold fast to what they have, letting no man take their crown. They endure the onslaught of false doctrines and the mockery of false Christians, persevering in the truth.  They endure affliction with the people of God rather than enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season (Heb. 11:25.) They endure in faith, trusting that whatever happens to their nation, God has them in His sights;  they know they are worth more to Him than many sparrows.  They set their hearts thus:  that though there be no blessing in fruit or flock, yet they will joy in God’s great salvation (Hab. 3:17-18); and though God slay them, yet they will trust Him and maintain righteousness before Him (Job13:15). They that endure all things with patience possess their own souls (Luke 21:19).

These are the people who understand, and God shall be their strength, and they will do exploits. They shall not be corrupted by flatteries, but in humility and dependence before their God, they will be safe. While the world wonders after beastly kingdoms and their savage subjugations, these who understand will rest in hope, knowing that they belong to the unassailable Kingdom of God. They will be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing their labor is not in vain (I Cor. 15:58).  They will stand before governors and kings and deliver the message that God gives them.  Despite the threats of sword, flame, captivity and spoil, they shall instruct many by their words and deeds, wisely winning souls while there is yet time. And should they be plundered of their earthly goods, they understand that many of their brethren were likewise destitute, afflicted, tormented (of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. (Heb. 11:3-38)  And should they be called upon to do the greatest exploit of all–that is, to love not their own lives to the death–they do so willingly, knowing that to live is Christ, but to die is gain;  and whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s (Rom. 14:8).

God bless you.

Interpret the Writing on the Wall

Belshazzar the king of Babylon threw a great feast during which he called for the gold and silver dishes which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Jerusalem temple, that he and his friends could drink their wine from them.

They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. (Dan. 5:4)

What, Belshazzar? What about your grandfather Nebuchadnezzar, who gave testimony about the high God whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom?  What about his dream of a huge tree filling the earth, suddenly hewn down with only a stump remaining?  What about Daniel’s warning to him that this was to be his lot unless he broke off his sins by righteousness, and his iniquities by showing mercy to the poor?  What about how after 12 months (Nebuchadnezzar’s space to repent), all these things came upon him and he went raving mad for 7 years, until he was sufficiently humbled and gave this testimony:

Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase. (Dan. 4:37)

Belshazzar knew all this (5:22), and yet he praised created and temporal things, probably thinking in his heart that since he had the temple dishes, he had the better of Israel’s God.

Then into his vain revelries came a hand from heaven, writing holy words upon the wall–Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin.  Belshazzar shook in terror, and no one could understand the words. Into this situation, Daniel–the man of God–was summoned, and he gave this interpretation:  God has numbered your kingdom and ended it, you have been weighed in God’s balance and found wanting, the kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.  That very night Belshazzar’s life ended, and his kingdom was given to Cyrus the Persian and Darius the Mede.  This author hopes that although Belshazzar himself was lost, some of his friends took warning from these events and turned from idols to God.

Christian, you will be summoned into situations like this, and your duty will be to cause the people to understand the holy writing.  Many people, like Belshazzar, have been exposed to prior testimony to the everlasting kingdom of God, the temporal nature of all earthly things, and their duty to repent and turn to God. In fact, all men have heard, at the least, the testimony of creation and are without excuse (Rom. 1).  Many SEE the writing of God but do not understand it. They have heaped up to themselves teachers, having itching ears, and turned their own ears from the truth until truth is a foreign language to them (2 Tim. 4:3-4).  Many will not hear the Words of God until they are terrified. Diverse horrors are falling on our land today–earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, droughts, fires, nuclear threats, wars, terrorist threats, debilitating disease and economic hardship. The writing is on the wall, and the kingdoms of men are falling. Possessing all the gold and silver in the world will not save anyone (it didn’t help Belshazzar.)

We must stand and deliver the meaning of the holy words,  the Holy Spirit in us convicting the world of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8). That which we hear in the ear we preach from the rooftops, not fearing those who can only kill the body, but fearing Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matt. 27-28). We preach the everlasting gospel, saying with a loud voice, fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. (Rev. 14:6-7)  We offer the perishing the hope of salvation in submission to Jesus Christ, and not a shred of hope in anything else.  

Psalm 2

 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 

Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision.

 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. 

Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 

Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

God bless you.

Judgment is Coming on America

Please take a moment to visit this precious fellow-saint’s blog. Truly, Wisdom is still crying out, but so few are listening.  Read, understand, and spread the message far and wide!  God bless you.

Today, as in the days of the early Church, Christians endure persecution on varying levels.  Whether we are hearing news of a precious Saint who was murdered for the cause of Christ, or seeing slurs and racism based upon our political views, we know that all who live godly in Christ WILL suffer persecution.  Yet we cry Wisdom and pray that sinners will repent of their wickedness and find salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

Recently, the state of New York passed a law sanctioning their approval and legalization of homosexual marriage. (Read More)