Burn them up

Nah 1:9  What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.

Mal_4:1  For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

Do we imagine that there is no REAL end to the chaos in our world, the chaos that has been in our world sin Adam and Eve sinned? Do we really believe THIS is how our lives are supposed to be? That we were created, that we obtained existence only to ever live to die? We fight to live. We expend energy every day just to live. And this is how we truly imagine our lives were supposed to be? Our minds at their best are only left to inhabit deteriorating bodies, allowed to flourish as the shell of flesh around us dies on it's journey to becoming dust once more.  This was what we are all about, to live just a moment in time and then no more.  Say what you will, I choose to believe in my LORD and eternal life in HIM through HIS righteousness! I choose to believe this life is a life given to me so that I may serve the Lord at His mercy. I choose to believe this life is a temporary life, a stepping stone, a first phase.  I believe as my Lord tells me, that it is true, this world, this life, is NOT what was ever intended for us, His creations.

When the end of all evil is at hand it will NEVER rise up again.

We know in our lives that things have ends, irretrievable endings. We've all seen things die, never to live again. Evil will be destroyed never to rise again, never. This isn't up for debate, it is factual, set in stone forever. This is the plan of the LORD and it will not be altered.

Our Lord is LONG SUFFERING, and that is the ONLY reason this world has continued on as it has. IF He were not long suffering it would have been over a long time ago.

By the grace of our LORD we will be among the righteous, finding our righteousness in HIM and only in HIM. He is our HOPE, our only HOPE.

The wicked will destroyed.  The wicked, all who are not God's, all who choose anything but their Creator will belong to the wicked one. Please LORD, help us NOT to be among the wicked! We would be YOURS!

By YOUR GRACE!

The Harvest is the End of the World

Mat 13:24  Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
Mat 13:25  But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
Mat 13:26  But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
Mat 13:27  So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
Mat 13:28  He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
Mat 13:29  But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Mat 13:30  Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Mat 13:36  Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
Mat 13:37  He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
Mat 13:38  The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
Mat 13:39  The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
Mat 13:40  As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
Mat 13:41  The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
Mat 13:42  And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 13:43  Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

*******

My Thoughts-

The Son of man sows the good seed.
The field is the world.
The good seed are the children of the kingdom.
The tares are the children of the wicked one.
The enemy is the devil.
The harvest is the end of the world.
The reapers are the angels.
The wicked are gathered and destroyed.
The righteous gathered to the kingdom.

Can it be any clearer?

The wicked and righteous remain together until the end when Christ has the angels separate them.

The harvest isn't until the end of the world.

Is it any wonder the apostles asked Jesus this--

Mat 24:3  And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

They wanted to know what would signal the end of the world, just as we today desire to know.

People are so quick to say it'll never happen. Why do they say that? Because it hasn't happened. They scoff because they have their own idea of what God's timetable should be. They point out all the evil atrocities in our world's history, and in it's current state and can't fathom why the end of the world hasn't occurred yet. Why if they had a say in things it would have happened long before now. And because it hasn't happened and our history has been bloody and filled with evil, then it's not going to happen.  Scoffers.

We do have signs, and again people will happily tell you that every generation since Christ lived has believed the signs point to the end of the world, and because of this, it will never happen. It's a fiction designed to get people to believe so that supposedly they'll make the world a better place to live in. People will gladly tell you that everyone has a wicked streak in them, there are no righteous. People will also in the next breath tell you that everyone has a good streak in them, there are no really wicked people.  Unbelievers.

