Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. (Revelation 19:7)
The unscriptural doctrine of the "rapture" suggests that the believers will be caught up to an Anglican-type wedding ceremony in the air or in Heaven. The all-important forming, reconciling, and uniting stages, the actual marriage, are ignored in favor of a one-time profession of faith. "If I accept Christ as my Savior, I will be included in the wedding ceremony that will take place in Heaven."
We are being taught that the "rapture" will bring us to the wedding ceremony of the Lamb. This analogy has proceeded from fleshly thinking. Such a ceremony would be superfluous. The marriage supper of the Lamb, which will take place at the return of Christ to the earth, will be the manifestation of the enlargement of the Lamb that was accomplished previously. The Bride makes herself ready in advance. All of the saved creation is invited to this most glorious of events, according to our understanding.
It is the previous operations that are critical. The necessity for the prior forming, reconciling, and uniting operations are not given nearly enough stress in our day.
God has determined it is not good that the Lamb should be alone.
It is not possible for us to comprehend the reasoning of the Lord God of Heaven. We could think of many reasons why it would be good for the all-sufficient, sovereign Lord Jesus Christ to remain as He Is-the only begotten Son of God, the Word of God, the revelation of the invisible God.
We can see why it would be desirable for the Lord Jesus to retain His individuality-especially when we review our own shortcomings.
God is God, and love is love. If God has placed in the heart of Christ a love for us which is sufficiently intense to cause Christ to forgo His individuality (never His identity!) in favor of being one with us, our proper response is to rejoice. It may be a long time before we are able to grasp the magnitude of the love of the Lamb for His Wife.
The fact is, the love of Christ for His Bride is the principal motivation behind all God is performing in the heavens and on the earth. All else is second in importance. Christ's love for His Bride is the wisdom and power that governs the universe.
The Lamb of God has never been married before.
Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper.
The Formation Stage
The Lord Jesus Christ created every angel and every human being. He Is the Word of God.
Why then, would the Father invite Christ to pray that the nations would be given to him as His inheritance, in view of the fact that Christ Himself had created them?
Ask of me [the Father invited Creator Jesus], and I shall give thee the heathen [nations] for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. (Psalms 2:8)
Why should Christ be required to petition the Father for what He Himself had created?
It is because the peoples of the earth cannot be "possessed" by the mere fact of creation. Their hearts must be won. Winning the heart of an individual is not always an easy task. People are exceedingly complex, wonderful creatures.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
The Marriage of the Lamb
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. (Revelation 19:7)
The marriage supper of the Lamb, which will take place at the return of Christ to the earth, will be the manifestation of the marriage of the Lamb, a marriage that was accomplished previously. It is the previous operations that are essential.
There are four stages in the marriage of the Lamb:
The formation stage.
The reconciliation stage.
The union stage.
The manifestation stage.
We can notice three of these four stages in the marriage of Adam and Eve, which is a type of the marriage of the Lamb and His Bride.
The formation stage was the forming of Eve from the rib of Adam.
And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman,.... (Genesis 2:22)
The reconciliation stage was not necessary because Eve had never been in rebellion against Adam.
The union stage consisted of Eve being brought to Adam and his acceptance of her.
. . . and brought her unto the man. (Genesis 2:22)
The manifestation stage was the declaration by Adam to Heaven and earth that Eve was his wife.
And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. (Genesis 2:23)
The manifestation stage is the closest phase to what we would refer to as a wedding ceremony. But there is an important difference between the manifestation stage of the marriage of the Lamb and a wedding ceremony as ordinarily conceived. In the case of a marriage today, the actual marriage, the uniting, follows the wedding ceremony-if in fact a union ever does take place.
However, the marriage of the Lamb occurs as the believer takes up his cross and follows the Lord Jesus. The marriage supper will follow later. The manifestation stage, which includes the marriage supper, will be just that-a manifestation of what has taken place previously.
Adam and Eve had no wedding ceremony because none was necessary. It was not possible for Eve to be "married" to anyone else because she was of Adam's bone and flesh. She "was" Adam.
Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. (Genesis 5:2)
"Called their name Adam"!
Eve was not created as an individual person who could choose whether she should marry Adam, remain single, or marry someone else. Eve was created as a helper suited to, and a completion of, Adam. Eve was formed because the Lord God had determined, "It is not good that the man should be alone" (Genesis 2:18).
All subsequent human marriages can never be more than a shadow of the joining of Adam and Eve because Eve was created from and for Adam alone. The union of Adam and Eve was more than a partnership, it was the enlarging and completing of one person. If Eve had married anyone else it would have been Adam marrying that person.
The two were one flesh.
There was a forming, a uniting, and then a manifestation of what had been formed and united. A wedding ceremony was not necessary because a wedding is the moment in which the final decision to unite is made in the presence of witnesses. In the case of Adam and Eve the decision was made when God formed Eve from Adam.
Today a ceremony, a wedding, is necessary at the beginning of a marriage. By definition, fornication is the act of living together outside of legally-sanctioned marriage. Fornicators will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The marriage supper of the Lamb, which will take place at the return of Christ to the earth, will be the manifestation of the marriage of the Lamb, a marriage that was accomplished previously. It is the previous operations that are essential.
There are four stages in the marriage of the Lamb:
The formation stage.
The reconciliation stage.
The union stage.
The manifestation stage.
We can notice three of these four stages in the marriage of Adam and Eve, which is a type of the marriage of the Lamb and His Bride.
The formation stage was the forming of Eve from the rib of Adam.
And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman,.... (Genesis 2:22)
The reconciliation stage was not necessary because Eve had never been in rebellion against Adam.
The union stage consisted of Eve being brought to Adam and his acceptance of her.
. . . and brought her unto the man. (Genesis 2:22)
The manifestation stage was the declaration by Adam to Heaven and earth that Eve was his wife.
And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. (Genesis 2:23)
The manifestation stage is the closest phase to what we would refer to as a wedding ceremony. But there is an important difference between the manifestation stage of the marriage of the Lamb and a wedding ceremony as ordinarily conceived. In the case of a marriage today, the actual marriage, the uniting, follows the wedding ceremony-if in fact a union ever does take place.
However, the marriage of the Lamb occurs as the believer takes up his cross and follows the Lord Jesus. The marriage supper will follow later. The manifestation stage, which includes the marriage supper, will be just that-a manifestation of what has taken place previously.
Adam and Eve had no wedding ceremony because none was necessary. It was not possible for Eve to be "married" to anyone else because she was of Adam's bone and flesh. She "was" Adam.
Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. (Genesis 5:2)
"Called their name Adam"!
Eve was not created as an individual person who could choose whether she should marry Adam, remain single, or marry someone else. Eve was created as a helper suited to, and a completion of, Adam. Eve was formed because the Lord God had determined, "It is not good that the man should be alone" (Genesis 2:18).
All subsequent human marriages can never be more than a shadow of the joining of Adam and Eve because Eve was created from and for Adam alone. The union of Adam and Eve was more than a partnership, it was the enlarging and completing of one person. If Eve had married anyone else it would have been Adam marrying that person.
The two were one flesh.
There was a forming, a uniting, and then a manifestation of what had been formed and united. A wedding ceremony was not necessary because a wedding is the moment in which the final decision to unite is made in the presence of witnesses. In the case of Adam and Eve the decision was made when God formed Eve from Adam.
Today a ceremony, a wedding, is necessary at the beginning of a marriage. By definition, fornication is the act of living together outside of legally-sanctioned marriage. Fornicators will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
The Love of Money, #8
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 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. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (I John 2:15-17)
When we put faith (presumption) first, before God gives us direction, in a self-centered attempt to use Christ for our benefit, we enter a dangerous deception. We are employing presumption, not faith, and presumption is a transgression against God. It reminds us of Satan who attempts to be like God apart from union with God.
Devout teachers of today are exposing the error of attempting to acquire material wealth and success by the exercise of "faith" in Christ. We would add our support to them in deploring the fascination with money and comfort. Such "faith" efforts are not even close to being Christian. They are just one more attempt to evade the cross. They blind their adherents with the love of money, which is the destroyer of all that is of God and Christ.
Extremism in grace; overemphasis on the love of God; the unwillingness to believe that the Lord allows his saints to suffer tribulation; and now the use of faith in His name in order to become rich-all add up to an "eat, drink and be merry" attitude. The desire is to "have fun in the Son," as someone expressed it.
If this truly is the attitude of the Lord Jesus, our teaching that the Christian discipleship is a rugged road of repentance, self-denial, and cross-carrying obedience to Christ is not accurately reflecting the will of the Father in Heaven.
Yet we do appreciate and trust in God's grace. We do experience God's unfathomable love. We do enjoy the Lord's protection. We do walk in miracle faith.
Which is the right way? Perhaps Balaam, Jezebel, Gehazi, Judas, Ananias, Sapphira, and Demas could now provide us with the answer.
The truth can be found in the writings of the Apostles.
The choice is between the cross and the world. No person will be destroyed by Antichrist or the False Prophet if he cries out to Christ continually for the truth, if he prays to the Father to be kept from temptation, if he accepts his cross and carries it faithfully each day of his pilgrimage.
If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (I Timothy 6:3-10) (from The Love of Money; from John, Chapter Seventeen)
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
When we put faith (presumption) first, before God gives us direction, in a self-centered attempt to use Christ for our benefit, we enter a dangerous deception. We are employing presumption, not faith, and presumption is a transgression against God. It reminds us of Satan who attempts to be like God apart from union with God.
