Category: God’s faithfulness

A Wall, a Walk, and a Win

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

“And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant?” (Joshua 5:13,14 KJV).

God is going to give Joshua some strange, almost ridiculous, battle plans for overthrowing Jericho. Nevertheless, Israel’s victory is imminent… but not because she is strong.

The LORD tells Joshua, “See, I have given into thine hand Jericho…. And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat….” (Joshua 6:2-5).

Joshua then relays God’s instructions to Israel (verses 6,7). God’s Word sounds silly, but Israel, by faith, obeys Him. Jericho’s inhabitants watch (and probably laugh) as Israel peacefully and quietly walks around the city once a day for six days (verses 8-14). On the seventh day, they walk around the city seven times. After the priests blow trumpets, Joshua declares, “Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city” (verse 16). The Jews shout and “the wall fell down flat” (verse 20).

God taught Israel she did nothing to defeat Jericho—she had merely walked. It was His strength and brilliance that led to her victory!

Furthermore, no matter how silly God’s Word sounds, always believe and obey it.

A Double Promise, A Triple Failure, A Second Chance

Friday, May 4, 2012

“And Peter went out, and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:62 KJV).

Why is Peter weeping bitterly in today’s Scripture?

Moments from His arrest, trial, and ultimate crucifixion, our Lord Jesus tells His eleven apostles: “All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written [Zechariah 13:7], I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee” (Matthew 26:31,32).

Jesus knows that He is about to be arrested. He explains to His apostles that they will be ashamed of Him and they will abandon Him when the soldiers come to capture Him. “Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended” (verse 33).

The Lord Jesus then replies, “Verily, I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice [three times]” (verse 34). Peter argues, “Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee” (verse 35). In fact, all of the disciples agree they will not abandon Jesus Christ (verse 35).

Once Jesus is arrested, Peter goes to the palace to watch Jesus’ trial from a distance. On three separate occasions, Peter is recognized as a follower of Jesus, and all three times he denies he is a disciple of Christ (Matthew 27:69-74; Mark 14:66-72; Luke 22:54-62; John 18:16-18,25-27); then, the rooster crows.

What a heartbreaking verse: “And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice” (Luke 22:61). Then today’s Scripture says, “And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.”

Peter miserably failed the Lord—thrice—despite his double promise not to. We too are sinners: oftentimes, we miserably fail the Lord, even when we doubly promise not to. But, just as Jesus Christ forgave Peter and gave him another chance (John 21:15-17), we are thankful that our gracious God has forgiven us in Christ (Colossians 2:13) and that He gives us second chances too! 🙂

Give Us A Free Meal!

Sunday, April 29, 2012

“Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because did eat of the loaves, and were filled” (John 6:26 KJV).

Israel, like all (sinful) sons of Adam, wanted only that which was temporary. Instead of seeking eternal life through their Messiah Jesus, they sought Him only to gain a free meal!

In the context of today’s Scripture, Jesus has just fed at least 5,000 individuals with two small fishes and five barley loaves (verse 7). Verse 15 says Jesus understood the people wanted to make Him king because He fed them!

In Acts 2:22, the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Peter explained: “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves know:” Jesus Christ performed miracles in order to demonstrate that He had God the Father’s approval. However, Israel did not care about that; their hunger distracted them!

Mankind is naturally selfish: he wants to be his own god and do his own thing. Israel, although they were God’s earthly people, was no different. The Jews wanted nothing to do with God unless He could do something for them. (How many prayers still go, “Hey God, yes, it has been a long time, but I want you to give me…”?)

God offered Israel His only begotten Son, the God-Man who could save them from their sins, but they just wanted someone to rescue them from hunger pains and the Roman government! Jesus rebuked them, “Labour not for the meat which perisheth [physical food], but for the meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God sealed” (John 6:27).

For the rest of the chapter (John 6), Jesus taught them that He did not come to save their physical bodies from hunger, but to give Himself to save their spiritual bodies from hell!

Jesus came not to give us free meals, but free access to Father God.

The Suffering God

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

“The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting” (Isaiah 50:5,6 KJV).

Can you guess the Man described in today’s Scripture?

  • “The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear:” Jesus Christ prayed to His Father, “I have given unto them [the twelve apostles] the words which thou gavest me” (John 17:8a; cf. John 14:31; John 15:15).
  • “I was not rebellious:” God the Father said of Jesus Christ, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17; cf. John 8:29). Jesus Christ prayed to His heavenly Father, “Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42b). Hebrews 5:8: “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered” (cf. Philippians 2:8; Hebrews 10:5-9).
  • “Neither [I] turned away back:” Jesus Christ prayed to His heavenly Father, “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (John 17:4).
  • “I gave my back to the smiters:” “They buffeted [struck] him: and others smote him with the palms of their hands” (Matthew 26:67). “And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote him” (Luke 22:63).
  • “I gave my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair:” Although not recorded in the Four Gospel Records, His beard was literally ripped off during His trial.
  • “I hid not my face from shame and spitting:” “Then did they spit in his face” (Matthew 26:67a). “And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head” (Matthew 27:30). “And some began to spit on him” (Mark 14:65a). “They did spit upon him” (Mark 15:19).

