Joy to the World! #3

Sunday, December 13, 2015

“For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody” (Isaiah 51:3 KJV).

The third verse of the classic Christmas carol highlights today’s Scripture.

“No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.”

God’s Word to Adam just after he sinned included the following pronouncement, “…[C]ursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee” (Genesis 3:17,18). This is part of the “bondage of corruption” of which Romans 8:21 speaks. Sin tainted creation. Thorns and thistles began to grow, making Adam’s labor in the field even more grueling. Paradise was indeed lost… but not forever!

When God created the heaven and the earth, He selected a special location on Earth as His home. Exodus 15:17,18 say: “Thou shalt bring them [Israel] in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O LORD, which thy hands have established. The LORD shall reign for ever and ever.” Isaiah 40:22 says God “stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.” While Adam’s sinful actions delayed God’s earthly kingdom, God would take care of those mistakes and still accomplish His original intention.

Israel’s mistakes further delayed God’s earthly kingdom. However, God will restore Earth’s ecology to its original, pre-Fall (pre-sin) conditions. This is true especially of Zion, Jerusalem, which will be the global and universal capital city. There will be joy and gladness, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. All believers in heaven (Body of Christ) and earth (redeemed Israel) will join the angels in song. The curse has been lifted, and Jesus Christ has been exalted (Isaiah 11:1-9)!

Our latest Bible Q&A: “‘The fulness of the Gentiles’ and ‘The times of the Gentiles’—same or different?

Joy to the World! #2

Saturday, December 12, 2015

“Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity” (Psalm 98:5-9 KJV).

The second verse of the classic Christmas carol highlights today’s Scripture.

“Joy to the earth! the Saviour reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.”

When Adam sinned, sin entered the world, and death by sin (Romans 5:12), plunging creation into suffering. What God had intended to last forever was now languishing away and dying off! “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth together in pain until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit…” (Romans 8:22,23).

We humans, pinnacles of God’s creatures, are so ungrateful to our Creator. Even in such a fallen state, our universe is amazingly complex and it is a miracle it even functions at all with its abounding impediments! Rather than praising our Creator for giving us life, we complain about our “problems” and then write books, display billboards, and give lectures about His “non-existence.” We mock His name, laugh at His Bible, stick out our tongues at Him, and wag our fingers in His face. Newsflash—God will not tolerate that forever!

In His own time, Almighty God will make all things right. That means getting rid of that which (and who) is wrong/evil. As 1 Timothy 6:14,15 say: “…the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;” No matter what mankind does—cooperate with Him by faith, or protest by throwing a tantrum in unbelief—God has already determined what He is going to do. Jesus Christ, whether people like it or not, will be King over all creation!

Joy to the World! #1

Friday, December 11, 2015

“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise” (Psalm 98:4 KJV).

The first verse of the classic Christmas carol highlights today’s Scripture.

“Joy to the world! The Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.”

English hymn writer Isaac Watts (1674–1748) wrote his beloved Christmas carol after reading today’s Scripture. Psalm 98, with Psalm 96, is actually one of the “new song” psalms. These songs will literally be sung at Jesus Christ’s coronation, when Father God crowns Him as King over all, and when He reigns over all creation. Psalm 93:1, “The LORD reigneth….” And, Psalm 96:10-13: “Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth…. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad… Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice Before the LORD: for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.” And, Psalm 97:1, “The LORD reigneth….” Finally, Psalm 99:1, “The LORD reigneth….”

Why the rejoicing? The crown that Adam lost back in the Garden of Eden thousands of years earlier (Genesis 1:26-28); the crown that Satan had ever so long as “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2) and “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4); the crown that Satan offered the Lord Jesus if He bowed and worshipped him (Matthew 4:8-10; Luke 4:5-8); through His crosswork, Jesus Christ has won it back for Father God’s glory! See Hebrews 2:5-9 and Philippians 2:5-11.

God’s earthly program to exalt Jesus Christ as King over Earth is currently delayed. He is doing something different today. Just as Jesus Christ will reign over Earth throughout eternity, He will also rule over the heavenly places. The heavenly places are where we fit in as members of the Church the Body of Christ. Yes, there will be great rejoicing in Heaven and on Earth. The universe’s world systems—Heaven and Earth—will be completely revamped and Satan will be removed from power!

Our latest Bible Q&A: “What does Romans 16:20 mean?

What Child Is This? #1

Sunday, November 29, 2015

“And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:30-33 KJV).

The first verse of the classic Christmas carol highlights today’s Scripture.

“What child is this, who, laid to rest,
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.”

Such an event had never before happened in human history. God had promised “the seed of the woman” to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:15), but it was 4,000 years later that Mary was identified as that “woman.” That the Creator God would take upon Himself the flesh of sinful man, though Himself never being defiled by sin (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22). Unheard of in pagan religions!

The angels understood the Old Testament prophecies about God’s Son being born of a human mother. She was a “virgin,” a young woman (perhaps in her teens) who had never had any sexual relations with a man (Luke 1:34). On the night of Baby Jesus’ birth into the human race—the culmination of humanity added to His deity—the angels appeared in the sky and sang, to encourage the shepherds in the nearby fields to hurry to Bethlehem to see a little Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes (Luke 2:8-14).