Devout teachers of today are exposing the error of attempting to acquire material wealth and success by the exercise of "faith" in Christ. We would add our support to them in deploring the fascination with money and comfort. Such "faith" efforts are not even close to being Christian. They are just one more attempt to evade the cross. They blind their adherents with the love of money, which is the destroyer of all that is of God and Christ.
Extremism in grace; overemphasis on the love of God; the unwillingness to believe that the Lord allows his saints to suffer tribulation; and now the use of faith in His name in order to become rich-all add up to an "eat, drink and be merry" attitude. The desire is to "have fun in the Son," as someone expressed it.
If this truly is the attitude of the Lord Jesus, our teaching that the Christian discipleship is a rugged road of repentance, self-denial, and cross-carrying obedience to Christ is not accurately reflecting the will of the Father in Heaven.
Yet we do appreciate and trust in God's grace. We do experience God's unfathomable love. We do enjoy the Lord's protection. We do walk in miracle faith.
Which is the right way? Perhaps Balaam, Jezebel, Gehazi, Judas, Ananias, Sapphira, and Demas could now provide us with the answer.
The truth can be found in the writings of the Apostles.
The choice is between the cross and the world. No person will be destroyed by Antichrist or the False Prophet if he cries out to Christ continually for the truth, if he prays to the Father to be kept from temptation, if he accepts his cross and carries it faithfully each day of his pilgrimage.
If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (I Timothy 6:3-10) (from The Love of Money; from John, Chapter Seventeen)
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Monday, September 27, 2010
The Love of Money, #7
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. (I John 4:4)
The ascension of the saints is being preached as the means God has provided for our escape from the great tribulation. God indeed has provided for our escape from the spiritual harm that will be caused by the great tribulation. God will enter His saints in that hour in fulfillment of the Old Testament feast of Tabernacles. The saints finally will overcome the deceptions of Antichrist because greater is He (Christ-the Spirit of truth) who is in us than he who is in the world.
It is true that the saints will not suffer from the pouring out of the vials of God's wrath at the time of the destruction of Antichrist. When the saints go out from the midst of the wicked of the earth the wrath of God will fall on the ungodly, just as Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed the moment Lot had been pulled to safety by the angels.
A fourth path that seeks to evade the cross has to do with using "faith" to gain wealth, power, and success. This is a modern symptom of the perennial attempt to be a Christian and not live righteously; not walk in the wholesome fear of God; not experience tribulation in the world.
The four evasions of the cross have a common denominator. They are compatible, each enhancing the other three. They produce an overfamiliarity with Christ and His Gospel, an "ease in Zion," a mystique, an aura surrounding the Christian salvation that is far removed from the text of the Old or New Testaments.
The common denominator of the errors of the evangelical mystique is the concept of the Christian salvation as an eternal, unconditional amnesty whose purpose is to admit the believer to Paradise when he dies. It often is true that those who follow this path trust in money. They do not walk each day in humble obedience to Christ.
The angel of the evangelical "gospel" is rebuked today by the Spirit of the Lord Jesus for its love of money and pleasure. It is telling God's people that Jesus has done everything for them; and while they should try to live a godly life out of appreciation for the goodness of the Lord to them, it is not critically important that they do so because they already are eternally secure in their hope of eternal residence in Paradise after their physical death. It is a potpourri of myths and errors.
The sincere saint should examine carefully what he is being taught today. He should study the modern Christian trend of thinking and attitude and determine if it corresponds to the thinking and attitude of the Apostles of the Lamb.
Concerning the current we-can-get-rich-by-faith doctrine, the eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews is clear that faith follows, not precedes, the expression of God's will. Faith is not a matter of deciding what we want and then commanding God to give it to us.
The fruit of faith is shown (in Hebrews, Chapter 11) to be works of righteousness, not the acquisition of ease in the world, or money, success, or luxury. Rather, the opposite is true. God Himself spoke to the men and women mentioned in the eleventh chapter, such as Noah, Abraham, and Moses. God spoke. Then the saints demonstrated their faith by obedience, courage, patience, trust, and persistence-often in the face of much suffering and adversity.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The ascension of the saints is being preached as the means God has provided for our escape from the great tribulation. God indeed has provided for our escape from the spiritual harm that will be caused by the great tribulation. God will enter His saints in that hour in fulfillment of the Old Testament feast of Tabernacles. The saints finally will overcome the deceptions of Antichrist because greater is He (Christ-the Spirit of truth) who is in us than he who is in the world.
It is true that the saints will not suffer from the pouring out of the vials of God's wrath at the time of the destruction of Antichrist. When the saints go out from the midst of the wicked of the earth the wrath of God will fall on the ungodly, just as Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed the moment Lot had been pulled to safety by the angels.
A fourth path that seeks to evade the cross has to do with using "faith" to gain wealth, power, and success. This is a modern symptom of the perennial attempt to be a Christian and not live righteously; not walk in the wholesome fear of God; not experience tribulation in the world.
The four evasions of the cross have a common denominator. They are compatible, each enhancing the other three. They produce an overfamiliarity with Christ and His Gospel, an "ease in Zion," a mystique, an aura surrounding the Christian salvation that is far removed from the text of the Old or New Testaments.
The common denominator of the errors of the evangelical mystique is the concept of the Christian salvation as an eternal, unconditional amnesty whose purpose is to admit the believer to Paradise when he dies. It often is true that those who follow this path trust in money. They do not walk each day in humble obedience to Christ.
The angel of the evangelical "gospel" is rebuked today by the Spirit of the Lord Jesus for its love of money and pleasure. It is telling God's people that Jesus has done everything for them; and while they should try to live a godly life out of appreciation for the goodness of the Lord to them, it is not critically important that they do so because they already are eternally secure in their hope of eternal residence in Paradise after their physical death. It is a potpourri of myths and errors.
The sincere saint should examine carefully what he is being taught today. He should study the modern Christian trend of thinking and attitude and determine if it corresponds to the thinking and attitude of the Apostles of the Lamb.
Concerning the current we-can-get-rich-by-faith doctrine, the eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews is clear that faith follows, not precedes, the expression of God's will. Faith is not a matter of deciding what we want and then commanding God to give it to us.
The fruit of faith is shown (in Hebrews, Chapter 11) to be works of righteousness, not the acquisition of ease in the world, or money, success, or luxury. Rather, the opposite is true. God Himself spoke to the men and women mentioned in the eleventh chapter, such as Noah, Abraham, and Moses. God spoke. Then the saints demonstrated their faith by obedience, courage, patience, trust, and persistence-often in the face of much suffering and adversity.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Friday, September 24, 2010
The Love of Money, #6
And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. (Hebrews 6:15)
The mature fruit of the moral image of Christ does not spring forth in our personality in a moment. Godly character requires years of patient discipline as the Holy Spirit slowly works redemption in our nature.
The Christian salvation is moral and character transformation. This is what salvation is. This is what the new covenant is. To define grace to mean that righteous works are unrelated to our salvation entirely misses the meaning of what God is performing through the new covenant.
A second path by which the money-lovers seek to evade the cross is the current overemphasis on God's love. God is Love-this is what the Scripture teaches. The Scripture teaches also that God is a consuming Fire. Sodom and Gomorrah dramatically portray this fact.
The flood of Noah is a warning to every creature, revealing that God is an all-powerful Spirit who is to be feared. The individual who does not fear God is foolish and ignorant.
God has not changed. Christ has not changed. The God of Noah and Abraham has not changed. We have boldness in Christ, not because God has changed but because of the adequacy of the atonement made on the cross of Calvary. Jesus warned His elect that He has not changed. He emphasized the fact that as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the day when He is revealed.
An emphasis on God's love that causes the believers to cease to fear God and to continue in the delusion that they love God while they are frolicking in the world and amassing money, is of Satan. The spirit that pretends to sympathize with the plight of man, teaching us to shun the cross of self-denial, proceeds from Satan. We have the words of Christ to Peter as follows:
But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. (Matthew 16:23)
Where there is no fear of the Lord there is no wisdom.
The true saint both loves and fears God. He loves God with all his strength. He also has experienced the terror of the Lord. He works out his salvation with fear and trembling.
The saint understands he will not have an excess amount of "oil" to share with the unwise in the Day of Christ. He knows that even those of righteous conduct are saved with difficulty (I Peter 4:18).
Extreme positions on grace or on God's love place in jeopardy the redemption of the believer. They are false, satanic teachings.
A third path that appeals to those who trust in money, that seeks to evade the cross, centers around the teaching of the first resurrection and ascension of the saints. When comforting the relatives of deceased Christians, Paul mentioned the first resurrection, the resurrection of the royal priesthood, to the church of the Thessalonians (I Thessalonians 4:13-5:3).
The term "rapture" has now been applied to the ascension that will follow the first resurrection of the dead. As is true of the first two errors mentioned (extremism concerning grace and concerning God's love), the doctrine of the "rapture," as it is taught today, is a departure from a fundamental truth of God's Word. It is a misapplication of Divine truth, bringing harm instead of blessing to the Lord's people.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The mature fruit of the moral image of Christ does not spring forth in our personality in a moment. Godly character requires years of patient discipline as the Holy Spirit slowly works redemption in our nature.
