Time is running out.

We need to comprehend Daniel 11:45,12:1

We need this comprehension because this is one of the very LAST prophecies before probation for all mankind is up and intercession is over. When Michael stands up, it's finished, those who are unjust will remain unjust and those who are just will remain just.

You see, intercession ends BEFORE Christ returns, not after. The decision to choose Christ as your Savior  isn't something you can make in the last minute when you see Jesus returning, matters will be settled long before then.

People don't want to think about that though, they'd rather simply believe what is, is and they have no control over anything. Or they believe no matter what they'll be saved or God isn't love. Or they believe nothing really matters, and they're good enough anyway. People believe a lot of things but do they believe the way to Christ is truly the NARROW way, and FEW there be that find it?  Jesus said it was, it is truth!

We are given prophecies so we can know the times we live in.  We can look back through history and watch as prophecy unfolded, and know that the future prophecies WILL come to past.  The following prophecy in Daniel 11:45-12:1 as well as Revelation allows us to WATCH, to KNOW when the end of probation is closing in. God would NOT make His end a big secret only few can figure out. God has written it plainly in His word for those who are willing to… Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2Ti_2:15).

If we are NOT willing to study God's word then we are NOT willing to be HIS, not really, not when we have the opportunity to study and choose not to.

This study is very IN DEPTH- it gets right into the linguistics and such of the Biblical language- the Hebrew, the Greek. We have to STUDY this. No, we might not be Biblical scholars but we have the ability to learn from them.

So PLEASE, no matter how 'DRY' and 'BORING', no matter how 'HARD' and 'CONFUSING' it might seem as we study, it is WORTH the time and effort.  The same effort you would put into digging for a buried treasure if someone told you they buried one deep, deep, deep in your back yard. You would dig, and dig, and dig even if it took you months to do so to find that treasure. If we would be willing to physically dig for a hidden treasure (a treasure that is guaranteed to be there) then why do we believe we shouldn't have to expend any mental effort in our studying God's Word? WHY?

Please, by the GRACE of GOD and with a very prayerful heart read the following-

Dan 11:45  And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

Dan 12:1  And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.  

(Christ's Return)

Rev 22:11  He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

Rev 22:12  And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

Rev 22:13  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

(Christ's Return)

PLEASE  NOTE-  A LOT has happened since 1990 (23 years ago) when the following study was written- after this study there will be more information added to prove just how close we are to the very end.

Remember read it slowly, study it, digest is, reread it until you gain understanding.  Dig...dig...dig….

1990 Dec -- XXIII -- 12(90)

In Daniel 8, an expressed command is given - "Gabriel make this [Daniel] to understand the vision."

(Dan_8:16 ... Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.)

From this point on to the close of the book (of Daniel), (the angel) Gabriel is in close communication with Daniel.

Daniel had seen in vision a ram, and an he-goat with a notable horn which was broken off.

In its place there arose four horns less prestigious, or in Gabriel's words - "not in his power" - that is, not in the power of the "great horn." (8:22)

Dan 8:20  The RAM which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.

Dan 8:21  And the ROUGH GOAT is the king of Grecia: and the GREAT HORN that is between his eyes is the first king.

Dan 8:22  Now that being BROKEN, whereas FOUR stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, BUT NOT IN HIS POWER.

These symbols, Gabriel explains in unequivocal language.

The "ram" is declared to be "the kings of Media and Persia." (8:20)

The he-goat represented NOT "the American airforce" but "the king of Grecia"

and the great horn "is the first king" or Alexander the Great. (8:21)

In his place would stand up four kingdoms which were finally reduced to two, and become in Daniel 11, "the king of the north" and "the king of the south."

(My interjection- we know from HISTORY- Alexander the Great -

Alexander III of Macedon (20/21 July 356 – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great ... was a king of Macedon, a state in northern ancient Greece. ...He was undefeated in battle and is considered one of history's most successful commanders.

Pasted from <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_the_Great>

And after He died His kingdom was divided into FOUR parts.

'The Empire split into four kingdoms, which would retain their sovereignty in order from least to longest: the Seleucids in Asia Minor and the Middle East, the Antigonids in Macedon (an area partly encompassing Greece), the Attalids in Pergamum (Asia Minor) and the Ptolemys in Egypt.

All four kingdoms were eventually incorporated into the Roman Republic.

Pasted from <http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Which_kingdoms_succeeded_the_empire_of_Alexander_the_great_after_his_death>

THIS is history! This is FACT.

Biblical prophecy- FOUR kingdoms would stand up but not in the same power.

Continuing on…)

The other power in Daniel 8 is the "little horn" which waxed "exceeding great." (8:9)

This "little horn" is defined as coming forth "out of one of them" clearly separating the power it symbolizes from being either the "king of the south" or the "king of the north" at any time in history.

(Let's make sure we understand this-  the LITTLE HORN- comes forth OUT OF ONE OF THEM… and is NOT the KING of the SOUTH, NOT the KING of the NORTH.)

To increase our understanding of this factor in the prophecy, we need to consider the phrase, "and out of one of them," from a linguistic viewpoint.

In Hebrew, as well as other languages, nouns have gender, either masculine, feminine, or neuter.

Pronouns referring to these nouns must also have the same gender as the noun.

In Daniel 8:8, the four horns are pictured as extending "toward the four winds of heaven."

Dan 8:8 Dan 8:8  Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great HORN was broken; and for it came up four notable ONES ((((HORNS))) toward the four winds of heaven.

Then in verse 9, comes the phrase - "and out of one of them" - "horns" or "winds"?

Dan 8:9  And out of one of them came forth a little horn...

 In the Hebrew, "horns" is feminine, while "winds" is either feminine or masculine.

 The pronoun, "them," is masculine which would, refer to "winds" rather than to "horns."

 However, the SDA Bible Commentary points out that "this phrase presents confusion of gender." (Vol. 4, p. 840)

While "them" is masculine, the word for "one" is in its feminine form, thus mixing the genders in the same phrase.

So whether out of one of the horns, which can be substantiated by HISTORICAL documentation, or from one of the four winds which fits the directions emphasized through the vision, the final designation is that this "little horn" IS ROME in BOTH its PAGAN and PAPAL phases as distinct from the four horns, and NOT a part of them.

When the pagan phase of Rome is introduced in the prophecy of Daniel 11, it is not designated as either the "king of the south" nor the "king of the north."