Mat 24:4  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Mat 24:5  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:6  And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Mat 24:7  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Mat 24:8  All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Mat 24:9  Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
Mat 24:10  And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Mat 24:11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
Mat 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
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.
Mat 24:15  When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
Mat 24:16  Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
Mat 24:17  Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
Mat 24:18  Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
Mat 24:19  And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
Mat 24:20  But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
Mat 24:21  For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Mat 24:22  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Mat 24:23  Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
Mat 24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Mat 24:25  Behold, I have told you before.
Mat 24:26  Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
Mat 24:27  For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:28  For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
Mat 24:29  Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Mat 24:30  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Mat 24:31  And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Mat 24:32  Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
Mat 24:33  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Mat 24:36  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Mat 24:37  But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:38  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,
Mat 24:39  And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:40  Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Mat 24:41  Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Mat 24:42  Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Mat 24:43  But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Mat 24:44  Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Mat 24:45  Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
Mat 24:46  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Mat 24:47  Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
Mat 24:48  But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
Mat 24:49  And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
Mat 24:50  The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
Mat 24:51  And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Luk 21:7  And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?
Luk 21:8  And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
Luk 21:9  But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
Luk 21:10  Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
Luk 21:11  And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
Luk 21:12  But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
Luk 21:13  And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
Luk 21:14  Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
Luk 21:15  For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
Luk 21:16  And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
Luk 21:17  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
Luk 21:18  But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
Luk 21:19  In your patience possess ye your souls.
Luk 21:20  And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
Luk 21:21  Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
Luk 21:22  For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
Luk 21:23  But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
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.
Luk 21:25  And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Luk 21:26  Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Luk 21:27  And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Luk 21:28  And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
Luk 21:29  And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;
Luk 21:30  When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.
Luk 21:31  So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
Luk 21:32  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.
Luk 21:33  Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
Luk 21:34  And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Luk 21:35  For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Luk 21:36  Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Mar 13:2  And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
Mar 13:3  And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately,
Mar 13:4  Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?
Mar 13:5  And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:
Mar 13:6  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Mar 13:7  And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.
Mar 13:8  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
Mar 13:9  But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
Mar 13:10  And the gospel must first be published among all nations.
Mar 13:11  But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.
Mar 13:12  Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.
Mar 13:13  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Mar 13:14  But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
Mar 13:15  And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house:
Mar 13:16  And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.
Mar 13:17  But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
Mar 13:18  And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.
Mar 13:19  For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
Mar 13:20  And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.
Mar 13:21  And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:
Mar 13:22  For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.
Mar 13:23  But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.
Mar 13:24  But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
Mar 13:25  And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
Mar 13:26  And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
Mar 13:27  And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
Mar 13:28  Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:
Mar 13:29  So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.
Mar 13:30  Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.
Mar 13:31  Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
Mar 13:32  But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
Mar 13:33  Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
Mar 13:34  For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
Mar 13:35  Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
Mar 13:36  Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
Mar 13:37  And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

Now before anything else is said, I just have to say this-- there is a prophecy right here that Jesus tells us to read and understand and if we do this we can't help but realize that the prophecy extend right up to the year 1844. SERIOUSLY.  Great Biblical scholars have read and understood this. There are more prophecies, one that extends right to the year 1980!  1980!  Just 33 years ago! So if these prophecies as history has unfolded have shown them to come to pass just as recently as 33 years ago, it is OBVIOUS that we are still living in prophetic timeline heading straight for the end of the world.  Nothing has been able to stop the prophecies from coming to pass, not a single thing, and nothing will be able to stop our Savior from coming again, nothing will stop the end of the world.

Think what you want, scoff, disbelieve, it's the choice you've been allowed to make for yourself, God will NEVER force anyone to believe in Him or the end of the world.

The end of the world will come whether or not anyone believes- it doesn't hang on whether or not there are believers, in fact we are told there are going to be very few believers, so if we wait for a world to be converted to the TRUTH, our wait will be in vain. We have to believe now not wait for anything!

Your life could end in the next minute, the next hour, the next day, the next week, the next month, the next year … the thing is YOU DON'T know when your life will end, none of us know, not really. I imagine that even those planning to suicide have had their suicide thwarted by death finding them in another way before they could go through with that plan. You aren't guaranteed to die on your own terms no matter what you plan. We don't know when our lives will end so to wait to accept Christ's salvation, Christ's righteousness, to wait to repent and seek forgiveness is to tempt fate in a way you shouldn't, not when the price you will pay is so extremely high.

In Christ alone do we have hope of living in Him for eternity. We can't buy our way there, we can't trick our way in, we can't sweet talk ourselves to salvation, it's a heart knowledge, a truth without any deception at all.

All by the grace of GOD! All through His love may we be watching and ready, surrendered to Him, living in His righteousness, known by Him at the end of the world, when it's harvest time for the whole world.