The Christian salvation is moral and character transformation. This is what salvation is. This is what the new covenant is. To define grace to mean that righteous works are unrelated to our salvation entirely misses the meaning of what God is performing through the new covenant.
A second path by which the money-lovers seek to evade the cross is the current overemphasis on God's love. God is Love-this is what the Scripture teaches. The Scripture teaches also that God is a consuming Fire. Sodom and Gomorrah dramatically portray this fact.
The flood of Noah is a warning to every creature, revealing that God is an all-powerful Spirit who is to be feared. The individual who does not fear God is foolish and ignorant.
God has not changed. Christ has not changed. The God of Noah and Abraham has not changed. We have boldness in Christ, not because God has changed but because of the adequacy of the atonement made on the cross of Calvary. Jesus warned His elect that He has not changed. He emphasized the fact that as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the day when He is revealed.
An emphasis on God's love that causes the believers to cease to fear God and to continue in the delusion that they love God while they are frolicking in the world and amassing money, is of Satan. The spirit that pretends to sympathize with the plight of man, teaching us to shun the cross of self-denial, proceeds from Satan. We have the words of Christ to Peter as follows:
But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. (Matthew 16:23)
Where there is no fear of the Lord there is no wisdom.
The true saint both loves and fears God. He loves God with all his strength. He also has experienced the terror of the Lord. He works out his salvation with fear and trembling.
The saint understands he will not have an excess amount of "oil" to share with the unwise in the Day of Christ. He knows that even those of righteous conduct are saved with difficulty (I Peter 4:18).
Extreme positions on grace or on God's love place in jeopardy the redemption of the believer. They are false, satanic teachings.
A third path that appeals to those who trust in money, that seeks to evade the cross, centers around the teaching of the first resurrection and ascension of the saints. When comforting the relatives of deceased Christians, Paul mentioned the first resurrection, the resurrection of the royal priesthood, to the church of the Thessalonians (I Thessalonians 4:13-5:3).
The term "rapture" has now been applied to the ascension that will follow the first resurrection of the dead. As is true of the first two errors mentioned (extremism concerning grace and concerning God's love), the doctrine of the "rapture," as it is taught today, is a departure from a fundamental truth of God's Word. It is a misapplication of Divine truth, bringing harm instead of blessing to the Lord's people.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Thursday, September 23, 2010
The Love of Money, #5
There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. (Proverbs 16:25)
The disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ must choose between two ways of living. He can choose the way of self-denial and cross-carrying obedience to the Lord Jesus, or he can choose the way of trust in money, a path that appears to evade the cross and yet lead to Paradise. However, the believer who seeks to evade the cross makes himself vulnerable to spiritual deception.
The love of money, being a counterfeit of the love of God, leads to spiritual deception.
One path that seeks to evade the cross is overemphasis on the grace (forgiveness) of God. This false path stresses that salvation is by a profession of belief in doctrine apart from works of repentance.
Today's stress on a profession of belief opens the way to a life of covetousness, the lust for material riches, and other non-Christian attitudes and practices, while the doctrinal position is held that we are saved by "grace" and our works do not matter.
The teachers who advocate the "Jesus did it all" concept of salvation may have some knowledge of the Scriptures that announce our position in Christ, but they certainly are unaware of the warfare that is necessary if the Divine vision is to become reality in our personality. We must make every effort if we are to enter the rest of God, the Divine vision that portrays our position in Christ at the right hand of God.
To stress our position in Christ and not balance the position with an equal emphasis on the necessary warfare is a wresting of Paul's teaching, and will lead to the destruction of every person who allows himself or herself to become persuaded that God and Christ would participate in such an empty redemption.
To use the blood of Jesus as a "covering" while we continue in the love of money is to destroy the new covenant. The blood of Jesus is to serve as the means of keeping us acceptable to God while we, through the Holy Spirit, are driving the sin from our personality.
True faith in the Lord Jesus Christ produces a "new creature" who reveals in himself the righteous works of the Divine Nature from which he was born. If there is no new creature who is performing works of righteousness, who shuns the covetousness of the world, the new covenant is not operating in the personality.
Branches in Christ that do not, after a season, bear the fruit of righteous behavior, are cut out of the Vine (out of Christ). Trees that finally do not bear the fruit of the image of Christ are removed from the orchard.
And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down. (Luke 13:9)
God is seeking to bring about the worship of Himself, and obedience to Himself, on the part of the inhabitants of the earth. If the Gospel of Christ does not result in righteous, holy, and obedient conduct, in freedom from covetousness, how is it accomplishing the eternal purpose of God? Is it not inferior to the old covenant, which at least required an abstention from moral transgressions?
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ must choose between two ways of living. He can choose the way of self-denial and cross-carrying obedience to the Lord Jesus, or he can choose the way of trust in money, a path that appears to evade the cross and yet lead to Paradise. However, the believer who seeks to evade the cross makes himself vulnerable to spiritual deception.
The love of money, being a counterfeit of the love of God, leads to spiritual deception.
One path that seeks to evade the cross is overemphasis on the grace (forgiveness) of God. This false path stresses that salvation is by a profession of belief in doctrine apart from works of repentance.
Today's stress on a profession of belief opens the way to a life of covetousness, the lust for material riches, and other non-Christian attitudes and practices, while the doctrinal position is held that we are saved by "grace" and our works do not matter.
The teachers who advocate the "Jesus did it all" concept of salvation may have some knowledge of the Scriptures that announce our position in Christ, but they certainly are unaware of the warfare that is necessary if the Divine vision is to become reality in our personality. We must make every effort if we are to enter the rest of God, the Divine vision that portrays our position in Christ at the right hand of God.
To stress our position in Christ and not balance the position with an equal emphasis on the necessary warfare is a wresting of Paul's teaching, and will lead to the destruction of every person who allows himself or herself to become persuaded that God and Christ would participate in such an empty redemption.
To use the blood of Jesus as a "covering" while we continue in the love of money is to destroy the new covenant. The blood of Jesus is to serve as the means of keeping us acceptable to God while we, through the Holy Spirit, are driving the sin from our personality.
True faith in the Lord Jesus Christ produces a "new creature" who reveals in himself the righteous works of the Divine Nature from which he was born. If there is no new creature who is performing works of righteousness, who shuns the covetousness of the world, the new covenant is not operating in the personality.
Branches in Christ that do not, after a season, bear the fruit of righteous behavior, are cut out of the Vine (out of Christ). Trees that finally do not bear the fruit of the image of Christ are removed from the orchard.
And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down. (Luke 13:9)
God is seeking to bring about the worship of Himself, and obedience to Himself, on the part of the inhabitants of the earth. If the Gospel of Christ does not result in righteous, holy, and obedient conduct, in freedom from covetousness, how is it accomplishing the eternal purpose of God? Is it not inferior to the old covenant, which at least required an abstention from moral transgressions?
To be continued.
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Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
The Love of Money, #4
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. (I John 2:19)
Antichrist begins his career among the people of God, as we can see concerning Gehazi, Judas, and Ananias and Sapphira. But those who are of Antichrist never were of God even though they may have a spiritual gift. Jesus never knew them even though they worked miracles in His name.
It is not true, as some teach, that Balaam was a false prophet. Balaam was a true seer. God came to him when he prayed.
If Balaam had been a false prophet he would have been able to curse Israel with no trouble. The problem arose because he was a true seer. Gehazi, and Ananias and Sapphira, chose death when they were fellowshiping with eternal life. Their conscious remorse will make Hell all the more unbearable for them. In like manner, Judas was one of the twelve who were closest to Christ.
We have no doubt that Antichrist will come from the Christian churches. Remember, Antichrist is not the opposite of Christ, he is the counterfeit of Christ.
Skillfully made counterfeit money can be detected only by an expert. It virtually is identical to genuine currency. It differs only in its source.
So it is true of Antichrist. He virtually is identical to Christ. He appears as an angel of light, not of darkness. He differs from Christ in his source. The Source of Christ is God the Father. The source of Antichrist is Satan.
Antichrist, "the son of perdition" (II Thessalonians 2:3), no doubt will come from among fervent Christian believers. Judas, another son of perdition, emerged from among the original twelve disciples.
Perhaps Antichrist will be the minister of a Christian church who sees in Christ the means of becoming wealthy and powerful. Little by little he will be drawn into Satan's power, as was true of Judas Iscariot, until he is thoroughly deceived. He will lead a multitude of other believers astray with him just as the preachers of money are leading multitudes astray in our day.
Judas did not realize Satan was using him, that he was a tool in the hands of the lords of darkness. Perhaps Antichrist will not realize Satan is using him-at least not in the beginning. No human being deliberately chooses eternal confinement in the lake burning with fire and sulfur.
How about today? Are we being led to believe we should use Christ in order to gain wealth, power, fame, success, positions of leadership, better jobs, houses, lands? Are we viewing material gain as godliness?
If we are, we need to read about Balaam, Judas, Antichrist. Covetousness will open a door in our personality through which Satan will enter and cause us to betray Christ. He who would love money is taking the first step toward the Lake of Fire.
Christ has warned us clearly. No man can serve God and money. Paul exhorted us to flee from the presence of those who teach that gain is godliness or that godliness is a means of acquiring money (I Timothy 6:5).