Daniel 11:19-21 is recognized as describing emperors of Rome, Julius Ceasar through Tiberius, none of which are symbolized as a king of either the south or the north.

Thus when the papal phase enters the continuum of the prophecy of Daniel 11, it cannot be considered as either of the two kings.

With this factor clearly in mind, the "he" which did "stand in the glorious land" (Palestine and not America" fulfilling Daniel 11:16, Will be the SAME "he" which shall "enter into the glorious land" as noted in Daniel 11:41, and will be the "he" which "shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain" of Daniel 11:45 - only that the latter "he" will be the second or PAPAL phase of the "little horn" of Daniel 8, or "the king" of Daniel 11:36.

We have given all too little thought or attention to papal thinking in regard to the Middle East

and Jerusalem.

Even though progress has been made in recent years improving relations between the Roman Catholic church and the Jews, the Vatican has not to this day offered to extend diplomatic recognition to Israel. This reluctance to do so disturbs and baffles Jewish leaders. "Documents issued by the Catholic church acknowledge the religious significance of Israel, but professor and Nobel laureate Elie Weisel stresses that it is of 'absolute importance to the Jewish people' that Israel be acknowledged politically as well." (National & International Religion Report, Oct. 22, 1990, p. 2) While no explanation has been given by the Vatican as to why they have not recognized the State of Israel, some observers suggest that the Roman Catholic church cannot politically afford to offend its Arab membership in the Middle East. It should also be noted in passing that President Bush's White House chief of staff, Sununu, has religious roots stemming from one of the Uniate or Eastern Rites of the Roman Catholic church.

The objectives of Papal Rome call for the internationalization of Jerusalem. On June 30, 1980, the Holy See lodged with the Security Council of the United Nations, a letter published the same date In the L'Osservatore Romano which set forth "the position of the Holy See concerning Jerusalem and all the holy places." This became Security Council document S/14032. In this document, a resolution on Palestine approved by the UN, Nov. 29, 1947, is noted along with a "special statute" for the city of Jerusalem drawn up by the Trusteeship Council, April 14, 1950 in harmony with the resolution of the UN. It calls for a "corpus separatum" for "Jerusalem and the surrounding area" administered by the Trusteeship Council of the UN. This is the Vatican position. It is totally at cross purposes with the perspective and the law of the State of Israel.

John Paul II clearly outlined the Papal view and significance of Jerusalem in an Apostolic Letter published in L'Osservatore Romano, April 30, 1984. He wrote:     Before it was the city of Jesus the Redeemer, Jerusalem was the historic site of the biblical revelation of God, the meeting place, as it were, of heaven and earth, in which more than in any other place the word of God was brought to men. ...

Indeed, in so far as she [Jerusalem] is the homeland of the hearts of all the spiritual descendants of Abraham who hold her very dear, and the place where, according to faith, the created things of earth encounter the infinite transcendence of God, Jerusalem stands out as a symbol of the coming together, or union, and of universal peace or the human family. ...

I think of and long for the day on which we shall all be so "taught of God" (Jn 6:45) that we shall listen to his message of peace and reconciliation. I think of the day on which Jews, Christians and Muslims will greet each other in the city of Jerusalem with the same greeting of peace with which Christ greeted the disciples after the resurrection: "Peace be with you" (Jn 20:19). ...

This peace proclaimed by Jesus Christ in the name of the Father who is in heaven thus makes Jerusalem the living sign of the great ideal of unity, of brotherhood and of agreement among peoples according to the illuminating words of the Book of Isaiah: "Many peoples shall come and say: 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths"' (Is 2:3).

Consider, whom does the Bible indicate will be the prime earthly force in the final events of human history? Who was the one who drew back the iron curtain which had separated Europe for decades? What is this power's objectives for Jerusalem? Read the above paragraphs from the Pope's Apostolic Letter once again. Note that he is basing his objectives on the prophecy of Isaiah 2:3. Open your Bible and read all of the verses of the context verses 2-6. When are these verses to be fulfilled? - "IT SHALL COME TO PASSIN THE LAST DAYS."

Observe, the Pope looks for a time when mankind shall once again be taught of God, and perceives Jerusalem as the place where the word of God was brought to man - "where the created things of earth encounter the infinite transcendence of God." Now read the last part of verse 3 what he envisions will happen again "for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." - Ask yourself, what kind of a law, and what word would go forth should he and the one whom he represents be the "movers"? And they will be!

God plans to have a city of peace as the center of the whole united earth for "the spiritual descendants of Abraham." It is called the NEW JERUSALEM. Now note again what is the pope's objective for, "all the spiritual descendants of Abraham." Herein is the tale of "two cities" as amplified in the book of Revelation, but God calls the "Jerusalem" promoted by the "beast" who carries the woman, "Babylon the great." (See Rev. 17:2-5) Instead of so much prophetic speculation with "junk bond" interpretations, we need to know the prophetic word and watch as the scroll unrolls. And it is now unrolling!

(WWN 12/90)

*******

Now PLEASE note the following that has taken place since 1990- and tell me there isn't a connection, that we shouldn't be watching, that nothing is happening concerning the Vatican and Jerusalem.

1993

Foreign Relations -- Vatican

Vatican, Israel Agree to Full Ties : Religion: The historic accord will be signed today, ushering in a new alliance between Christians and Jews. Ambassador exchange and papal visit are expected soon.

December 30, 1993|WILLIAM D. MONTALBANO | TIMES STAFF WRITER

Pasted from <http://articles.latimes.com/1993-12-30/news/mn-6872_1_papal-visit>

*

In December 1993, the Vatican and Israel signed a diplomatic treaty; they exchanged ambassadors a few months later. The Vatican-Israel agreement normalized relations between the two nations, furthered a Jewish-Catholic dialogue already under way, and helped establish a path for regularizing the church's legal status in Israel. "On the whole, it's a pretty promising relationship," says Cohen, noting that it isn't always without tensions. Overall, the Vatican's relationship with Israel is based on international law, not theology, says Massa.

PROPERTY REMAINS AN ISSUE . The 1993 accord has yet to be ratified by Israel's Knesset and the legal status of church properties and communities in Israel are still under negotiation. Massa says the Vatican is disappointed with the unresolved economic issues and lack of ratification. The church has extensive properties in Israel. When the region was controlled by the Ottoman Empire and later the League of Nations, those properties enjoyed a special legal and tax status--which became unclear once the state of Israel was created. In a paper on the first five years of the accord, Rabbi David Rosen, director of the American Jewish Committee's Department for Interreligious Affairs, says normalizing the legal standing of church personnel and institutions are complex matters (WordDoc). "The Holy See would have liked to have been considered as an extra territorial entity, enjoying the same privileges granted to foreign delegations and their properties," Rosen contends. "Aside from the principle, to have done so for the Catholic community without doing so for other Christian denominations would have posed substantial difficulties for Israel."