Open our eyes to see Christ

Bonhoeffer -  'The Word of God seeks a Church to take unto itself. It has its being in the Church. It enters the Church by its own self-initiated movement. It is wrong to suppose that there is so to speak a Word on the one hand and a Church on the other, and that it is the task of the preacher to take that Word into his hands and move it so as to bring it into the Church and apply it to the Church's needs. On the contrary, the Word moves of its own accord, and all the preacher has to do is to assist that movement and try to put no obstacles in its path. The Word comes forth to take men to itself; the apostles knew that and it was the burden of their message. They had see the Word of God for themselves, they had seen how it came and took flesh, and had come to take sinners to itself, to forgive and to sanctify. It is this same Word which now makes its entry into the Church. This Word makes flesh, this Word which already bears the whole of human race, can no longer exist without the humanity it has assumed. Furthermore, when this Word comes, the Holy Spirit comes, showing to Christians, both individually and corporately, the gifts of the incarnate Christ to man. He produces faith in his hearers, that they may discern in the preaching the entry of Jesus Christ. He opens their eyes to see Christ coming into their midst in the power of his Body to tell us that he has received us and will receive us again today.'

My thoughts-

First and foremost I have to say once again that the Church are GOD'S PEOPLE, NOT an organization of any kind, but those who are Christ followers, true Christ followers.  I'm not sure if Bonhoeffer would agree with this or not, but it is truth.

The Word God truly does seek a PEOPLE for itself. The Word of God does have its being in PEOPLE who are God's. The Word of God does seek the PEOPLE-

Rev_3:20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

The Word of God STANDS at the door and knocks!  If any of US, if any PERSON hears the Word of God speaking and opens the door, the Word of God will come into him.  This is truth! The Word of God is not seeking an organization but PEOPLE.

The Word does move of His own accord- and we- Christ's followers simply must NOT put any obstacles in the way of Christ's moving!

I love when Bonhoeffer writes- 'This Word makes flesh, this Word which already bears the whole of human race can no longer exist without the humanity it has assumed.'

Our Savior can NEVER divest Himself of His humanity. Once He took on flesh it was forever! He didn't shrug off the human form after He was raised from the dead. He was changed, His flesh became immortal as the flesh of all human beings must become when they are resurrected or translated to heaven.  Christ did not become a spirit, He retained His body, a body that could be touched. The Word truly can no longer exist without flesh.

The Holy Spirit- the alter ego of Christ comes to us and brings us TRUTH.

Joh 14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

The other day we studied a bit on the Holy Spirit calling us to remember, this is TRUTH.

We are TAUGHT of the Holy Spirit, we are given REMBRANCE of ALL things concerning CHRIST.

We are not left alone!

The HOLY SPIRIT teaches us, reminds us!

The Word of God is something that is very visible in His People, they are LIVING His word in their lives.  We must live HIS WORD, He must be living in us, in our lives always, at all moments. We must be surrendered to Him to the WORD of GOD.

Please LORD let us believe in the WORD MADE FLESH, let us believe that we do not force the WORD into molds of our own making, but rather we ACCEPT the WORD as it is, into our lives letting IT change us, not us change the Word.

All by YOUR grace LORD, all by YOUR grace!

Christ- the Temple

2Co_4:10  Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.  2Co 4:11  For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

2Co 1:5  For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
2Co 1:6  And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
2Co 1:7  And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.

2Co 13:9  For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection.

Php 2:17  Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.

Bonhoeffer- 'The Body of Christ has its own allotted portion of suffering. God grants one man the grace to bear special suffering in place of another, and this suffering must at all costs be endured and overcome. Blessed is he whom God deems worthy to suffer for the Body of Christ. Such suffering is joy indeed... '

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church

'...enabling the believer to boast that he bears the dying of Jesus Christ and the marks of Christ in his body…'

2Co_4:10  Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.  2Co 4:11  For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

Gal 6:17  From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. .  The Christian may now serve so that "Christ may be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death" (Phil. 1:20). Such vicarious activity and passivity on the part of the members of the Body is the very life of Christ, who wills to be formed in his members.'

Gal 4:19  My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you

'There is nothing new in all this. We are simply following in the steps of the first disciples of Christ.

It would be appropriate to conclude this chapter by summarizing the witness of the Scriptures as a whole to the doctrine of the Body of Christ. The New Testament doctrine of the Body of Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy concerning the temple of God. We are to understand the temple, not from Hellenistic usage but from the teaching of the prophets.  First, we find David proposing to build a temple for God. But when he consults the prophet, he is told what God thinks of his design…

"2Sa 7:5  Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in? 
2Sa 7:11  And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house."