“[15] And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.”

Once the shepherds came to Bethlehem, and found Baby Jesus, they beheld such a strange sight!

Our latest Bible Q&A: “If God knows who will serve Him and who won’t, why witness?

NOTE: The 2015 Slidell Grace Bible Conference is now concluded. Videos will be posted to YouTube in the near future. Please stay tuned.

Your Right to Eat Meat

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

“For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 4:4,5 KJV).

Before we advocate animal rights, let us understand that we have a God-given right to eat them!

An animal rights activist once appeared on television to complain about the consumption of turkeys on Thanksgiving. He argued that turkeys “feel pain” when they are slaughtered, and thus we should not eat them. His line of reasoning was, “If we would not eat our pet dog, then we should not eat turkey.” Such people, despite their sincerity, are ignorant of today’s Scripture.

Originally, all people and animals were herbivores; they only ate vegetation. “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so” (Genesis 1:29,30).

Then, sin entered, and God incorporated meat into the human diet: “Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat” (Genesis 9:3,4).

When we ignore the fact that God gave us animals to eat, and we demand that others must also abstain from meat for religious (nature-worshipping) purposes, that is a “doctrine of devils” in this dispensation (1 Timothy 4:1-5). The creature should not be worshipped; only the Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ, should be worshipped (Romans 1:25). As long as we thank the Lord for whatever creatures we eat, consuming animal flesh is acceptable and godly. It does not sit well with the pantheists—who exalt nature as God—but it is approved of the living God, and that alone ultimately matters.

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Should we ‘name and claim’ Jeremiah 29:11?

Rise Up, LORD! #6

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee. And when it rested, he said, Return, O LORD, unto the many thousands of Israel (Numbers 10:35,36 KJV).

What does today’s Scripture mean?

In Acts chapter 7, a window into the third heaven was opened, and Stephen, standing on Earth, saw Jesus finally standing at His Father’s right hand. When Stephen told Israel what he saw, they recalled their Old Testament prophecies and were convicted. Remembering the closing warning of Peter’s sermon on Pentecost just a year earlier (Acts 2:33-40), these lost Jews knew God’s judgment against their persistent unbelief was coming.

Today, 2000 years later, strangely, we can declare that wrath never came. Not because God was bluffing, but because He interrupted that prophetic program and introduced our mystery program. God wanted to demonstrate His wisdom. While Israel was uncooperative with Him in reaching the lost and dying Gentiles, He would still reach them without Israel. He would save and use one of Stephen’s murderers, Saul of Tarsus, commissioning him as the Apostle Paul of the Gentiles. Jesus Christ did return, but not in wrath. He returned in grace, mercy, peace, and love to save Paul (1 Timothy 1:13-16). (But, that, friends is another marvelous story we must forgo here!)

Had Israel entered the Promised Land under Moses in faith, Jesus Christ would have come to reign over them (note Exodus 15:17,18). Alas, they did not and He did not. How Israel saw JEHOVAH God cleansing His land of pagans so they (His people) could enter in, they were getting a glimpse of JEHOVAH God coming to finish the job at Christ’s Second Coming. Except, at the Second Coming, not only will that wrath be directed toward lost Gentiles, but also toward lost Israel. Only redeemed Israel—her Little Flock—will go into the land. The descendants of Abraham who reject Jesus Christ, they are His enemies, and have nowhere to go but to God’s punishment against their sin, eternal hellfire.

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Why did Cornelius have to hear Peter’s preaching?

Rise Up, LORD! #4

Monday, November 16, 2015

And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee. And when it rested, he said, Return, O LORD, unto the many thousands of Israel (Numbers 10:35,36 KJV).

What does today’s Scripture mean?

Jude, in his tiny Bible book, described a little-known ministry that occurred 2,000 years before Moses: “[14] And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, [15] To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

Over 2,500 years before King David wrote Psalm 68:1 and Psalm 110:1, and 2,000-plus years before Moses spoke today’s Scripture, God’s people already understood Jesus Christ’s Second Coming in wrath. Enoch, who lived merely 500 years after the Creation, and just before the Great Flood, was led by God’s Spirit to speak of a day when the Lord would come with tens of thousands of angelic soldiers. He was coming to judge this world of sinners, this world of people who hated Him and spoke against Him. Obviously, Moses and David received further revelation.

The Spirit of God had also moved David to write in Psalm 2: “[1] Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? [2] The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, [3] Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. [4] He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision. [5] Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.”

Psalm 2 set a date for that wrath. It would occur shortly after Calvary (cf. Acts 4:25-28). Hence, Peter preached what he did on Pentecost. Much of Israel ignored the apostles’ preaching, and, in Acts chapter 7, a year after Calvary, Jesus Christ stood up! Israel no doubt knew what was just moments away!

When Adam Should Have Spoken Up

Thursday, November 5, 2015

“And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” (1 Timothy 2:14 KJV).