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Antichrist begins his career among the people of God, as we can see concerning Gehazi, Judas, and Ananias and Sapphira. But those who are of Antichrist never were of God even though they may have a spiritual gift. Jesus never knew them even though they worked miracles in His name.
It is not true, as some teach, that Balaam was a false prophet. Balaam was a true seer. God came to him when he prayed.
If Balaam had been a false prophet he would have been able to curse Israel with no trouble. The problem arose because he was a true seer. Gehazi, and Ananias and Sapphira, chose death when they were fellowshiping with eternal life. Their conscious remorse will make Hell all the more unbearable for them. In like manner, Judas was one of the twelve who were closest to Christ.
We have no doubt that Antichrist will come from the Christian churches. Remember, Antichrist is not the opposite of Christ, he is the counterfeit of Christ.
Skillfully made counterfeit money can be detected only by an expert. It virtually is identical to genuine currency. It differs only in its source.
So it is true of Antichrist. He virtually is identical to Christ. He appears as an angel of light, not of darkness. He differs from Christ in his source. The Source of Christ is God the Father. The source of Antichrist is Satan.
Antichrist, "the son of perdition" (II Thessalonians 2:3), no doubt will come from among fervent Christian believers. Judas, another son of perdition, emerged from among the original twelve disciples.
Perhaps Antichrist will be the minister of a Christian church who sees in Christ the means of becoming wealthy and powerful. Little by little he will be drawn into Satan's power, as was true of Judas Iscariot, until he is thoroughly deceived. He will lead a multitude of other believers astray with him just as the preachers of money are leading multitudes astray in our day.
Judas did not realize Satan was using him, that he was a tool in the hands of the lords of darkness. Perhaps Antichrist will not realize Satan is using him-at least not in the beginning. No human being deliberately chooses eternal confinement in the lake burning with fire and sulfur.
How about today? Are we being led to believe we should use Christ in order to gain wealth, power, fame, success, positions of leadership, better jobs, houses, lands? Are we viewing material gain as godliness?
If we are, we need to read about Balaam, Judas, Antichrist. Covetousness will open a door in our personality through which Satan will enter and cause us to betray Christ. He who would love money is taking the first step toward the Lake of Fire.
Christ has warned us clearly. No man can serve God and money. Paul exhorted us to flee from the presence of those who teach that gain is godliness or that godliness is a means of acquiring money (I Timothy 6:5).
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
The Love of Money, #3
If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? (Luke 16:11)
Some who are teaching a "pre-Antichrist rapture" may not realize that they and their disciples already are serving and preaching Antichrist. Because they have chosen the riches of the world they will not be given the true riches of the Kingdom of God.
As far as we know, Judas was an ordinary human being.
At one time Judas had been a little boy, playing games around his home in the village of Kerioth. Could the lad Judas have realized that one day his Creator would say of him, "It had been good for that man if he had not been born"? Could Judas have known that one day his name would be a symbol for treachery throughout the world?
What if Christ were to say that about me? About you? Are we immune for some reason? Was Judas immune? Were Ananias and Sapphira, who held back part of the proceeds from the sale of their land because of their desire for money, immune to the wrath of God because they were members of the early Church?
The holy Scriptures by commandment and example teach us to flee from the love of money, from the deceitfulness of riches. It is impossible to serve God and money. We must choose between these two masters.
Esau traded the Messianic inheritance for a bowl of lentils. Judas sold Emmanuel for thirty pieces of silver. Gehazi exchanged the trust of Elisha, and his own health, for some clothes. Ananias, and Sapphira gave their lives for material gain.
During the reign of Antichrist the members of the Laodicean churches will trade their part in the Lamb's Book of Life for economic security.
We have made our choice. How about you?
"That the scripture might be fulfilled," Jesus prayed. Christ knew from the beginning who it was that would betray Him.
Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve. (John 6:70,71)
Judas was mentioned by the Spirit of Christ speaking through David:
Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. (Psalms 41:9)
There are the wicked and there are the righteous. To what extent some people belong to God before they receive Jesus, and others are wicked and not of God, we cannot say. It is obvious that Judas was condemned from the beginning. However, the Scripture holds true that if any person comes to Jesus he will not be turned aside.
Judas betrayed Christ with the kiss of friendship. How truly treacherous and perverse is the spirit of covetousness! Indeed, covetousness is idolatry. It is the worship of the god of riches, the god of the world. Of all the heathen gods worshiped in His day, Christ spoke only of one-Mammon (money).
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Some who are teaching a "pre-Antichrist rapture" may not realize that they and their disciples already are serving and preaching Antichrist. Because they have chosen the riches of the world they will not be given the true riches of the Kingdom of God.
As far as we know, Judas was an ordinary human being.
At one time Judas had been a little boy, playing games around his home in the village of Kerioth. Could the lad Judas have realized that one day his Creator would say of him, "It had been good for that man if he had not been born"? Could Judas have known that one day his name would be a symbol for treachery throughout the world?
What if Christ were to say that about me? About you? Are we immune for some reason? Was Judas immune? Were Ananias and Sapphira, who held back part of the proceeds from the sale of their land because of their desire for money, immune to the wrath of God because they were members of the early Church?
The holy Scriptures by commandment and example teach us to flee from the love of money, from the deceitfulness of riches. It is impossible to serve God and money. We must choose between these two masters.
Esau traded the Messianic inheritance for a bowl of lentils. Judas sold Emmanuel for thirty pieces of silver. Gehazi exchanged the trust of Elisha, and his own health, for some clothes. Ananias, and Sapphira gave their lives for material gain.
During the reign of Antichrist the members of the Laodicean churches will trade their part in the Lamb's Book of Life for economic security.
We have made our choice. How about you?
"That the scripture might be fulfilled," Jesus prayed. Christ knew from the beginning who it was that would betray Him.
Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve. (John 6:70,71)
Judas was mentioned by the Spirit of Christ speaking through David:
Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. (Psalms 41:9)
There are the wicked and there are the righteous. To what extent some people belong to God before they receive Jesus, and others are wicked and not of God, we cannot say. It is obvious that Judas was condemned from the beginning. However, the Scripture holds true that if any person comes to Jesus he will not be turned aside.
Judas betrayed Christ with the kiss of friendship. How truly treacherous and perverse is the spirit of covetousness! Indeed, covetousness is idolatry. It is the worship of the god of riches, the god of the world. Of all the heathen gods worshiped in His day, Christ spoke only of one-Mammon (money).
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Monday, September 20, 2010
The Love of Money, #2
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (I Timothy 6:10)
Balaam, Gehazi, Judas, and Ananias and Sapphira testify to us from the eternal darkness that riches are deceitful, that the love of money indeed is the root of all evil.
"Christian" ministers today are teaching that the Lord's people ought to be rich in the world's goods and we should exercise faith in order to gain wealth. These Balaamite prophets, adorned in the finery of the present world, cannot see the bony ribs of the dying in Africa; neither can they hear the moans of despair coming from the parched lips of the mother attempting to nurse her starving infant.
These lovers of gold cannot see or hear the torments of the world's population because the pursuit of wealth has blinded their eyes and stopped their ears. Yet they are preaching the saints should seek after money. The blind are leading the blind. Shall they not bear their judgment?
The hour will come when the false prophets of money will be in outer darkness, clothed in rags, begging for a taste of the water of life. The poor of the earth, rich in faith, will be reveling in the sumptuous riches of the Kingdom. They will be dancing and singing for joy, playing with the children in the grassy meadows of glory under a radiant sky.
The teachers of the love of money will see from their oppressive dens the wealth and glory of the Kingdom in the distance. They will hear faintly the strains of the music of the angels. They will smell a bit of the fragrance of the heavenly air. But they will be kept at a distance until the Day of Judgment.
They became rich from their preaching but now they are impoverished. They should have laid up treasures in Heaven so at their death they could have rejoiced in the beauty and love of the spiritual Paradise. Instead they are in rags, awaiting the most terrifying of all court appearances.
This is the certain fate of Christian pastors, evangelists, and teachers who have chosen to use their profession to gain material wealth and comfort. When they die they will gnash their teeth in torment while the poorest of the saints will be dwelling in perfect joy and peace.
One of the conspicuous aspects of the reign of Antichrist will be the love of money, of material gain. The world government and the gigantic Christian organization of the last days will be dominated by the love of money. They all will be destroyed in the end.
Spiritual darkness has settled on the world today. Many of the Lord's people already have been deceived. If the believers do not abandon at once the Antichrist love of material gain their fate will be torment with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb (Revelation 14:10).
Where will their pastors and evangelists be then-they who pampered the believers and assured them that even though they were not bearing their cross behind Jesus they had no need to worry? These false prophets have taught their followers that God loves them too much to deny them anything they desire. What will they say to their flocks when they are looking with horror at each other in outer darkness?
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Balaam, Gehazi, Judas, and Ananias and Sapphira testify to us from the eternal darkness that riches are deceitful, that the love of money indeed is the root of all evil.
"Christian" ministers today are teaching that the Lord's people ought to be rich in the world's goods and we should exercise faith in order to gain wealth. These Balaamite prophets, adorned in the finery of the present world, cannot see the bony ribs of the dying in Africa; neither can they hear the moans of despair coming from the parched lips of the mother attempting to nurse her starving infant.
These lovers of gold cannot see or hear the torments of the world's population because the pursuit of wealth has blinded their eyes and stopped their ears. Yet they are preaching the saints should seek after money. The blind are leading the blind. Shall they not bear their judgment?