Only God can build a temple for himself. Yet, paradoxically, David receives the promise that one sprung from his seed shall build the house, and that his seed shall endure forever.

2Sa 7:12  And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
2Sa 7:13  He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

2Sa 7:14  I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men

'Solomon the "son of peace," the peace of God with the house of David, claimed this promise for himself. He built a temple and his action was approved by God. But this temple was not enough to fulfill the promise. It was built by the hands of men, and so was doomed to destruction. The prophecy still awaited fulfillment. Still the people of God look for a temple built by the Son of David whose kingdom shall endure for ever. The temple at Jerusalem was destroyed more than once, a sign that it was not the temple of God's promise. Where then was the true temple? Christ himself answers that question by applying the prophecy to his Body.

Joh 2:20  Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
Joh 2:21  But he spake of the temple of his body.
Joh 2:22  When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

'The Temple which the Jews were looking for was the Body of Christ, of which the temple of the Old Testament was but the shadow.'

Col 2:17  Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

Heb 10:1  For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

Heb 8:5  Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

Jesus was speaking of his human body. He knows that the temple of his earthly body will be destroyed, like the temple of Jerusalem. But he will rise again, and the new temple, the eternal temple, will be his risen and glorified body. This is the house which God builds for his Son; but it is also built by the Son for the Father. In this house God dwells verily and indeed, as does also the new humanity, the Church of Christ. The incarnate Christ is himself the temple of the fulfillment. Similarly Revelation, speaking of the New Jerusalem, says that there is no temple in heaven, "for the Lord God Almighty, and the lamb are the temple thereof' (Rev 21:22)

The temple is the place where the gracious presence of God condescends to dwell among men, and also the place where God receives his people.'

My thoughts-

The Temple, the Sanctuary, has a very important message for us through prophecy.  We cannot ignore the entire Sanctuary and its services but rather apply them as told to. Christ is our High Priest right now! And as our High Priest He is in the HEAVENLY SANCTUARY.  Yes, Revelation says this--

Rev 21:9  And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
Rev 21:10  And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

John is being shown a vision of the NEW Jerusalem. In the new earth there will be no NEED for a physical temple because our SAVIOR  and the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY ARE the TEMPLE. When sin is done away with the NEED for the services (earthly before Christ, and heavenly after Christ) will be no more.  The fullness of all that the temple was created for is found in our Savior, and complete in HIM.  Understanding this is a huge undertaken, and the Holy Spirit alone can teach us what we need to know.

The Body of Christ, which we are a part of through His mercy and love. The Temple, which we are a part of. Please LORD, help us to comprehend the truth of this message. You are our HOPE, our LIFE, our DWELLING, our ALL in ALL, our Bread, our Blood.

Holy Spirit - Remember

Religion and Remembrance (Morrison- Daily Devotional)

'The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance' — Joh_14:26

The Holy Spirit Quickens the Things of Christ

One great office of the Holy Spirit is to quicken and refresh the memory.

He is given to vivify and make intensely real things that we were in danger of forgetting. He does not deal in novelties nor in unrelated revelations. He does not bring to us anything out of harmony with what we have learned from the historic Christ. Nothing new beyond and above that which is taught in Scripture is imparted to a man when his soul awakens to God. Through the Holy Spirit there leaps into his consciousness what in his unregenerate life he had not understood—for in Him we live and move and have our being.

We might illustrate that from what we know of poetry. When a genuine poet comes along and utters something that is profoundly true, that never reveals itself as novelty, but as the expression of our deepest selves. Instantly we recognize it; we say "Yes, that is true"; what we discover is but the perfect voicing of something which always was our own. The question is why should we recognize it; why should it not come to us as strange; why should we hail it as something that is ours, though we never had the power to say it? It is because deep is calling unto deep; it is because the poet, in his hour of inspiration, brings to remembrance what is deepest in us, buried under the ashes of our Aetna (volcano). So comes the Holy Spirit. He does not traffic in untested novelties. He brings to vivid and powerful remembrance the things of the Lord Jesus. And so doing He touches and awakens all that is deepest in our soul, for Christ is the light of every man. "In Him was life; and the life was the light of men" (Joh_1:4). The business of the Holy Spirit, then, is to display the glories of Christ in us.