Pasted from <http://www.cfr.org/holy-seevatican/vatican-israel-relations/p19344>

*******

PLEASE NOTE THE DATE for the following!!!!!!!    JULY 2013!   THIS YEAR, THIS MONTH!

Israel and Vatican close to signing Holy Land accord

Palestine and Jordan fear deal on East Jerusalem sites will cross “red lines”

By Lauren Gelfond Feldinger. News, Issue 248, July-August 2013

Published online: 08 July 2013

After two decades of talks, Israeli and Vatican officials are closer than they have ever been to reaching agreement over a number of disputed Holy Land sites, including the room in which Christians believe the Last Supper took place.

Historically, relations between Israel and the Vatican were strained: the Vatican did not drop the charge that the Jewish people were responsible for killing Jesus until 1965, while the actions of Pope Pius XII during the Nazi era remain controversial. The Vatican, meanwhile, has had concerns about Israel overseeing Catholic sites. Official diplomatic relations were not established until 1994. Tensions over the status of a number of historic holy sites are ongoing, because of contested sovereignty issues or because of the competing claims of different religious groups.

After a meeting in June, Zion Evrony, Israel’s ambassador to the Holy See, told The Art Newspaper that a final agreement was now possible within months. “I know that some will be skeptical and say ‘we have heard this before’, but this time, I believe we are closer to the finish line and there is a good reason for optimism,” Evrony said. 

The Israeli ambassador and Catholic officials in Israel would not give details, but a draft agreement outlines tax exemptions at non-commercial holy sites and gives more rights to the Vatican at key sites of Catholic interest in Jerusalem and Caesarea.

The most controversial site in the draft agreement is Jerusalem’s Cenacle compound, which is important to Christians, Jews and Muslims. According to Masha Halevi of Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, Christians venerate the space upstairs in the Cenacle, where the Last Supper is believed to have taken place, while Jews consider it a 13th-century holy site marking King David’s tomb. Muslims consider it the Prophet David’s burial site and it has been Waqf (Islamic Trust) property since 1551.

To add to the complexity, the site is on Mount Zion. While Israel considers this its territory, others consider it a disputed no-man’s land arising from the period 1948 to 1967, or Occupied Arab East Jerusalem. Palestine and Jordan believe the area is subject to international, not Israeli, law.

The Art Newspaper was told that Israel and the Vatican have resolved “99 per cent” of the outstanding issues, but the Vatican is worried about a Palestinian backlash, says an Israeli source involved in the negotiations.

The Vatican has long taken the position that it will not discuss sites in East Jerusalem, or the West Bank, with Israel. However, “if the agreement recognises church institutions in East Jerusalem, then there is a sense of de facto recognition [of Israeli sovereignty],” the source says. The Franciscan Custodian of the Holy Land in Jerusalem declined to answer questions.

Any deal may also prove controversial in Jordan, which considers itself a guardian of Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. In March, Palestine signed an agreement with Jordan, re-emphasising Jordan’s responsibilities. After a Vatican-Israeli meeting in January, a Jordanian official issued a statement saying that Jordan would reject any agreement between the Holy See and Israel that led to “action” at Jerusalem’s holy sites.

A senior Palestinian official says that Jordan and Palestine are calling on the Vatican “to abide by international law and article four of the Geneva Convention, which considers East Jerusalem occupied territory, until both sides reach a final status agreement on issues of Jerusalem”.

Israeli and Vatican officials are negotiating over Waqf properties, he says. “As Palestinians, we don’t interfere in internal Israeli affairs or negotiations, but we do care when it comes to East Jerusalem [and] international law and conventions. We are positive that the Holy See is aware of the red lines… but we are worried that mistakes could be made.”

A potential Pandora’s box

The sovereignty of the Cenacle site has long been debated. The Muslim Dajani-Daoudi family of Jerusalem, which holds a document from the Ottoman Sultan in 1529 granting them guardianship over the site and rites to the land as their family burial plot, considers the site to be Waqf property, as do Palestine and Jordan. The Franciscan Catholics argue that they were the guardians of the site before the Ottoman era; Jews consider it part of Second Temple period Jerusalem.

Today, an Orthodox Jewish school is housed on the ground floor, and the Last Supper Room upstairs is a tourist site. Israel allows mass twice a year and for rare special occasions. A Palestinian source says that the new agreement would grant Franciscans two hours of daily prayer time at the Cenacle, and administrative rights, without granting ownership. He also says that rites at the Garden of Gethsemane were listed in the draft agreement.

The Israeli source says that, in addition to a Palestinian backlash, an agreement could potentially open “a Pandora’s box” by creating a precedent for other Christian communities to claim properties or benefits at the holy sites that Israel claims sovereignty over.

“I believe that the problems that remain can be resolved,” Zion Evrony said. “Once this agreement is signed, I believe it will remedy a hurdle that may have prevented the upgrading of relations between Israel and the Holy See. A future visit by the Pope [could also]… strengthen our relations.” He did not discuss Palestinian concerns.

Pasted from <http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Israel-and-Vatican-close-to-signing-Holy-Land-accord/30073>

*******

We cannot CLOSE our eyes to the nearness of CHRIST'S RETURN!  We cannot CLOSE our eyes to the nearness of the CLOSE of probation for all mankind!  Wait, what am I saying? We can close our eyes to it but if we do we will be eternally lost!

We are being WARNED!

We are being SHOWN!

We have been given prophetic signs!

Will we HEED THEM? Will we?!

Or will we continue to hide our heads in the sand pretending nothing is really going on?  Do we really believe we will be LESS accountable because we are hiding? No, in fact, we will be more accountable for choosing to hide!

This is God's TRUTH!

This is HIS WORD!

I didn't make the prophecies up, I didn't make history up, I didn't make the plan of Salvation.  If you believe in GOD, if you believe in JESUS CHRIST then you must believe in their HOLY WORD to us and live it!

Tomorrow we will once again continue on with Bonhoeffer's, Cost of Discipleship, but this needed to be said because of what He's speaking of concerning us as workers for Christ.