The hour will come when the false prophets of money will be in outer darkness, clothed in rags, begging for a taste of the water of life. The poor of the earth, rich in faith, will be reveling in the sumptuous riches of the Kingdom. They will be dancing and singing for joy, playing with the children in the grassy meadows of glory under a radiant sky.
The teachers of the love of money will see from their oppressive dens the wealth and glory of the Kingdom in the distance. They will hear faintly the strains of the music of the angels. They will smell a bit of the fragrance of the heavenly air. But they will be kept at a distance until the Day of Judgment.
They became rich from their preaching but now they are impoverished. They should have laid up treasures in Heaven so at their death they could have rejoiced in the beauty and love of the spiritual Paradise. Instead they are in rags, awaiting the most terrifying of all court appearances.
This is the certain fate of Christian pastors, evangelists, and teachers who have chosen to use their profession to gain material wealth and comfort. When they die they will gnash their teeth in torment while the poorest of the saints will be dwelling in perfect joy and peace.
One of the conspicuous aspects of the reign of Antichrist will be the love of money, of material gain. The world government and the gigantic Christian organization of the last days will be dominated by the love of money. They all will be destroyed in the end.
Spiritual darkness has settled on the world today. Many of the Lord's people already have been deceived. If the believers do not abandon at once the Antichrist love of material gain their fate will be torment with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb (Revelation 14:10).
Where will their pastors and evangelists be then-they who pampered the believers and assured them that even though they were not bearing their cross behind Jesus they had no need to worry? These false prophets have taught their followers that God loves them too much to deny them anything they desire. What will they say to their flocks when they are looking with horror at each other in outer darkness?
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Thursday, September 16, 2010
The Love of Money
This he [Judas] said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. (John 12:6)
How terrible to be lost ! Judas Iscariot was lost-lost from the Presence of His Creator forever. And for thirty silver coins!
Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve disciples. There was nothing unusual about Judas except his love of money. He carried the bag of money, the common purse of the disciples. Money meant so much to Judas he would steal the money belonging to his comrades, his fellow disciples.
Jesus referred to Judas, Simon's son, as "the son of perdition" (son of destruction). Jesus declared, "it had been good for that man if he had not been born" (Matthew 26:24).
This indeed is a fearful statement. How would you like to hear your Creator say it had been good for you that you never had been born?
Judas was not a man without a conscience. His future conduct portrayed conscience and remorse. But Judas loved money. The love of money provided the door through which Satan was able to enter him.
The moment Judas' despicable deed was performed his conscience spoke to him. Judas repented and brought back the thirty silver coins to the priests and elders of Israel-the price of the life of God's Christ.
"I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood," Judas cried. Judas' sorrow was not that he had betrayed Christ of Israel but merely an innocent human being.
Judas went and hanged himself. Truly, the love of money is the root of all evil.
What must have been Judas' terror when he discovered, as he was descending into the bottomless pit, that he had betrayed God's holy Son to the Romans? What will be our terror if we discover when we enter the spiritual realm that we have failed Christ because of our love of money?
Can you imagine the agony of Judas' soul and mind? Christ was not the only person who suffered the pangs of death and Hell during those terrible hours. But Christ's agony led to the throne of glory while Judas' agony increased a thousand times as he entered the frightful caverns of darkness that are the abode of Satan, the fallen angels, and the most vile people of history. It was no comfort to Judas to realize he was surrounded with spirits like his own.
Christ was welcomed by the Father and the holy angels. Judas was greeted by fallen angels and demons, the sight of whose faces surpasses in horror any other experience possible to human beings.
There were three crosses on Golgotha: God was crucified; the saved criminal was crucified; the unsaved criminal was crucified. Nor did Judas escape. He also was "crucified," so to speak.
There is no way to escape crucifixion in the world. Those who enter willingly into the cross of Christ are lifted in His omnipotent resurrection.
Those who choose the way of the riches of the world, trusting their money will give them the power to escape the tribulations of life, destroy their relationship with their Creator. In the end, all are "crucified" in one manner or another, and the possession of great wealth cannot prevent it.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
How terrible to be lost ! Judas Iscariot was lost-lost from the Presence of His Creator forever. And for thirty silver coins!
Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve disciples. There was nothing unusual about Judas except his love of money. He carried the bag of money, the common purse of the disciples. Money meant so much to Judas he would steal the money belonging to his comrades, his fellow disciples.
Jesus referred to Judas, Simon's son, as "the son of perdition" (son of destruction). Jesus declared, "it had been good for that man if he had not been born" (Matthew 26:24).
This indeed is a fearful statement. How would you like to hear your Creator say it had been good for you that you never had been born?
Judas was not a man without a conscience. His future conduct portrayed conscience and remorse. But Judas loved money. The love of money provided the door through which Satan was able to enter him.
The moment Judas' despicable deed was performed his conscience spoke to him. Judas repented and brought back the thirty silver coins to the priests and elders of Israel-the price of the life of God's Christ.
"I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood," Judas cried. Judas' sorrow was not that he had betrayed Christ of Israel but merely an innocent human being.
Judas went and hanged himself. Truly, the love of money is the root of all evil.
What must have been Judas' terror when he discovered, as he was descending into the bottomless pit, that he had betrayed God's holy Son to the Romans? What will be our terror if we discover when we enter the spiritual realm that we have failed Christ because of our love of money?
Can you imagine the agony of Judas' soul and mind? Christ was not the only person who suffered the pangs of death and Hell during those terrible hours. But Christ's agony led to the throne of glory while Judas' agony increased a thousand times as he entered the frightful caverns of darkness that are the abode of Satan, the fallen angels, and the most vile people of history. It was no comfort to Judas to realize he was surrounded with spirits like his own.
Christ was welcomed by the Father and the holy angels. Judas was greeted by fallen angels and demons, the sight of whose faces surpasses in horror any other experience possible to human beings.
There were three crosses on Golgotha: God was crucified; the saved criminal was crucified; the unsaved criminal was crucified. Nor did Judas escape. He also was "crucified," so to speak.
There is no way to escape crucifixion in the world. Those who enter willingly into the cross of Christ are lifted in His omnipotent resurrection.
Those who choose the way of the riches of the world, trusting their money will give them the power to escape the tribulations of life, destroy their relationship with their Creator. In the end, all are "crucified" in one manner or another, and the possession of great wealth cannot prevent it.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
The New Creation Is the Kingdom of God
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. (Revelation 21:5)
Will you go to the cross?
Or will you attempt to serve Christ in your own manner?
The cross is the path, the only path to the desires of your heart.
What is the most important accomplishment of the Gospel of Christ?
A new creation.
If any person be in Christ there is a new creation. Circumcision performed on the physical body is of no Kingdom consequence whether it is performed or not performed.
The new creation is the Kingdom of God.
When an individual is born again the new creation is begun. Little by little, command upon command, rule upon rule, the human personality is brought into eternal union with God through Christ.
What is brought forth when the new covenant has wrought its perfect work?
Let us use the Apostle Paul for an example. What will come forth from Paul's life when the Kingdom of God has been brought to fullness in him?
Is it only a saved Paul?
No. Is it Christ Himself?
No. Neither of these is the new creation who is brought forth in Paul.
Well then, what or who is the new creation?
The new creation is an eternal union of Paul and Christ. Paul is present and intact in the new creation. Christ is present and intact in the new creation. There is a new creation-the eternal, incorruptible, inseparable blend of Christ and Paul.
How puny, how futile, how inconsequential appear circumcision and the observance of holy days when viewed in the radiant glory of the majesty of the new creation.
The Kingdom of God is the enlargement of God Himself through Christ through people. Would we add circumcision and other religious observances to God?
All religious observances are scaffolding. They are helps to bring us into union with God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Kingdom of God begins in us as a tiny seed. If we care for the seed, not choking it out with sin or the cares of the present age, that small seed will grow in us until our spirit, our soul, our mind, our emotions, our bones, our motives, our imaginations, our joys, our hopes, our will, are all part of Christ.
There is a new creation.
Is the name of the new creation, Paul?
No. Is the name of the new creation, Christ?
No. It is a new creation.
What will we name the new person?
Christ will give him a new name. He has been formed from the eternal union of a human being and Christ. He is one with Christ as Christ is one with God. He lives by Christ as Christ lives by God the Father (John 6:57).
God became a man. God became flesh and bone and dwelt among us in the Person of Christ. This is an eternal change in the Person of God, for never before has God become a man.
When Christ rose from the dead, a man (although God) rose from the dead and ascended to the highest throne of the universe. God now reveals Himself as the Man, Christ.
Can you imagine the amazement of the elect angels over this new expression of God? (from The Cross and the New Creation; A Study Guide for the Book of Galatians)
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Will you go to the cross?
Or will you attempt to serve Christ in your own manner?
The cross is the path, the only path to the desires of your heart.
What is the most important accomplishment of the Gospel of Christ?
A new creation.
If any person be in Christ there is a new creation. Circumcision performed on the physical body is of no Kingdom consequence whether it is performed or not performed.
The new creation is the Kingdom of God.
When an individual is born again the new creation is begun. Little by little, command upon command, rule upon rule, the human personality is brought into eternal union with God through Christ.
What is brought forth when the new covenant has wrought its perfect work?