The Holy Spirit Aroused the Prodigal's Memory

This spiritual office of remembrance was largely insisted on by the Lord Jesus. We might take, for instance, His story of the prodigal. To that young fellow, feeding among the swine, there came no startling and unexpected news. There did not flash across his starving soul something he had never known before. He remembered; he recalled; he recollected the plenty of his home—and then "I will arise and go unto my father." What drew him homeward was not any novelty. It was not any attainment of new knowledge. What made him start and take the trail for home was the uprush of fond and tender memory. And our Lord means that when anyone starts for home, out of the far land where swine are feeding gluttonously, he always does it in some such way as that. God does not convey new facts to him. He comes to him and whispers, "Son, remember. Remember that you are still a child, though sunken in an alien filth." That is to say, the office of the Spirit, in drawing the sinful soul to higher things, is the deep and mystical office of remembrance.

Peter's Memory Aroused

Again we might think of Simon Peter when he went out into the night and wept. What were the means our blessed Savior used to break his heart and save him through his tears? Argument? There was not one word of argument. Peter did not need to be convinced. Rebuke? There was not a syllable of that, whatever was hidden in those loving eyes. That cock-crow, that loving look of Jesus, awakened remembrance in the heart of Peter. Peter "remembered what the Lord had said," and he went out into the night and wept. What broke the heart of Simon Peter was the swift and anguished surging up of memory. In his panic fear he had forgotten everything. Now he remembered and was saved. So Jesus, like the other Comforter, brought all things to remembrance, and by remembrance rescued and redeemed.

The Lord's Supper Quickens Our Memory

Lastly we might think a moment of the holy hour of the Lord's Supper. Many of my readers will agree with me that that is a profoundly moving time. It is an hour when Christ draws very near to us, and we grow strangely aware that He is present. Earthly things recede into the shadows, and the things of heaven become intensely real. Excuses vanish; we know that we are sinners; we begin to long for a fuller consecration in the quiet hour when we gather at the Table. If ever religion is a real thing, it is real in the season of communicating. If ever we are touched and awed and elevated, it is in that mystical and blessed moment. And then heaven reaches us, and the divine arrests us, not by the impartation of a novelty, but by the Holy Spirit's way of stirred remembrance. At the Lord's Table we get nothing new, nothing beyond and above the preached Gospel, nothing that is not found in Holy Scripture and in the proclamation of the Word. Quickened remembrance does the gracious work. We remember the Lord's death until He come. It is the blessed office of the Holy Ghost to bring all things to our remembrance.'

My Thoughts-

I really, really enjoyed this daily devotion excerpt so I wanted to share it with everyone because we have been studying the Holy Spirit in Bonhoeffer's book- 'Cost of Discipleship'.

This message really spoke to me as being truth.

We can't expect any great earth shaking event, any tongues of fire dancing upon our heads, we can't look for the extraordinary and waiting for a supernatural event that somehow signals we are blessed with the Holy Spirit. We have to live by FAITH. In living by faith we must realize that even in the stillest, smallest voice we can be led by the Holy Spirit. That nudge of conscience, that pinprick of remembrance, that is the Holy Spirit and how blessed we are to be touched by Him in this way! There will come a time when the Holy Spirit will speak through Christ's followers as a witness to others in the very last days, this is the hope we hold on to, that we, through our beloved Savior are surrendered to Christ fully so that the Holy Spirit can use us in such a way. 

We are all part of the Body of Christ- those who choose to follow Him in all His truth, living as He guides us through the Holy Spirit. We can't hear the whispered reminders and the pointed nudges and choose to ignore them because we truly are despising the Holy Spirit and how can we ever expect to be forgiven if we never, ever answer the urgings towards repentance and new life in Christ?

Please Lord, please let us forever listen when the Holy Spirit is speaking to us in all the ways He uses whatever they may be. Let us NEVER despise the voice of the Holy Spirit. Let us fall to our knees seeking grace and mercy, seeking Your power to listen, to surrender, to live fully, wholly in YOU through YOUR LOVE always!

Amen.