Time is RUNNING OUT!

We have to note the times we live in and as workers for Christ we must give the message for the times we are in.

Please Lord, help us!

Give us ONLY Your truth!

We do not ever want to be deceived!

Please open our hearts and minds to Your WORD.

Guide us!

Love us!

Forgive us!

Save us!

Prophecy Luke 21:24

Luk 21:24  ...and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. 

 Luke 21:24 -- "Jerusalem shall be trodden of the Gentiles (nations - eqnwn0), until the times of the Gentiles (nations eqnwn0) be fulfilled."

WWN 2006-

'Few today would deny the precision of this prophecy. The destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies in AD 70 is a historical fact commemorated on the triumphal arch of Titus in Rome. The dispersion of the Jews among all nations is still a reality. As for Jerusalem, nineteen centuries of history should provide adequate proof that it has been "trodden down of the Gentiles" - first by the Romans, then by the Arabs, next by different Christian nations during the Crusades, fourth by the Turks up to the end of the first world war, then by the British, and finally by the Jordanians until the Six-Day War in June, 1967.

This prophecy of Jesus was a sign for the Christians of the Apostolic Church, who lived at the beginning of the times of the Gentiles, and it remains a sign for us who live at the end of the times of the Gentiles. Again, we must know how to discern its meaning.

It is not a matter of our seeing in the return of the Jews to Palestine and in Israeli conquest of Jerusalem a sign of the approaching conversion of the Jews, as so many Christians think. Nothing in Jesus' prophecy allows such an interpretation. However, if we cannot see that Jerusalem is an exceptional sign of the times, then might we not be placing ourselves in the same position as the religious leaders who knew how to "discern the face of the sky" but could not discern the obvious "sign of the times"?

In order to understand Jesus' statement, three questions need answering.

First, exactly what does the expression "the times of the Gentiles" mean?
Then, what should be understood by the fulfillment of the times of the Gentiles?
Finally, what connection is there between the retaking of Jerusalem by the Jews and the fulfillment of the times of the Gentiles?

As I understand the Biblical language, the times of the Gentiles is the period set aside by God for the evangelization of the heathen nations.

It is not the time needed for them to be converted to Christianity, as some think, but for them to hear the gospel. It is in this sense that Jesus said:

"This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come" (Matt. 24:14).

I believe that the times of the Gentiles began in AD 34 when the prophetic seventy weeks that God set aside for the people of Israel ended. The baptism of the first "heathen" - the Ethiopian eunuch and the centurion Cornelius - as well as the conversion of Paul as an apostle to the Gentiles mark the beginning of these new times. And if I have understood the prediction of Jesus properly, this time will be "fulfilled" when Jerusalem will cease to "be trodden of the Gentiles." The fact that since 1967 Gentiles no longer have occupied Jerusalem means, therefore, that we are now living at the end of "the times of the Gentiles."

Jerusalem here constitutes the last sign by which the Lord shows us that the history of this world is coming to its climax and that the restoration of all things is at hand. And should God tarry once more in the fulfillment of His promise, we should understand that He "is longsuffering, ... not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9) (Christ of the Revelation, pp. 71-72).

Texts to consider with Luke 21:24:

Daniel 11:45 - "He shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas (Dead, Galilee, and the Great) in the glorious holy mountain."

Revelation 16:16 - "They gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Har-Mo'ed (Mount of the Congregation).

Isaiah 14:13 - "For thou hast said in thine heart, ... I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation (Har-Moled), in the sides of the north" (See also Ps. 48:2).

Psa 48:2  Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.

WWN 2006 May'

My thoughts-

Yesterday we read in the book - The Cost of Discipleship  by Dietrich Bonhoeffer -  a bit about the gospel work to be done. How the workers for Christ are to spread the gospel to the gentiles and the end could not come until the message was preached to all. 

It is true that we are forever to be witnesses of our Savior and the Gospel of the Kingdom, but it is equally true that a time will arrive where the focus on the imminent end must occur. Why else would we be given such prophecies as this-

 Luke 21:24 -- "Jerusalem shall be trodden of the Gentiles (nations - eqnwn0), until the times of the Gentiles (nations eqnwn0) be fulfilled."

If the time would not be fulfilled?

And this --

"This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come" (Matt. 24:14).

If that end would not come?

THEN SHALL-  then it will -  there is STILL a period of time implied.  If something shall come, if something is going to be fulfilled then it will happen, not necessarily INSTANTANEOUSLY. It WILL happen without a doubt, but it is a process of time.

So what happens if we conclude that the time for concentrating on preaching the gospel of the kingdom in all the world unto all the nations is up?  Do we no longer preach the gospel of the kingdom?  No! We forever preach it where the Holy Spirit convicts us the Word needs to be spoken.

However,  the shift of focus is even more prominently on this-  'Then shall the end come.'

The END shall come.

Yes, throughout time from the moment Jesus predicted His second coming men and women have been waiting eagerly for His return. Each generation desperately desiring it to occur in their time. As they age they keep hoping and hoping and all the signs SEEM to point them towards this hope. Finally they fall into death's sleep with that hope still within them but never to be realized as a being translated. Each generation is allowed this hope, this very real hope but the fact remains and will forever remain until the moment of Christ's return, that there will be one generation that it will come true for, the last generation of those watching, praying, and waiting for the Lord to return for them. They will see Him coming in the clouds in the air, they will be called to Him, they will rise to meet Him in the air as their bodies are changed in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye.

1Co 15:51  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

The prophecy in Luke 21:24 and Matthew 24:14 are a call to shift focus why? Because the end of all things is at hand! The wrath of God will be poured out. The just will remain just and the unjust will remain unjust. Probation for mankind is almost up completely and after it is up, then there is going to be a time of trouble such as we've never, ever seen before.

We have to realize that there will come a time when those who are alive will be finally and completely judge for how else will our Savior know who are His and who are not?  The judging will be over.  And what is more important than for people to realize that their TIME IS RUNNING OUT!

Prophetically.
Biblically.
Time is running out.

The time of the nations is over.

What is left is this--

Dan 11:45  And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
Dan 12:1  And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
Dan 12:2  And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

At that time shall MICHAEL stand up!
And there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time.
And at that time --  thy people -- shall be DELIVERED.

Again we are pointed to where? To Jerusalem! 'The seas in the glorious holy mountain' 

(Dead, Galilee, and the Great) Seas.  

Isa_66:20  And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD.