Let us use the Apostle Paul for an example. What will come forth from Paul's life when the Kingdom of God has been brought to fullness in him?
Is it only a saved Paul?
No. Is it Christ Himself?
No. Neither of these is the new creation who is brought forth in Paul.
Well then, what or who is the new creation?
The new creation is an eternal union of Paul and Christ. Paul is present and intact in the new creation. Christ is present and intact in the new creation. There is a new creation-the eternal, incorruptible, inseparable blend of Christ and Paul.
How puny, how futile, how inconsequential appear circumcision and the observance of holy days when viewed in the radiant glory of the majesty of the new creation.
The Kingdom of God is the enlargement of God Himself through Christ through people. Would we add circumcision and other religious observances to God?
All religious observances are scaffolding. They are helps to bring us into union with God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Kingdom of God begins in us as a tiny seed. If we care for the seed, not choking it out with sin or the cares of the present age, that small seed will grow in us until our spirit, our soul, our mind, our emotions, our bones, our motives, our imaginations, our joys, our hopes, our will, are all part of Christ.
There is a new creation.
Is the name of the new creation, Paul?
No. Is the name of the new creation, Christ?
No. It is a new creation.
What will we name the new person?
Christ will give him a new name. He has been formed from the eternal union of a human being and Christ. He is one with Christ as Christ is one with God. He lives by Christ as Christ lives by God the Father (John 6:57).
God became a man. God became flesh and bone and dwelt among us in the Person of Christ. This is an eternal change in the Person of God, for never before has God become a man.
When Christ rose from the dead, a man (although God) rose from the dead and ascended to the highest throne of the universe. God now reveals Himself as the Man, Christ.
Can you imagine the amazement of the elect angels over this new expression of God? (from The Cross and the New Creation; A Study Guide for the Book of Galatians)
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Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Learning Obedience Through Suffering, #6
But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly. (Psalms 22:9,10)
The fact is, Christ, as is true also of us, had to lean totally on the faithfulness of God. During those dark hours in Gethsemane, Christ was being required to give back to God His inheritance, His glory, His very eternal Life in the Presence of God. Would they ever be restored? How could He be certain? After all, He was bearing on Himself the sins of the whole world.
What if He was doomed to spend eternity among the demons? What if God did not raise Him from the dead? The demons to the present hour claim that Jesus is chained to a rock in the underworld and is hurling profanities at God. This is what they threatened Him with that night in the garden of Gethsemane.
This is why Christ sweat, as it were, great drops of blood. This is why a holy angel was sent to strengthen Him. Christ was being cut off from God. He was bearing our sins on Himself and paying the penalty for our sins. He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf. He became the bronze serpent that was lifted up.
Christ understands, as does no one else, the extent of God's wrath against sin and rebellion.
This was the moment of supreme obedience, the obedience that reversed the effect of Adam's disobedience.
For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. (Romans 5:19)
Christ drank a frightful death from the cup. In doing so, He surrendered His will to the Father in absolute obedience.
Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. (Luke 22:42)
Obedience! We learn obedience to God through the things we suffer. As in the case of Abraham, Joseph, Christ, the Apostle Paul, and countless others less well known, when we are faithful in our prisons and sufferings other people are blessed.
Will there ever be an end to our sufferings? Yes, there shall indeed be an end. As soon as we are perfectly righteous, perfectly holy, perfectly obedient there will be no more need for chastening.
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. (I Peter 5:10)
We are chastened more severely than is true of the world. We receive of the Lord's hand double for all our sins. The sailors were not swallowed by the fish, only Jonah, only the man of God. But as soon as our "warfare has been accomplished" the Lord speaks comfortably to us.
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. (Isaiah 40:2)
What a blessed thought it is to realize we shall not be chastened forever! If we remain faithful, praying in our afflictions, there will come a time when the chastening is concluded. It shall come to an end!
God will not be forever scolding us. One day we will walk in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made. (Isaiah 57:16)
We can prolong our sufferings by refusing to learn obedience; or we can shorten the program by being quick to learn, quick to obey.
But in no case can the sufferings of the righteous be avoided, for obedience must be formed in us so deeply, so perfectly, that God will be able to trust us with the power and glory of the ages to come.
We must through much tribulation enter the Kingdom of God. (from Learning Obedience Through Suffering)
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The fact is, Christ, as is true also of us, had to lean totally on the faithfulness of God. During those dark hours in Gethsemane, Christ was being required to give back to God His inheritance, His glory, His very eternal Life in the Presence of God. Would they ever be restored? How could He be certain? After all, He was bearing on Himself the sins of the whole world.
What if He was doomed to spend eternity among the demons? What if God did not raise Him from the dead? The demons to the present hour claim that Jesus is chained to a rock in the underworld and is hurling profanities at God. This is what they threatened Him with that night in the garden of Gethsemane.
This is why Christ sweat, as it were, great drops of blood. This is why a holy angel was sent to strengthen Him. Christ was being cut off from God. He was bearing our sins on Himself and paying the penalty for our sins. He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf. He became the bronze serpent that was lifted up.
Christ understands, as does no one else, the extent of God's wrath against sin and rebellion.
This was the moment of supreme obedience, the obedience that reversed the effect of Adam's disobedience.
For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. (Romans 5:19)
Christ drank a frightful death from the cup. In doing so, He surrendered His will to the Father in absolute obedience.
Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. (Luke 22:42)
Obedience! We learn obedience to God through the things we suffer. As in the case of Abraham, Joseph, Christ, the Apostle Paul, and countless others less well known, when we are faithful in our prisons and sufferings other people are blessed.
Will there ever be an end to our sufferings? Yes, there shall indeed be an end. As soon as we are perfectly righteous, perfectly holy, perfectly obedient there will be no more need for chastening.
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. (I Peter 5:10)
We are chastened more severely than is true of the world. We receive of the Lord's hand double for all our sins. The sailors were not swallowed by the fish, only Jonah, only the man of God. But as soon as our "warfare has been accomplished" the Lord speaks comfortably to us.
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. (Isaiah 40:2)
What a blessed thought it is to realize we shall not be chastened forever! If we remain faithful, praying in our afflictions, there will come a time when the chastening is concluded. It shall come to an end!
God will not be forever scolding us. One day we will walk in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made. (Isaiah 57:16)
We can prolong our sufferings by refusing to learn obedience; or we can shorten the program by being quick to learn, quick to obey.
But in no case can the sufferings of the righteous be avoided, for obedience must be formed in us so deeply, so perfectly, that God will be able to trust us with the power and glory of the ages to come.
We must through much tribulation enter the Kingdom of God. (from Learning Obedience Through Suffering)
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Monday, September 13, 2010
Learning Obedience Through Suffering, #5
And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. (Genesis 2;22)
Abraham learned obedience through suffering and thus became the father of many nations, the father of all who are part of Christ. God disciplines every son He receives. If we are without chastening, God is not our father. The extent to which we are brought under discipline depends on our particular calling.
Christ is destined to be Lord of all, the King of kings, the Center and Circumference of all things. The love of the world was not in Him, neither did sin dwell in His flesh.
But Christ learned obedience to the Father through the things He suffered.
And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; (Hebrews 5:9)
God has promised Jesus the nations for His inheritance and the farthest reaches of the earth for His possession. The kingdoms of this world shall be His to do with as He will.
Satan offered a short cut to his inheritance, which Christ quickly rejected.
Christ was tested in the wilderness. He was rejected by His neighbors. He was persecuted by the Jews. He was accused falsely. He suffered perplexity, perversity, loss of dignity, spiritual and physical pain.
But none of these approached the agony of Gethsemane.
"Gethsemanes" cannot be evaluated as to the intensity of their pain except by those who are experiencing them.
The enormity of Jesus' suffering is indicated in a few sentences:
And there appeared an angel unto him from Heaven strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. (Luke 22:43,44)
Christ's unequaled strength, courage, and obedience are evident. But what was taking place in His soul that was causing such extreme agony of heart and mind?
The testing was somewhat similar to that of Abraham. Christ possessed the fullness of the Presence of God and the hope of a truly marvelous inheritance. His future was spread before Him-golden, glorious, wonderful-the dream to end all dreams.
Now this apparently was being taken from Him. Not only the golden dream but the very Presence of God. Christ was losing His salvation, His eternal life, His very soul, because this is the penalty of sin against God.
The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me (Psalms 18:4,5).
"Oh," we say, "but it was only for a few days. Christ knew that soon He would be raised from the dead and enter His inheritance. The Presence and Glory of God would be restored to Him. There actually was no basis for His extreme agony!"
How did Christ know His travail was but for a brief period? From the Scriptures? We too have the promises of God. Do they make our "Gethsemanes" less excruciating?
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Abraham learned obedience through suffering and thus became the father of many nations, the father of all who are part of Christ. God disciplines every son He receives. If we are without chastening, God is not our father. The extent to which we are brought under discipline depends on our particular calling.
Christ is destined to be Lord of all, the King of kings, the Center and Circumference of all things. The love of the world was not in Him, neither did sin dwell in His flesh.
But Christ learned obedience to the Father through the things He suffered.
And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; (Hebrews 5:9)
God has promised Jesus the nations for His inheritance and the farthest reaches of the earth for His possession. The kingdoms of this world shall be His to do with as He will.
Satan offered a short cut to his inheritance, which Christ quickly rejected.