The Spirit and the Body

Bonhoeffer- 'Here we encounter the office and work of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who brings Christ to each several member (Eph. 3:17; 1 Cor. 12:3), who builds up the Church by gathering the individual members together, although the whole building is already complete in Christ (Eph. 2:22; 4:12; Col 2.2) He creates the fellowship (2 Cor. 13:14) of the members of the Body (Rom. 15:30; 5:5; Col. 1:8; Eph. 4:3) The Lord is the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17). The Church of Christ is the presence of Christ through the Holy Spirit. In this way the life of the Body of Christ becomes our own life. In Christ we no longer live our own lives, but he lives his life in us. The life of the faithful in the Church is indeed the Life of Christ in them (Gal 2:20; Rom 8:10; 2 Cor 13:5; 1 John 4:15)'

Eph 3:16  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man
Eph 3:17  That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love

1Co 12:3  Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

Eph 2:22  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Eph 4:12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ

Col 2:2  That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ

2Co 13:14  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen...

Rom 15:30  Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me

Rom 5:5  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Col 1:8  Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.

Eph 4:3  Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

2Co 3:17  Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Rom 8:10  And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

2Co 13:5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

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

In the fellowship of the crucified and glorified body of Christ we participate in his suffering and glory. His cross is the burden which is laid on his Body, the Church. All its sufferings borne beneath this cross are the sufferings of Christ himself. This suffering first takes the form of the baptismal death, and after that the daily dying of the Christians (1 Cor. 15:31)...1Co 15:31  I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

…  in the power of their baptism.

But there is a far greater form of suffering than this, one which bears an ineffable promise. For while it is true that only the suffering of Christ himself can atone for sin, and that his suffering and triumph took place "for  us," yet to some, who are not ashamed of their fellowship in his body, he vouchsafes the immeasurable grace and privilege of suffering "for him," as he did for them. No greater glory could he have granted to his own, no higher privilege can the Christian enjoy, than to suffer "for Christ." When that happens, something comes to pass which is inconceivable under the law. For according to the law we can only be punished for our own sins. Under the law there is nothing that a man can suffer for his own good, still less for the good of another, and least of all for the good of Christ. The Body of Christ, which was given for us, which suffered the punishment of our sins, makes us free to take our share of suffering and death "for Christ." Now we may work and suffer for Christ, for the sake of him who did everything possible for us. This is the miracle of grace we enjoy in our fellowship in the Body of Christ  (Phil. 1:25-

Php 1:25  And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;

...Phil 2:17… Php 2:17  Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.

...Rom. 8:35...Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

…1 Cor. 4:10...1Co 4:10  We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.

2 Cor 4:10...2Co 4:10  Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

2 Cor 5:20...2Co 5:20  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

2 Cor 13:9...2Co 13:9  For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection. )

Although Christ has fulfilled all the vicarious suffering necessary for our redemption, his suffering on earth is not finished yet. He has, in his grace, left a residue of suffering for his Church to fulfill in the interval before his Second Coming (Col 1:24-Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church) This suffering is allowed to benefit the Body of Christ, the Church. Whether we have any right to assume that this suffering has power to atone for sin . (1 Pet. 4:1 -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) ' ...we have no means of knowing but we do at least know that the man who suffers in the power of the body of Christ suffers in a representative capacity "for" the church, the Body of Christ, being privileged to endure himself what others are spared . '

My thoughts-

Through the Holy Spirit we live in Christ, and there is NO other way for us to live in Christ, none! Christ promised this--

Joh 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Joh 14:17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Joh 14:18  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Joh 14:19  Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

The Spirit of truth living IN US!

This is truth having TRUTH.

We can't ignore this -  'the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him'

Do we believe this?! Do we?!

It is so incredibly easy to toss aside the TRUTH in favor of ear pleasing fables and so many people do this and call it good.

This...is...fact…

Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Many are going to do all sorts of things in the name of Jesus- believing they are doing His work! But in truth, He doesn't know them. Why doesn't He know them? Because they do NOT do ALL that He tells them.  Could it be they pick and choose the things they want to do, and leave undone all those that they deem too difficult, or not important?

Truthfully we know people by their fruits, and those fruits reveal whether or not they are truly listening to, and living in Christ!

We suffer, we are to die daily, and we live in the Spirit of our Lord!

More tomorrow by the grace of God!

Christ is the Head of the Body

Chapter 29 - The Body of Christ

Rom 12:4  For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
Rom 12:5  So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

1Co 12:12  For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
1Co 12:13  For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
1Co 12:14  For the body is not one member, but many.

Eph 1:22  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Eph 1:23  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Col 1:18  And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Col 2:19  And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.