'To my holy mountain- Jerusalem'

Right before our Savior returns,  right before He stands up and all is decided for every last person upon earth, we are told to look at this planting of tabernacles of his palace in Jerusalem.  Who is going to do the planting? That is a whole other study of it's own and we shall, by the grace of God, endeavor to undertake tomorrow.

The times of the nations is up, it's over, it's history.  Right now we are living in a short period of time before the very end of all probation.  God would NOT lead us to such a place without letting us know.

Those who have eyes will see, those who have hears will hear, but there will be those who would rather be blind and deaf, unfortunately a lot more will be completely blind and completely deaf to all the warnings because they choose to be so, they don't want to know the truth, they only want lies that placate their conscience.

Please LORD, help us to understand the times we are now living in! Help us to understand! You are warning us! You are telling us what to look for! You are desperately wanting all who would be Yours, to be Yours and not one be left behind, not one.

By Your will, by YOUR grace, through Your love and Your righteousness, our hope is all in YOU!

Bless us Lord, bless us with understanding.

In YOUR LOVE ALWAYS!

Thank you, Jesus Christ our LORD and SAVIOR, now and forever!

Eternal Gospel Proclaimed - Cost of Discipleship Pt 122

Chapter 25 - The Decision

Mat 10:26  FEAR THEM NOT therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
Mat 10:27  What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
Mat 10:28  And FEAR NOT THEM which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Mat 10:29  Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
Mat 10:30  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Mat 10:31  FEAR YE NOT therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Mat 10:32  Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 10:33  But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 10:34  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Mat 10:35  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Mat 10:36  And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
Mat 10:37  He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:38  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:39  He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.


Bonhoeffer- ' The messengers abide by the Word, and the Word abides by the messengers, now and in all eternity. Three times Jesus encourages his disciples by saying "Fear not." Although their sufferings are not secret, they will not always be so: some day they will be made manifest before God and man. However secret these sufferings are at present, they have their Lord's promise that they will be eventually brought to the light of day. And that will mean glory for the messengers and judgment for their persecutors. Nor is the testimony of the messengers intended always to remain in obscurity. The gospel is not to take the form of hole-in-the corner sectarianism, it must be set forth by public preaching. For the time being it may have to be delivered secretly, but in the last day this preaching will fill the whole world spelling salvation and rejection. The Revelation of St. John contains this prediction: "And I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, having an eternal gospel to proclaim unto them that dwell on the earth, and unto every nation and tribe and tongue and people." ( Rev. 14:6) Therefore "Fear not."

My thoughts-

Truthfully the everlasting gospel HAS been preached to them that dwell on the earth. There are very few, if any, places that haven't had the opportunity to know the Word of God. We live in a time right now that Bonhoeffer probably couldn't even imagine.  Our internet, our means of transportation, all of this has given the word of God great ability to go everywhere and anywhere. People go to all corners of the earth, leaving very little unseen, unknown.

Yet, even in Bonhoeffer's time it was all unfolding, the gospel was being preached and the time of it was quickly nearing it's fulfillment.

Read this-

Mat 24:14  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. 

The word nations is the same word translated gentiles in this verse-

Luk 21:24  And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

The times of the gentiles will be fulfilled, that time of fulfillment is a prophecy give by Jesus Himself. And believe it or not, that prophecy has met its fulfillment

In 1980 the Jewish people were once more in control of Jerusalem and moved their Capital there.  They fought a war and won in 1948, and another in 1967, to shockingly gain control of Jerusalem.  After hundreds of years, after  1900 years they were in control of Jerusalem and NO ONE thought it was possible. No one thought it would happen.  Our Savior KNEW it would happen. Our Savior prophesized of it occurring. People say that we don't live in a time when prophecy is fulfilled but I was alive in 1967 and 1980, I'm living as prophecy is fulfilled. 

There are indepth studies on this particular prophecy and I've gone through them in my Bible Study blog before, but perhaps it's time to do so again.

By the GRACE and MERCY of our LORD we will study this prophecy more in depth because what Bonhoeffer is saying here does affect us today, but we have to consider the times when things are written and pray for guidance as to time and place of all God's word.

We are living in a time right now that is right on the verge of our Lord finishing His work on our behalf, we need to understand this, and believe this.

Too many want to say that everyone says this and it never happens, but if you have faith in God, faith in the Lord, our Savior JESUS CHRIST then YOU have to believe all that He tells us will come to pass. Someone will be living in the last days, someone will be alive to witness His return, someone will be enduring the horrors of the end times, it WILL all come to pass. We cannot say we believe and shirk the TRUTH just because we claim it's impossible to comprehend. Why would our God not enable us to understand? He does, if we truly want all His truth, if we truly want to see, and hear HIS WORD.

Please LORD bless us!
Please LORD keep us in YOU!
Help us to learn YOUR truth and believe in YOUR truth always!

Hated to the end of time - Cost of Discipleship Pt 121

Chapter 24 - The Suffering of the Messengers

Mat 10:16  Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
Mat 10:17  But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
Mat 10:18  And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
Mat 10:19  But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
Mat 10:20  For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
Mat 10:21  And the 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.
Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Mat 10:23  But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
Mat 10:24  The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
Mat 10:25  It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

Bonhoeffer- 'The messengers of Jesus will be hated to the end of time. They will be blamed for all the divisions which rend cities and homes. Jesus and his disciples will be condemned on all sides for undermining family life, and for leading the nation astray; they will be called crazy fanatics and disturbers of the peace. The disciples will be sorely tempted to desert their Lord. But the end is also near, and they must hold on and persevere until it comes. Only he will he blessed who remains loyal to Jesus and his word until the end. But when the end comes, the hostility towards Jesus and his disciples will be made manifest the whole world over, and only then must the messengers flee from city to city, in order that they may proclaim the Word where it can still find a hearing. If they run away then, they will not be running away from the Word, but holding fast to it.

The Church has never forgotten Christ's promise of his imminent return, and she has always believed that this promise is true. The exact manner of its fulfillment remains obscure, but that is not a problem for us to solve. This much is clear and all-important for us today: that the return of Jesus will take place suddenly. That fact is more certain than that we shall be able to finish our work in his service, more certain than our own death. This assurance that in their suffering they will be as their master is the greatest consolation the messengers of Jesus have. As is the mast, so shall the disciple be, and as the Lord, so the servant. If they called Jesus a devil, how much more shall they call the servants of his household devils. Thus Jesus will be with them, and they will be in all things like unto Him.'