Today’s Scripture, written 700 years before it happened, was describing, in vivid detail, the life and suffering of Jesus Christ. What wondrous love our God had for us, to face all that and more, to purchase the everlasting salvation we now enjoy! Rejoice in Christ Jesus!

Are We Bibliolators? #4

Friday, April 20, 2012

“I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name” (Psalm 138:2 KJV).

It hath been often said, “A man is only as good as his word.” If thou canst not trust what someone saith, he or she is a liar. The Bible is God’s Word, so if the Bible containeth mistakes, then God is a liar. Beware; Satan doth seek to corrupt the Bible in order to attack God’s integrity!

God hath “magnified [his] word above all [his] name” (today’s Scripture). The devil, whose  Hebrew name Satan meaneth “adversary,” seeketh to degrade God’s Word, to corrupt it, to muddle it up, thereby portraying God as dishonest, thus confusing us, the recipients of God’s Word, causing us to believe something God never said. The Bible versions issue is that serious, beloved.

At this point, it is extremely interesting that today’s Scripture readeth in the (corrupt) NIV: “…for you have so exalted your solemn decree that it surpasses your fame.” (HA! Lie! That rendering certainly hath Satan’s approval!)

Through the years, I have talked with countless professing Christians about the Bible versions issue. Sadly, most of these dear souls knew literally nothing (!) about it. So echoeth God’s lamenting for Israel, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6a). Millions upon millions of genuine Christians are so deceived by modern “bibles,” and the shameful seminarians and church leaders who should be warning them of the deception are actually promoting modern “bibles!” Shame! Shame! Shame!

We “King James-only” Christians reject “every false way:” we reject Satan’s counterfeit “bibles,” ignoring the fact that we are scorned as “heretical” and “fanatical” “Bibliolaters” (Bible worshippers). By faith, we join God in “magnifying” the King James Bible “above all [His] name.”

Furthermore, we believe in a perfect Bible and we can present it—the King James Bible. Others merely claim to believe in a perfect Bible, but only in the original manuscripts, which they cannot present to us today (those manuscripts disintegrated)! They deny God’s promise of Bible preservation. So, who is the heretic now?

Are We Bibliolators?

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

“I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name” (Psalm 138:2 KJV).

If thou believest in the infallibility of the King James Bible—to the exclusion of all “modern” English “bibles”—thou art accused of being a “bibliolater.” Art thou a Bible worshipper, as thy critics claim? Today’s Scripture says, “Nay!”

Once Scripture and history refute all of their “scholarly” information that promote “better” translations, exasperated critics of the perfect King James Bible cry out, “Ye ‘King James-only’ people are a cult! All ye do is worship the Bible!”

The King James Bible hath been accepted by Bible-believing Christians for nearly 401 years, and yet since 1881, there hath been a significant shift from it to versions that are “modern” (read that old, corrupt manuscript readings under covers bearing new names: NIV, NASB, NKJV, NRSV, NAB, ESV, HCSB, et cetera). Beloved, let it be clearly understood that the “King James-only” attitude came about because God’s pure Word is under attack—by the “educated” “Christians!” (Horrors!) Had the English-speaking world not experienced an influx of 200 perverted “modern” English “bibles” these past 130 years, most every English-speaking Christian would still be exclusive to the King James Bible (as was the case from 1611-1881). Thou canst blame Christendom’s do-nothing, know-nothing “scholarship!”

Jesus Christ declared, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33). “The counsel of the LORD standeth forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations” (Psalm 33:11). God didst not simply write down His written Word perfectly, He hath also preserved it through time perfectly, and hath translated it perfectly, so we could read it today in our language (English). Anyone who claimeth thy King James Bible has errors in it denieth God preserved His Word—and His words—perfectly.

If God hath “magnified [his] word above all [his] name” (today’s Scripture), we people of faith magnify it too; we rely on the King James Bible alone, for we unapologetically magnify (glorify) it as highly as God Himself doth! 🙂

My Soul is Secure in Christ

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

“For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day” (2 Timothy 1:12 KJV).

According to today’s Scripture, those of us who have trusted exclusively in the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, we are eternally secure in Christ. We have committed unto God our very souls, and God Himself has promised that He will forever keep us. How can we unworthy sinners have such a glorious hope?

We Christians are unfaithful, rebellious creatures who still live in these sinful human bodies. Thankfully, our salvation is independent of our performance. “If we believe not, yet [Christ Jesus] abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). No matter what, we Christians are the Church the Body of Christ. Jesus Christ cannot deny Himself!

God the Father has given us Christians “the earnest [promise] of the [Holy] Spirit in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 1:22). God has guaranteed our salvation by giving us the indwelling Holy Spirit, “the earnest of our inheritance” (Ephesians 1:14). God has promised us salvation in Christ, and He cannot lie (Titus 1:2).