Bonhoeffer- 'When we have recognized the unity between Christ and his Body, the Church, we must also hold fast to the complementary truth of Christ's Lordship over the Body. That is why St. Paul, as he comes to develop the theme of the Body of Christ, calls him the Head of the Body. 

This assertion symbolizes and preserves the truth that Christ stands over against his Church. The historical fact in the story of our redemption which makes this truth essential, and rules out any idea of a mystical fusion between Christ and his Church, is the Ascension of Christ (and his Second Coming).  The same Christ who is present in his Church will also come again. It is the same Lord and the same Church in both places, and it is one and the same Body, whether we think of his presence on earth or of his coming again on the clouds of heaven. But it makes a great deal of difference whether we are here or there. So it is necessary to give due weight both to the unity of Christ and his Church and to their distinction.

The Church is one man; it is the Body of Christ. But it is also many, a fellowship of members.

Since the Church is a body made up of many members, no separate member, such as hand or eye or foot, can transcend its own individuality. That is the meaning of St. Paul's analogy of the body. The hand can never take the place of the eye, or the eye the place of the ear. Each preserves its separate identity and function. On the other hand, they all preserve that identity and function only as members of the one body, as a fellowship united in service. It is the unity of the whole Church which makes each member what he is and the fellowship what it is, just as it is Christ and his Body which make the Church what it is.'

My thoughts-  Again I have to stress that I do not believe there is any one organized Church that is truly following Christ and all His truth.  I do believe there are many small organized groups that are doing so, some with the name Such and Such Church, but they are not joined with any large organized group. We know Biblically that FEW will find the narrow path and that alone should sound off warning bells in our minds about large groups claiming to be 'THE CHURCH'. 

I'm not sure where Bonhoeffer is going with all this. I know I don't agree with all his insights, not by a long shot, but it could be simply He was not subjected to the truth to follow, but followed all the truth He did encounter.  We are only accountable for the truth presented to us, and whether or not we accept or reject it. No one will be accountable for rejecting any truth that was never presented to them to make that decision.

We cannot judge any one's eternal life, we dare not even begin to try to do so.

I believe Bonhoeffer has a tremendous insight in to a lot of things of Christ, and so I continue on with the study.

--

Truthfully, Christ is the Head of the Body- the Church- His people.  There is no doubt at all that our Lord and Savior is our God and we worship HIM as being supreme in all things! Our Creator!  Can there be any more reason to worship, than the truth of HIS being our CREATOR?!  People will dispute this, they do it all the time, but there is no disputing the facts. The truth of God's Holy Word as it has been given to us and proven time and time again to predict our future.  Truth!  Yet so many choose blindness over truth, so called science over faith, theories and traditions over reality.  Clinging to falsehoods many are going to be lost, they will NOT be a part of the Church- God's people, the Body.

Medically if we cut off the head of a person they have NO chance of living, none, it's over.  And yet many people cut of the Head of the Church- JESUS CHRIST. They put in its place another head and like Frankenstein's monster they believe the head is alive and giving their body life. They've put up so many different heads and often times people will try to replace the Head, Christ, with their own head believing they know best.  They create all sorts of things distorting the truth to suit them and then they get their followers to listen to them, all the while telling those followers they are following Christ. They are liars, self-deceived even, but allowing themselves to be so. NO ONE is deceived without their consent to the deception!  Taking their eyes off Christ and all His truth, they choose to listen to the fables of man, and they take their easy religion, their feel-good worship, their lies the multitudes call truth, and they believe. 

Do we WANT truth? 

It is ONLY FOUND IN CHRIST!

And the truth is that CHRIST must be the Head of our fellowship in Him, or we are caught up in a fabrication of Satan's, skillfully, artfully, woven fallacy that soothes the conscience, eases the nerves.

Christ and all the TRUTH of Christ must be examined. We cannot pick and choose which parts of the truth we want to follow. Any truths we discard become the building blocks of lies we erect building our own body that has Satan as its head, not Christ.

Please, LORD, please help us to keep YOU as the Head of the Body we belong to as YOUR followers, Your church!

Keep us in YOU LORD in all things!

Satan would have us, save us, LORD! Save us from ourselves! We have no power of our own, none!

By Your GRACE Lord!   In Your LOVE and MERCY Lord! Know us! Save us!