Christ was tested in the wilderness. He was rejected by His neighbors. He was persecuted by the Jews. He was accused falsely. He suffered perplexity, perversity, loss of dignity, spiritual and physical pain.
But none of these approached the agony of Gethsemane.
"Gethsemanes" cannot be evaluated as to the intensity of their pain except by those who are experiencing them.
The enormity of Jesus' suffering is indicated in a few sentences:
And there appeared an angel unto him from Heaven strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. (Luke 22:43,44)
Christ's unequaled strength, courage, and obedience are evident. But what was taking place in His soul that was causing such extreme agony of heart and mind?
The testing was somewhat similar to that of Abraham. Christ possessed the fullness of the Presence of God and the hope of a truly marvelous inheritance. His future was spread before Him-golden, glorious, wonderful-the dream to end all dreams.
Now this apparently was being taken from Him. Not only the golden dream but the very Presence of God. Christ was losing His salvation, His eternal life, His very soul, because this is the penalty of sin against God.
The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me (Psalms 18:4,5).
"Oh," we say, "but it was only for a few days. Christ knew that soon He would be raised from the dead and enter His inheritance. The Presence and Glory of God would be restored to Him. There actually was no basis for His extreme agony!"
How did Christ know His travail was but for a brief period? From the Scriptures? We too have the promises of God. Do they make our "Gethsemanes" less excruciating?
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Friday, September 10, 2010
Learning Obedience Through Suffering, #4
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. (Hebrews 12:11)
There was no sin dwelling in the flesh of Christ. He did not have to learn righteous behavior. But He took upon Himself our sins and suffered the terrible penalty.
We now are learning through suffering the peaceable ways of righteousness.
He who would obey God must, through Christ's grace, gain victory over the love of the world and the love of sin. Finally, the love of self must be overcome. The love of self, and trust in self, may be the deepest, most resistant aspect of the believer's rebellion against God. Perhaps it is in this realm that even the holy, righteous Christ had to learn obedience through suffering.
The world and sin are obviously evil. Even the unsaved can understand that much of what is practiced is wicked and destructive, being contrary to the law of conscience that dwells in every person.
But the love of self and trust in self are not always deemed to be wicked and hostile to God. Neither the world nor the Christian believers, for the most part, understand the monster of evil lurking in the cavern of self-love. It may be true that the love of self is a more horrible serpent than the world and sin combined.
The individual who is free from self-love is far along on the path to the Father's heart.
Since the love of self is the most vicious of all forms of rebellion and the most firmly entrenched in the human personality, so it is true that the sufferings required to dislodge it, to cleanse it from the soul, are the most intense, the most fiery of the tribulations the believer experiences.
There are in the Scriptures two dreadful portrayals of God dealing with self-love. One is found in the Old Testament, the other in the New. One took place in the land of Moriah, the other in Gethsemane-both within the boundaries of Jerusalem.
God "tested" Abraham in the realm of self-love, self-will, trust in self. This trial had nothing to do with the world or with sin. It had to do with Abraham's trust in God.
God promised Abraham his descendants would be in number as the stars and as the sands of the sea. Then He made Abraham wait for the birth of Isaac for a quarter of a century. You can imagine the patience involved in waiting twenty-five years for something desired so intensely.
Finally the promise was kept, as God's promises always are. The glorious, impossible hope became flesh and blood. Abraham's future was all joy now. Or was it?
One day, out from the darkness came the most frightful words Abraham had ever heard or ever would hear again. "Offer up Isaac as a burnt offering."
This was a perfect, comprehensive test of Abraham's self-love. His whole soul was wrapped up in Isaac. To slay Isaac was to slay himself.
Had Abraham refused to surrender his soul to God, neither Abraham nor Isaac would have become the ancestor of Christ. God will not tolerate disobedience in His children-and no excuses are accepted.
The greatest testings are reserved for those whose destinies are the highest.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
There was no sin dwelling in the flesh of Christ. He did not have to learn righteous behavior. But He took upon Himself our sins and suffered the terrible penalty.
We now are learning through suffering the peaceable ways of righteousness.
He who would obey God must, through Christ's grace, gain victory over the love of the world and the love of sin. Finally, the love of self must be overcome. The love of self, and trust in self, may be the deepest, most resistant aspect of the believer's rebellion against God. Perhaps it is in this realm that even the holy, righteous Christ had to learn obedience through suffering.
The world and sin are obviously evil. Even the unsaved can understand that much of what is practiced is wicked and destructive, being contrary to the law of conscience that dwells in every person.
But the love of self and trust in self are not always deemed to be wicked and hostile to God. Neither the world nor the Christian believers, for the most part, understand the monster of evil lurking in the cavern of self-love. It may be true that the love of self is a more horrible serpent than the world and sin combined.
The individual who is free from self-love is far along on the path to the Father's heart.
Since the love of self is the most vicious of all forms of rebellion and the most firmly entrenched in the human personality, so it is true that the sufferings required to dislodge it, to cleanse it from the soul, are the most intense, the most fiery of the tribulations the believer experiences.
There are in the Scriptures two dreadful portrayals of God dealing with self-love. One is found in the Old Testament, the other in the New. One took place in the land of Moriah, the other in Gethsemane-both within the boundaries of Jerusalem.
God "tested" Abraham in the realm of self-love, self-will, trust in self. This trial had nothing to do with the world or with sin. It had to do with Abraham's trust in God.
God promised Abraham his descendants would be in number as the stars and as the sands of the sea. Then He made Abraham wait for the birth of Isaac for a quarter of a century. You can imagine the patience involved in waiting twenty-five years for something desired so intensely.
Finally the promise was kept, as God's promises always are. The glorious, impossible hope became flesh and blood. Abraham's future was all joy now. Or was it?
One day, out from the darkness came the most frightful words Abraham had ever heard or ever would hear again. "Offer up Isaac as a burnt offering."
This was a perfect, comprehensive test of Abraham's self-love. His whole soul was wrapped up in Isaac. To slay Isaac was to slay himself.
Had Abraham refused to surrender his soul to God, neither Abraham nor Isaac would have become the ancestor of Christ. God will not tolerate disobedience in His children-and no excuses are accepted.
The greatest testings are reserved for those whose destinies are the highest.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Learning Obedience Through Suffering, #3
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; 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. (I Peter 4:1,2)
What is the purpose of the troubles we experience continuously in the world? These pains and dreads discipline us; they teach us obedience to the Father; they drive out of us the love of the world. This present world is not our rest, our inheritance, and God reminds us of that fact every day.
The current doctrine that through "faith" we can escape the tribulations God sends to us is erroneous and destructive. It is of the False Prophet. It is contrary to the Scriptures and seeks to prevent our progress in the Lord.
When we are sick, or otherwise in distress, we are to pray and seek God, using the faith and trust He gives us. In numerous instances the Lord heals our diseases and delivers us from our troubles. All experienced saints know this is true. Going to the Lord for help in our hour of need is scriptural.
But believing that if we have faith we never will experience suffering or sickness is not scriptural. It is the spirit of the False Prophet attempting to emphasize the immediate happiness and welfare of people at the expense of God's will for them; at the expense of God's will being done in the earth; at the expense of bringing the light of God to the nations of the earth; at the expense of the eternal joy and blessing of the believer who is being seduced by this humanistic teaching.
The Lord Jesus suffered much in the world and is an example to us. We must share His sufferings if we desire to experience the power of His resurrection.
The love of the world is in us, causing disobedience. Also, the love of sin dwells in our flesh.
Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (Romans 7:20)
God causes us to turn away from our sins by sending fiery sufferings on us.
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: (I Peter 4:12)
If we commit acts of lust or covetousness or violence or drunkenness or sorcery Divine judgment will fall on us and our sin. We may become violently ill or lose our job or hurt someone or end up in prison. Calamity may fall on our household. We may die before our appointed task has been completed.
For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep [die physically]. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. (I Corinthians 11:30-32)
God is teaching us obedience. God does not want us to be conformed to this world, which is of the devil, or to sin; and so He sends pain to us continuously-enough pain, dread, perplexity, and sorrow that to live a righteous, holy, obedient life becomes preferable to sinning.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Dr. Thompson has recently finished a book entitled Heaven—God's Wonderful World. It was written to comfort terminally ill children and their parents, and anyone who may be afraid of death.
To learn more about Heaven—God's Wonderful World, or to order a copy, please click here. Thanks!
What is the purpose of the troubles we experience continuously in the world? These pains and dreads discipline us; they teach us obedience to the Father; they drive out of us the love of the world. This present world is not our rest, our inheritance, and God reminds us of that fact every day.
The current doctrine that through "faith" we can escape the tribulations God sends to us is erroneous and destructive. It is of the False Prophet. It is contrary to the Scriptures and seeks to prevent our progress in the Lord.
When we are sick, or otherwise in distress, we are to pray and seek God, using the faith and trust He gives us. In numerous instances the Lord heals our diseases and delivers us from our troubles. All experienced saints know this is true. Going to the Lord for help in our hour of need is scriptural.
But believing that if we have faith we never will experience suffering or sickness is not scriptural. It is the spirit of the False Prophet attempting to emphasize the immediate happiness and welfare of people at the expense of God's will for them; at the expense of God's will being done in the earth; at the expense of bringing the light of God to the nations of the earth; at the expense of the eternal joy and blessing of the believer who is being seduced by this humanistic teaching.