We have confidence in Christ Jesus. The Apostle Paul writes: “Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:5-8).

Verily, verily, once we members of the Body of Christ die physically, the Holy Spirit Himself will escort us to live with the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven’s glory (to wait for the resurrection/rapture; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

I rejoice in the Lord: God Almighty has captured my soul and my soul is secure in Christ (Romans 8:35-39).

The Wisdom Given to Our Beloved Brother Paul

Sunday, March 11, 2012

“And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:15,16 KJV).

The Apostle Peter, in verses 3,4, references scoffers who ask, “Where is the promise of [Christ’s] coming?” Decades after the Lord Jesus had resurrected and ascended into heaven, James, Peter, and John spoke of His Second Coming as if it were just moments away (James 5:8,9; 1 Peter 4:7; 2 Peter 3:3; 1 John 2:18). They wrote 2,000 years ago, and Christ never came. Is Christ ever coming back?

In today’s Scripture, Peter admits that when he and the Apostles James and John met with the Apostle Paul in Acts chapter 15 (Galatians chapter 2) circa A.D. 50, Paul taught them something. To Paul alone God entrusted a body of truth that not even Peter fully understood (even at this late date of 2 Peter circa A.D. 68)—Peter and Paul preached separate messages (see Galatians 2:1-9). Peter acknowledged that Christ gave exclusively to Paul “the revelation of the mystery” (Romans 16:25,26; Ephesians 3:1-9). Furthermore, Peter verified Paul’s 13 epistles, Romans through Philemon, as “scripture.” Peter warned that people “wrest” (corrupt) Paul’s epistles as they do the other Bible books.

Why has Christ not come back, Peter? “The Lord is not slack [lazy, unreliable] concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). God wants all people to be saved. He wants no one to suffer His wrath and judgment (the seven-year Tribulation) because His Son Jesus paid for our sins at Calvary’s cross!

Yes, Christ will be back, but God is postponing Israel’s prophetic program in order to extend this the Dispensation of Grace and give more people a chance to be saved before His wrath comes on earth.

We Do Not Want to Be Different Anymore!

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

“Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, Behold thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:4,5 KJV).

In the context of today’s Scripture, for the past 500 years, Moses, Joshua, and several judges (rulers) have led Israel (Acts 13:17-20). Here, Samuel, Israel’s prophet-judge, is old and his sons are too wicked to lead the nation in God’s ways (1 Samuel 8:1-3). Furthermore, Israel is tired of being different. Sadly, they want a king so they can be like “all the nations.”

Read the two verses following today’s Scripture: “But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them” (verses 6,7). S-A-D!

Israel is tired of being God’s “peculiar” (unique; Exodus 19:5) people! They want to be like everyone else (pagans!). By rejecting God’s prophet Samuel, Israel is rejecting God. God instructed Samuel to “protest solemnly” with Israel (verse 9). So, Samuel fervently complained to Israel regarding the disadvantages of a monarchy (1 Samuel 8:10-18). “Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations” (verses 19,20). Amazingly, God foretold their cry for a king in Deuteronomy 17:14… 500 years earlier!

After everything God did for them, ungrateful, sinful Israel argues with Him and rejects Him. Yet, how many today share Israel’s attitude? Despite everything that God did for them at Calvary, they reject Him. Or, think of the Christians, who are tired of being outcasts—like Israel, some compromise with the world to “fit in.” Thankfully, as God in His grace tolerated Israel, so He tolerates us when “we do not want to be different anymore!”

When Christ Returns

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things…” (Acts 3:19-21 KJV).

The perfect planet that existed prior to man’s rebellion and fall has been absent for 6,000 years now. According to the Bible, “as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin” (Romans 5:12). It was in Genesis 3:16-19 that the LORD placed a curse on creation, “the bondage of corruption” (Romans 8:21). Consequently, we have sickness and death, thorns and thistles, and women have birth pangs. That is only until Christ returns….

In today’s Scripture, the Apostle Peter tells Israel that Jesus Christ will return one day to earth to set up His earthly kingdom (“the times of refreshing” and “the times of restitution of all things”). He will also restore and forgive Israel. After Christ’s Second Coming, the curse of sin will be lifted from creation and Earth will revert back to the conditions of the Garden of Eden! Isaiah 51:3 says: “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.”

Ezekiel 36:33-36 also describes Israel’s barren land restored: “This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited” (verse 35). Isaiah 11:1-10 describes Christ’s earthly kingdom. There will be no carnivorous or venomous animals—children will not be harmed by snakes, wolves will dwell peacefully with lambs, and leopards will coexist calmly with baby goats. Wow!

For now, the human, plant, and animal kingdoms will continue to suffer—sickness, heartache, and ultimately physical death. But, this is not permanent. Creation will be restored to its original glory, and finally delivered from the curse of sin… when Christ returns….