My thoughts-

The truth is -Christ followers are being persecuted all over the world.  Today to be a Christian and to follow God's truth, His words means you are biased, you are prejudice, you are morally deficient because you are not accepting of the world's ways. To hold fast to truth today means to align yourself against those who call themselves enlightened, those who profess to have TRUE love for all, something Christian's are supposed to have.  To believe in God's truth's right now in the world we are currently living in, means that what we call God's love, others call His hate. Things have been twisted and turned so violently misaligned that to be a true Christ follower means more than ever standing up for TRUTH. It means LOVING all sinners, but HATING all sin!

We cannot glorify sin and love sin. Those who choose to follow sin's path willingly and want the approval and acceptance of the sin in their lives, those who actually ask us to accept the sin as being not sinful, are the exact people spoke about in God's word-

Isa_5:20  Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Isa 5:21  Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
Isa 5:22  Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:
Isa 5:23  Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

Pro 17:15  He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.

Mal 2:17  Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?

Mat 6:23  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

Luk 11:35  Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.

Luk 16:15  And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

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

2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

As servant of God we must hold fast to the TRUTH and share the TRUTH. If we are persecuted for sharing the TRUTH we are to flee and continue to share the TRUTH.

More and more this world is becoming the place of evil.  We live in the age of evil acceptance.  Accept the evil and live as enlightened, loving, fair, moral, and good- or else.  Are you prepared to accept the label of an evil person, a person filled with hatred for people, a false Christ follower who doesn't really following Christ because Christ accepts all sinners.  Try as YOU might, are you prepared for others NOT to comprehend your LOVE of the sinners but not their sin?  Because they believe it's one and the same. They believe you cannot say you hate sin and yet love them because that thing you are calling sin is their life, it's a part of them they have no control over, it is who they are, it is NATURAL and to fault someone for their NATURE, for something beyond their control, is to hate them, and hate that part of them.

How does this fit in with what Bonhoeffer is saying about Christ's disciples, Christ's followers suffering? It's the time in which we live and a form of suffering that is just over the horizon for many. Daily we our morals have been beaten, whittled away and society calls all manner of lifestyles good, acceptable, natural, loving when the truth of it is the sin that has been accepted will NEVER be good, can NEVER be good. The sinners can find forgiveness for the sin however natural that sin is to them, but sin will never been changed to no longer being sin.

Our flesh nature is our enemy, living to our flesh nature in any form of sin is wrong, from the greatest to the least of sins. The one who loves their own covetous nature and clings to it, calling it normal and good, and right is just as guilty as another clinging to a physical urge that is part of their nature.  One is not more right than the other, one is not more acceptable than the other. The SIN is never acceptable! No matter the SIN!

For me to placate a coveting person and tell them not to worry, it's okay to be coveting would make me a part of their sin. I have to console the coveting person and tell them that there is HOPE in Christ to overcome, there is forgiveness at the foot of the cross, and if they have to seek that forgiveness constantly- then do so!

We are not guiltless, we are riddled with guilt and only CHRIST can save us from any of it! Only HE CAN SAVE US, but He will NOT save us without our willingness, without our consent. 

Please Lord, keep us in YOU all the way until they end of time as we know it. Please Lord, we would be YOURS in this world where so much is twisted and warped, where it truly is as it was in the days of Noah and Sodom and Gomorrah.

Lord, please, let us remain true to You all by YOUR power, YOUR grace, YOUR love! If we suffer, Lord, help us to cling ever tighter to YOU in that suffering!  Please Lord, please! We would be YOURS.

Beware of men... - Cost of Discipleship Pt 120

Chapter 24 - The Suffering of the Messengers

Mat 10:16  Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
Mat 10:17  But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
Mat 10:18  And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
Mat 10:19  But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
Mat 10:20  For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
Mat 10:21  And the 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.
Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Mat 10:23  But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
Mat 10:24  The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
Mat 10:25  It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

Bonhoeffer- 'The Word of God will also give the messengers an unerring insight into human nature. "Beware of men."  The disciples are not expected to show fear of men, nor malice, nor mistrust still less a sour misanthropy, nor that gullible credulity which believes that there is good in every man: they are expected rather to display an unerring insight into the mutual relation of the Word and man. If they are content not to pitch their hopes too high, they will not be perturbed when Jesus warns them that their way among men will be one of suffering. But there is a miraculous power latent in this suffering. Whereas the criminal has to suffer his punishment in secret, the disciples will have to stand before governors and kings "for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles."  This suffering will help forward their testimony. It is all part of God's plan and the will of Jesus, and that is why they will be given power to make a good confession and deliver a fearless testimony even in the hour when they make answer before thrones and judgment seats. The Holy Ghost Himself will stand by their side and make them invincible. He will give them " a mouth and a wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to withstand or to gainsay" (Luke 21:15). Because the disciples remain true to the Word in their sufferings, the Word will remain true to them. To self-sought martyrdom this promise would not apply, but there is no doubt whatever that it does apply to suffering with the Word.'

*******

Sheep in the midst of wolves.

Can you picture that scene.  Sheep set in the midst of wolves? What a horrific sight, yes? You have to know what wolves do to sheep.  I'm reminded, strangely enough, of the movie - 'Jurassic Park'.  In that movie there is a scene where the park owners are trying to entice a tyrannosaurus rex to come into the view of passing tourist vehicles.  The park owners stake a goat to a pole and raise it up into the T-rex enclosure. A young girl in one of the vehicles is very disturbed by the thought of what is going to happen to that goat.  She knew that the goat was being sacrificed to the T-rex, and she knew what that meant- blood and carnage, the end of the goat's life and imaginably great suffering, and terror over what was to come.  A tragic life for that goat to be sure. I think that part of the movie comes to mind because I've never tended sheep and certainly haven't seen them as wolves attacked.  I can use my imagination though and my imagination tells me what has to happen to those sheep is pure carnage.  I can vividly picture their terror as they realize the wolves are among them. They know they are in great danger, not a tiny bit of danger, but very GRAVE danger, life threatening danger! Their lives are at stake! At any moment they could be taken down by a wolf.

Sheep in the midst of wolves.