What could have Adam done instead of willfully following Eve in sin?

Numbers chapter 30 contains 16 verses, God’s rules concerning Jews making vows. Verses 3-5 say, if an unmarried Jewish woman made a vow to the LORD, to bind herself by a bond, her father who heard it could speak up that day and annul the vow, and God would cancel it. If the father stayed silent, not protesting, the woman had to fulfill her vow. Verses 6-8 say if a married Jewish woman vowed something that would bind her soul, her husband who heard it could speak up that day, objecting, and her vow would be canceled. If her husband said nothing, she was obligated to fulfill it.

“[11] And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her, and disallowed her not: then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she bound her soul shall stand. [12] But if her husband hath utterly made them void on the day he heard them; then whatsoever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand: her husband hath made them void; and the LORD shall forgive her. [13] Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void. [14] But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her from day to day; then he establisheth all her vows, or all her bonds, which are upon her: he confirmeth them, because he held his peace at her in the day that he heard them.”

Going back in time, Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit, but mankind had not yet fallen into sin. The federal head, Adam, had not yet eaten. Sin had not yet entered the world. Although Eve had rebelled, it was not too late for Adam. Adam could have protested before God and Eve would have been forgiven. Had Adam spoken up in defense of God’s righteousness and Eve’s foolishness, man would have never fallen! Alas, Adam went right along silently, eating the fruit himself, confirming his wife’s decision to follow Satan!

Our latest Bible Q&A: “How long did it take for Israel to cross the Red Sea?

When Sadness Fled Concerning the Dead

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (John 11:25,26 KJV).

Scripture says Jesus attended three “funerals” during His earthly ministry. Today’s Scripture says all three services were canceled!

Evolutionary theory postulates that death is good, eliminating the sick and weak so the young and healthy can have the maximum number of resources to continue their species. However, God’s Word declares death as something bad. The Lord Jesus Christ is life: as the living God, He can impart and has given us life. He never intended death in His creation. Alas, “As by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). Bad news! Where sin is, physical death and spiritual death are certain. Good news! Where Jesus Christ is, physical life and spiritual life are sure.

It is never easy when loved ones die. Imagine how grief-stricken the widow of Nain was as the coffin of her only son passed through the city. Grief and heartache! Consider how distraught Mary and Martha were when their ill brother Lazarus died. Tears and wailing! Imagine Jairus’ heartbreak when his little 12-year-old daughter died from her sickness. Sorrow and sadness!

As Jesus entered Nain, He saw the funeral procession exiting the city (Luke 7:11-18). He cried out to the bereaved widow, “Weep not!” Approaching the platform holding the corpse, Jesus touched it and commanded, “Young man, I say unto thee, Arise!” The dead man arose! Later, Jairus’ only daughter grew sick and was dying (Matthew 9:18-19,23-26; Mark 5:22-24,35-43; Luke 8:41-42,49-56). He begged Jesus to come and heal her. As Jesus was coming, He was delayed, and she died. The Lord said, “Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth!” The Jews laughed. “Maid, arise!” She came back to life! Just before Christ’s death, Lazarus died of sickness. His sisters were sad to hear Jesus deliberately came late. He encouraged them with today’s Scripture. “Lazarus, come forth!” And, Lazarus lived again!

Three “funerals” history will NEVER forget! 🙂

Satan and Dispensationalism #22

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

“Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:” (Colossians 1:25,26 KJV).

Dispensational Bible Study enables us to see and appreciate the final revelation from God. Satan is thus utterly embarrassed!

By nature, Satan is a genius. From his creation, he has operated on a mental level far, far, far beyond every other creature of God. Lucifer was “full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” (Ezekiel 28:12). As creation’s song-leader, Satan was to devise ways to glorify his Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ. Lucifer became prideful (verses 15-18): his wisdom and beauty made him fall in love with himself. Lucifer concluded that he belonged on God’s throne, that he was wiser, more fit to govern creation. Thus, began the spiritual battle that is waged even today.

Beginning in Genesis chapter 3, Satan involved mankind in usurping God’s authority. Genesis chapters 4-6 were intensifications of that battle. Unbelieving Cain killed his believing brother Abel—the first murder. Man’s wickedness was so great that God finally destroyed that ancient world with a global flood. Next, the disastrous one-world government and one-world religion at the Tower of Babel (Genesis chapter 11). Satan thought he would somehow always outsmart God.

When God created His special nation Israel (Genesis chapter 12), Satan began to focus on corrupting Israel. The rest of the Old Testament documents Satan corrupting Israel. During Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry, that spiritual battle reached its highest level of intensity. The bloodlust was so great in Satan that the greatest murder would occur now.

Satan could have sent an evil spirit to work in killing Jesus Christ. But, he did not. The Bible says Satan himself entered Judas (Luke 22:3). Satan was certain the job would be done right, once for all. Israel’s King would die! With Him dead, Israel’s kingdom would never come to pass. Israel was already dead in sin and Satan’s grip. The lost Gentiles could not be saved through Israel, for Israel could not rise to kingdom glory. With God’s Son dead, Satan had won. Or, had he?