The Lord Jesus suffered much in the world and is an example to us. We must share His sufferings if we desire to experience the power of His resurrection.
The love of the world is in us, causing disobedience. Also, the love of sin dwells in our flesh.
Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (Romans 7:20)
God causes us to turn away from our sins by sending fiery sufferings on us.
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: (I Peter 4:12)
If we commit acts of lust or covetousness or violence or drunkenness or sorcery Divine judgment will fall on us and our sin. We may become violently ill or lose our job or hurt someone or end up in prison. Calamity may fall on our household. We may die before our appointed task has been completed.
For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep [die physically]. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. (I Corinthians 11:30-32)
God is teaching us obedience. God does not want us to be conformed to this world, which is of the devil, or to sin; and so He sends pain to us continuously-enough pain, dread, perplexity, and sorrow that to live a righteous, holy, obedient life becomes preferable to sinning.
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Dr. Thompson has recently finished a book entitled Heaven—God's Wonderful World. It was written to comfort terminally ill children and their parents, and anyone who may be afraid of death.To learn more about Heaven—God's Wonderful World, or to order a copy, please click here. Thanks!
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Learning Obedience Through Suffering, #2
Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; (Hebrews 5:8)
But it appears that only during life on the earth can the knowledge of the Lord, perfect trust in and obedience to the Father, be wrought in the believer's soul.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Offspring of God. Christ is filled with the Father. He is the Word from eternity. He always does the Father's will. His Spirit and Character are flawless. He is the express Image of the Father's Person.
Yet even Jesus had to learn obedience through suffering during His life on the earth.
If Jesus, who is altogether above us in every way, had to learn obedience through suffering on the earth, it is no wonder we who are completely undone in our sins and rebellion are chastened continually. We are sent tribulation after tribulation. Our Father in Heaven is disciplining us. He is teaching us obedience to Himself.
There are three primary realms of disobedience in the believer: the love of the world, the love of sin, and the love of self. These three loves are in us, and this is why every one of us is deeply rebellious against our Father in Heaven. God deals with each of these three areas by means of suffering.
The love of the world that abides in us presses us continually to disobey the Lord. The world calls to us with a loud, enticing voice. The world projects to our minds a glamorous future filled with delights of all kinds. But it is a siren call inviting us to the rocks of destruction, to the bleached bones of those who have succumbed before us.
Jesus commands us through the Apostle John:
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (I John 2:15)
But many find obedience to Christ so difficult and the world so attractive!
Therefore God pours tribulation (chastening) on us in order that we may not be condemned with the world.
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)
But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. (I Corinthians 11:32)
Notice how the Lord calls us to Himself, "In me ye might have peace." In the world we shall have tribulation but in Jesus we shall have peace.
It is human nature to turn away from what is painful and to seek joy and peace. By sending tribulation on us God causes us to turn away from the world and to find rest in His Son. We learn obedience through the things we suffer.
Should we get married? Should we work in the world? Should we participate in the world? Many times it is God's will that we marry and participate in the world.
But then we run into trouble in the flesh. There is incompatibility. There is anxiety. There is that boss who is perverse. Our Eden is plagued with weeds, mosquitoes, and serpents. Trouble!
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
But it appears that only during life on the earth can the knowledge of the Lord, perfect trust in and obedience to the Father, be wrought in the believer's soul.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Offspring of God. Christ is filled with the Father. He is the Word from eternity. He always does the Father's will. His Spirit and Character are flawless. He is the express Image of the Father's Person.
Yet even Jesus had to learn obedience through suffering during His life on the earth.
If Jesus, who is altogether above us in every way, had to learn obedience through suffering on the earth, it is no wonder we who are completely undone in our sins and rebellion are chastened continually. We are sent tribulation after tribulation. Our Father in Heaven is disciplining us. He is teaching us obedience to Himself.
There are three primary realms of disobedience in the believer: the love of the world, the love of sin, and the love of self. These three loves are in us, and this is why every one of us is deeply rebellious against our Father in Heaven. God deals with each of these three areas by means of suffering.
The love of the world that abides in us presses us continually to disobey the Lord. The world calls to us with a loud, enticing voice. The world projects to our minds a glamorous future filled with delights of all kinds. But it is a siren call inviting us to the rocks of destruction, to the bleached bones of those who have succumbed before us.
Jesus commands us through the Apostle John:
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (I John 2:15)
But many find obedience to Christ so difficult and the world so attractive!
Therefore God pours tribulation (chastening) on us in order that we may not be condemned with the world.
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)
But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. (I Corinthians 11:32)
Notice how the Lord calls us to Himself, "In me ye might have peace." In the world we shall have tribulation but in Jesus we shall have peace.
It is human nature to turn away from what is painful and to seek joy and peace. By sending tribulation on us God causes us to turn away from the world and to find rest in His Son. We learn obedience through the things we suffer.
Should we get married? Should we work in the world? Should we participate in the world? Many times it is God's will that we marry and participate in the world.
But then we run into trouble in the flesh. There is incompatibility. There is anxiety. There is that boss who is perverse. Our Eden is plagued with weeds, mosquitoes, and serpents. Trouble!
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Learning Obedience Through Suffering
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? (Hebrews 12:6,7)
Life on earth is a time of testing. It is a probationary period. What is the purpose of the troubles we experience continuously in the world? These pains and dreads discipline us; they teach us obedience to the Father; they drive out of us the love of the world. Obedience! We learn obedience to God through the things we suffer. As was true of the Apostle Paul, when we are faithful in our prisons and sufferings other people are blessed.
We Christians suffer many tribulations and pains throughout our discipleship. It is a comfort to know that when we are serving the Lord diligently our troubles are not chance occurrences or pointless harassments but the disciplining hand of the Lord.
We are God's children. God is our Father. God is teaching us obedience-perfect obedience to Himself. God will not tolerate disobedience in any of His sons.
King Saul lost his throne through disobedience. The Lord had commanded Saul to totally destroy the Amalekites and all their livestock. But Saul spared Agag, the king of the Amalekites, plus the best of the livestock.
When the Prophet Samuel came, Saul blamed the people. Saul protested that the people had kept the animals alive in order to sacrifice them to the Lord. When we disobey God we often put the blame on other people.
Samuel declared to Saul that obedience is more important than sacrifice:
And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of sorcery, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king. (I Samuel 15:22,23)
So it is today. There are many who are "praising" Jesus and calling Him Lord, Lord but are not doing what He says. They are not obedient to God but are hoping to make up for their disobedience by praising the Lord.
Fervent, enthusiastic worship is one of the most important activities of an assembly of saints. Fervent worship is necessary if we are to please the Lord. But strict obedience to God, to both His written Word and specific, personal guidance, is more important even than praise.
Obedience to the Father is the basis of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is manifested in doing God's will in the earth as it is performed in Heaven.
Obedience must be learned and it often can be learned best through suffering.
The main lesson we learn on earth is the knowledge of the Holy One of Israel, that is, complete trust in the faithfulness of God and stern obedience to His will. The result of trust and obedience is the Presence of God, which is the only true holiness.
Iniquity can be removed from our personality in a moment while we are on earth or in the spirit realm.
And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. (Zechariah 3:4)
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Life on earth is a time of testing. It is a probationary period. What is the purpose of the troubles we experience continuously in the world? These pains and dreads discipline us; they teach us obedience to the Father; they drive out of us the love of the world. Obedience! We learn obedience to God through the things we suffer. As was true of the Apostle Paul, when we are faithful in our prisons and sufferings other people are blessed.
We Christians suffer many tribulations and pains throughout our discipleship. It is a comfort to know that when we are serving the Lord diligently our troubles are not chance occurrences or pointless harassments but the disciplining hand of the Lord.
We are God's children. God is our Father. God is teaching us obedience-perfect obedience to Himself. God will not tolerate disobedience in any of His sons.
King Saul lost his throne through disobedience. The Lord had commanded Saul to totally destroy the Amalekites and all their livestock. But Saul spared Agag, the king of the Amalekites, plus the best of the livestock.
When the Prophet Samuel came, Saul blamed the people. Saul protested that the people had kept the animals alive in order to sacrifice them to the Lord. When we disobey God we often put the blame on other people.
Samuel declared to Saul that obedience is more important than sacrifice:
And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of sorcery, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king. (I Samuel 15:22,23)
So it is today. There are many who are "praising" Jesus and calling Him Lord, Lord but are not doing what He says. They are not obedient to God but are hoping to make up for their disobedience by praising the Lord.
Fervent, enthusiastic worship is one of the most important activities of an assembly of saints. Fervent worship is necessary if we are to please the Lord. But strict obedience to God, to both His written Word and specific, personal guidance, is more important even than praise.
Obedience to the Father is the basis of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is manifested in doing God's will in the earth as it is performed in Heaven.
Obedience must be learned and it often can be learned best through suffering.
The main lesson we learn on earth is the knowledge of the Holy One of Israel, that is, complete trust in the faithfulness of God and stern obedience to His will. The result of trust and obedience is the Presence of God, which is the only true holiness.
Iniquity can be removed from our personality in a moment while we are on earth or in the spirit realm.
And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. (Zechariah 3:4)
To be continued.
We extend permission to make as many copies of this essay as you need, in both paper and electronic formats. Please include the following statement of copyright:
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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