Jesus said-

Mat 10:16,17  'Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.  But beware of men…'

Not a very pretty picture is it? You're going to be like a SHEEP in the MIDST of WOLVES. You're going to be vulnerable, attacked, stalked, terror-filled, among vicious killers.  No, definitely NOT a very pretty picture at all whatsoever!  We truly have to comprehend this because we so often moan and groan when we are made to feel the least bit uncomfortable  in our beliefs. Is it any wonder? We who live in America very seldom have to fear any attack, why if we're attacked we have our lawyers on speed dial and like an instant enclosure of safety that lawyer will erect a lawsuit of one sort or another to keep anyone from attacking us based on our discipleship. Yet take a giant leap over to other countries and you know what you'll find in many of them? Stones hurling at your head, jail bars wrapping you in a tiny cell, vicious verbal attacks, assaults so brutal they leave you barely alive and guess what? If you even try to go to the authorities you are truly risking your own life and there are no lawyers lined up ready to defend you.  Yet, Jesus told His disciples this is something they would face. He was actually telling them He was SENDING them into this sort of confrontation.  Was He only sending a limited few? Or were all of His disciples going to face the wolves?

Let's read the passage again-

Mat 10:16  Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
Mat 10:17  But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
Mat 10:18  And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
Mat 10:19  But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
Mat 10:20  For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
Mat 10:21  And the 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.
Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Mat 10:23  But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

This is something that will continue right up until our Savior returns.

This is something all disciples of Jesus should comprehend.  Yes, even those of us who live in a democracy and claim freedom from persecution. Maybe we need to understand even more so than those who have grown up being persecuted because if we are caught unaware there is a great chance Satan will use that opportunity to snatch us up as we are reeling from the idea of suffering, truly suffering persecution and rebelling from such a thing. Satan wants us to shrivel and shrink at the mere thought of suffering, and he'll gladly whisper in our ears that in no way does God want us to suffer, we must do anything and everything to keep ourselves from suffering.  That's a LIE, a HUGE LIE!  Do I mean that God wants us to suffer? NO. I mean that we MUST NOT DO ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING to keep ourselves from suffering. We MUST NOT disobey God so that we do not suffer. No where does God tell us to disobey Him if we might face suffering. Not a single place does He condone disobeying Him so that we don't suffer. In fact we are told we might be put to death!  Did Jesus take that opportunity to say that we should stop obeying Him, stop loving Him, stop living the truth so that we don't suffer? NO! Yet we have been practically programmed to abhor suffering at all costs and believe that it's what God wants too.

Now before this gets all misconstrued, I have to say, as Bonhoeffer mentioned above - 'To self-sought martyrdom this promise would not apply…'  

Self-sought martyrdom is NOT what the suffering is, it is NOT being sent by Jesus, but sending yourself, following your own path, not the one Christ has laid out for those who truly follow Him.

Suffering abuse such as described by our Savior is a reality, not something anyone should ever deliberately seek to create. It is what is DONE to Christ's followers, not what manufactured by Christ's followers.  It is by following the WILL of God that the suffering comes.  It is not by following your own will. Any suffering that comes by your own devising in hopes of being considered a good disciple will not be truth, and you will  be lumped among those Jesus will tell He never knew them.

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

The Holy Spirit will NOT speak through those who are not surrendered to Christ, it's impossible! 

The suffering that comes is endured and the Holy Spirit will use us to bring the Word of God to others. The words that we speak will NOT be ours!

Mat 10:20  For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

Imagine! Just imagine for a single moment the Holy Spirit speaking in you!

It isn't surprising some might try to manufacture a situation they can manipulate and try to say the Holy Spirit was speaking through them just so they can mouth the words.  It will be possible that another sort of spirit will speak through some if their hearts aren't Jesus', if they aren't truly His disciples. 

Sheep among wolves.
Harmless as doves.
Wise as serpents.
Living surrendered to Christ so completely the Holy Spirit speaks for a testimony.
Endure to the end.

All in CHRIST!

Will we face suffering?
Will we be brought before judges, put on trial?
Will we be hated?

Us, democracy raise people, find it hard to imagine, but honestly let's consider this a very real possibility so we aren't among those who would rather give up our faith than endure any sort of very, real hardship.

May the Holy Spirit guide us in all things! May the will of God be done in our lives!

Please LORD, bless us, keep us IN YOU, wholly in YOU, in all things!

We would be YOURS, by YOUR GRACE and LOVE!

Wise as Serpents, Harmless as Doves

Chapter 24 - The Suffering of the Messengers

Mat 10:16  Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
Mat 10:17  But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
Mat 10:18  And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
Mat 10:19  But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
Mat 10:20  For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
Mat 10:21  And the 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.
Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Mat 10:23  But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
Mat 10:24  The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
Mat 10:25  It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

Bonhoeffer- 'Neither failure nor hostility can weaken the messenger's conviction that he has been sent by Jesus. That his word may be their strength, their stay and their comfort, Jesus repeats it. "Behold, I send you." For this is no way they have chosen themselves, no undertaking of their own. It is, in the strict sense of the word, a mission. With this the Lord promises them his abiding presence, even when they find themselves as sheep among wolves, defenseless, powerless, sore pressed and beset with great danger.  Nothing can happen to them without Jesus knowing of it. "Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." How often have the ministers of Jesus made wrong use of this saying! However willing they may be, it is indeed difficult for them to preserve a true understanding of this word and to adhere to the path of obedience. How difficult it is to draw the line with certainty between spiritual wisdom and worldly astuteness! Are we not all prepared at heart to do without "worldly wisdom" and much prefer the harmlessness of the doves and thus again fall into disobedience? Who is there to let us know when we are running away from suffering through cowardice, or running after it through temerity? Who shows us the hidden frontier? It is just as bad to appeal to the commandment of simplicity against that of wisdom, as to appeal to the commandment of wisdom against that of simplicity. There is one in the world who has perfect knowledge of his own heart. But Jesus never called his disciples into a state of uncertainty, but to one of supreme certainty. That is why his warning can only summon them to abide by the Word. Where the Word is, there shall the disciple be. Therein lies his true wisdom and his true simplicity.'

'Only the truth of that Word will enable him to discern what is wise. But to deviate from the truth for the sake of some prospect or hope of our own can never be wise, however slight that deviation may be. It is not our judgment of the situation which can show us what is wise, but only the truth of the Word of God. Here alone lies the promise of God's faithfulness and help. It will always be true that the wisest course for the disciple is always to abide solely by the Word of God in all simplicity.'

My thoughts-

We are all guilty of twisting God's word to suit ourselves, aren't we?  We've uttered the following words-  'God understands.'  As a way of making an excuse for our failings.

In my Old Testament reading it still amazes me how often God's chosen people turned away from Him only to turn back to Him, to only once more turn away from Him. How often the same king would turn to God only to turn from Him once more.  This was a constant, and if anything it reveal the evilness of men's hearts.

Jer_17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Man knows what God wants from Him- obedience.
Man knows this includes self sacrifice.
Man knows this means warring against their own natural inclinations.  If it were our natural inclination to follow God in all truth, we would have done that, right? It'd be easy.  Yet we gave up that natural inclination when we chose to sin.

The natural self rebels against God, there is an ACTUAL ACT of OBEDIENCE involved in following God, not an automatic act, not at all.

We have to constantly guard against our own natural inclinations even once we've turned to God because they'll forever be trying to creep back into our lives and turn us away from our Savior.

1Co_2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

1Jn_2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

1Pe_4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
1Pe_4:2  That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

We must walk in CHRIST'S truth no matter what that truth is, whether our flesh nature likes that truth or not, and most assuredly it won't.

We cannot alter the truth to suit anyone!  We can't tell someone we have a special deal for just them- a half off special- they can sin half the time and still get the benefits of never sinning. It DOES NOT work that way! We must speak ONLY truth! We cannot condone a single sin.

Psa 19:12  Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
Psa 19:13  Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

We need our Savior to keep us, to save us!

We need to follow our God and the Holy Spirit's leading especially when we are working for HIM. And we can only work for Him as HE leads.  Any path of our own we forge is not good, it must be a path forged by God, with God's blessing, His leading.

Please LORD we would be YOUR.

We would truly be as WISE as serpents and HARMLESS as doves, only in the way YOU LEAD us to be, not in our own way, please Lord, Your way, not ours, always!

God's wrath is real - Cost of Discipleship pt. 118

Chapter 23 - The Work

Mat 10:11  And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.
Mat 10:12  And when ye come into an house, salute it.
Mat 10:13  And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
Mat 10:14  And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
Mat 10:15  Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.


Bonhoeffer- 'The whole message is staggering in its simplicity and clarity, and since the cause brooks no delay there is no need for them to enter into any further discussion to clear the ground or to persuade their hearers. The King stands at the door, and he may come in at any moment. Will you bow down and humbly receive him, or do you want him to destroy you in his wrath?

'If however, men refuse to hear, they have lost their chance, the time of grace is passed, and they have pronounced their own doom.'

Heb 4:7  ... To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

'Is this ruthless speed? Nothing could be more ruthless than to make men think there is still plenty of time to mend their ways. To tell men that the cause is urgent, and that the kingdom of God is at hand is the most charitable and merciful act we can perform, the most joyous news we can bring. The messenger cannot wait and repeat it to every man in his own language. God's language is clear enough. It is not for the messenger to decide who will hear and who will not, for only God knows who is "worthy"; and those who are worthy will hear the Word when the disciple proclaims it. But woe to the city and woe to the house which rejects the messenger of Christ/ They will incur a dreadful judgment: Sodom and Gomorrah, the cities of unchastity and perversion, will be judged more graciously than those cities of Israel who reject the word of Jesus. Vice and sin may be forgiven, according to the word of Jesus, but the man who rejects the word of salvation has thrown away his last chance. To refuse to believe in the gospel is the worst sin imaginable, and if that happens the messengers can do nothing but leave the place. They go because the Word cannot remain there. They must recognize in fear and amazement both the power and the weakness of the Word of God. But the disciples must not force any issue contrary to or beyond the word of Christ. Their commission is not a heroic struggle, a financial pursuit of a grand idea or a good cause. That is why they stay only where the Word stays, and if it is rejected they will be rejected with it, and shake off the dust from their feet as a sign of the curse which awaits that place. This curse will not harm the disciples, but the peace they brought returns to them. '

My thoughts-

We truly do not like to imagine there is a WRATH OF GOD, do we? We'd much rather simply believe He's so benevolent that He just can't have a wrath that would hurt us lowly humans who don't know any better. He's too loving to have wrath.  People believe love and wrath cannot exist together. They say God is NOT loving because He has wrath.  It's a lie of Satan's, a lie he's used very well, very successfully.

We have to realize the truth is- those who do NOT accept Jesus Christ and His love, the Gospel of the Kingdom, will HAVE to face the wrath of God, there is no other way and it's their own choice!

God's wrath--

Num_11:33  And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.

2Ki_22:13  Go ye, enquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.

2Ch_28:11  Now hear me therefore, and deliver the captives again, which ye have taken captive of your brethren: for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you.

2Ch_29:8  Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes.

2Ch_32:26  Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

2Ch_34:21  Go, enquire of the LORD for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do after all that is written in this book.

2Ch_36:16  But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.

Job_21:20  His eyes shall see his destruction, and he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty.

Psa_78:31  The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.

Psa_106:40  Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance.

Isa_13:13  Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

Jer_50:13  Because of the wrath of the LORD it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.

Joh_3:36  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.

Rom_1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness

Eph_5:6  Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

Rev_6:16  And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb

Rev_14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb

Rev_14:19  And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

Rev_15:7  And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.

Rev_16:1  And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.

Rev_19:15  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 winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

*******

Do you believe Your Bible?
Do you believe in GOD?
Do you believe in JESUS CHRIST, as your LORD and SAVIOR?

If you answered, yes, then you have to believe in God's wrath as a REAL thing!

A very real thing, and His LOVE is equally as real!  He couldn't have the wrath without the love.

A parent knows in some very small measure, a parent understands.  And children as they get older they begin to understand.   You can love and still feel anger. 

God has to deal with the SIN problem, the worst problem that exists because it is the cause of ALL problems. Sin is the seed that sprouted every single agony, every single tear, every single heartache. God must get rid of sin forever so that it never rises again.  The anger He must feel over sin's evil has to be worse than anything we can imagine. Sin will be gone and all those who choose sin over love will experience the wrath of God has sin is done away with once and for all.

Everyone will get a chance.

None will be able to say they didn't have an opportunity to know the LORD as their Savior.

The Holy Spirit will convict all and those who choose to believe in God and will cling to all the truth that is revealed to them.

We, as the disciples of Jesus, as workers for Christ, must be ready to do anything that the Holy Spirit convicts us to do, and do nothing on our own. We ARE NOT those who convict! 

Please, LORD, help us! Teach us to obey You in all things! Let us be YOUR workers, for YOUR will and only YOUR will!

In Your LOVE!