Category: God’s omnipotence

Israel, Stand Still! #2

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10 KJV).

Israel must stand still and do nothing in order to see her God work mightily on her behalf!

The nation Israel is assembled west of the Red Sea, and 600 chosen chariots of Egypt filled with soldiers are drawing nigh from behind. Israel is frightened, but Moses consoles them: “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace” (Exodus 14:13,14).

In verses 15-18, JEHOVAH explains His plans: “And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: but lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.”

Notice the correlation with today’s Scripture. The psalmist, presumably writing centuries later, speaks of how God will be “exalted among the heathen [Gentiles]” and “exalted in the earth.” In the case of Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian bondage, the LORD is using miraculous events to demonstrate to Pharaoh that He alone is God—as opposed to the Egyptian gods and goddesses. Also, JEHOVAH is proving to Israel that they are His “sign-people” and Moses is His spokesman to them: “for the Jews require a sign” (1 Corinthians 1:22a). JEHOVAH wants Israel to stand still, for He will show them how He will fight for them….

Israel, Stand Still! #1

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10 KJV).

Israel must stand still and do nothing in order to see her God work mightily on her behalf!

After centuries of Egyptian bondage, JEHOVAH has finally delivered Israel under Moses’s leadership. Notice what the LORD commanded Moses: “Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye camp by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in” (Exodus 14:2,3). God knows Pharaoh’s military strategy beforehand, so He tells Moses how and where to assemble Israel. To Pharaoh, Israel will appear hopelessly trapped.

With the Egyptian armies quickly approaching from behind, and the Red Sea blocking them ahead, the Jews are “sore afraid” and they cry out to the LORD (verse 10). Ironically, despite God’s earlier miraculous deeds on their behalf, they complain to Moses that they will now perish in the wilderness: “Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness” (verses 11,12)!

What Israel is saying is nonsense. God performed many miracles to deliver them thus far, and He has brought them out of Egypt to be defeated by Egypt? Moses encourages Israel to have faith in God’s Word—“Quit being unbelieving, Israel!” “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace” (verses 13,14).

Let us see the LORD work….

A Wise Theologian

Monday, July 8, 2013

“And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found to fight against God” (Acts 5:38,39 KJV).

No theologian has since spoken wiser words….

In the context of today’s Scripture, we find Israel’s one-year extension almost near its end. For three years, Jesus Christ preached to the nation, and most Jews ignored the gospel of the kingdom that He was their Messiah-King. When they crucified Him, He resurrected and He left earth as a royal exile. Before He returned to heaven, He commissioned His apostles to continue His work on earth: convert Israel. For one year, Israel’s believing remnant, particularly the 12 apostles, offered Israel a renewed opportunity of repentance, to accept Jesus as Messiah-King. This one-year period is documented in Acts chapters 1 through 7, the context of today’s Scripture.

Israel’s apostles are arrested and thrown in prison, but an angel comes and miraculously releases them (Acts 5:17-20). As the apostles begin preaching Jesus Christ again in the Temple, their escape is discovered, and Israel’s religious leaders have them re-captured and brought before the Sanhedrin, a religious-political governing body in Israel (verses 21-28). Once the apostles preached before them, the council members are convicted by God’s Word, and want to kill the apostles (verses 29-33).

Gamaliel, a rabbi (teacher) of the Mosaic Law, a theologian in the council, cautions his colleagues not to carry out any punishment rashly (verses 34-38)—interestingly, Gamaliel is the teacher of who would later become the Apostle Paul (Acts 22:3)! Gamaliel then relates to the council two instances of how man’s plans are ruined (Acts 5:36,37), arguing if the apostles are undertaking a work of human origin, it will dissolve, but if the apostles are doing the work of the God of the Bible, the council had better take heed, for they will be accountable to God Himself for punishing His servants and rejecting His work (today’s Scripture)!

If only more of today’s theologians agreed with and followed Gamaliel’s advice!

Great Faith Among the Gentiles #3

Thursday, June 13, 2013

“When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel” (Matthew 8:10 KJV).

Let us scrutinize the context in order to see some marvelous Bible truths associated with today’s Scripture, especially why Jesus said what He did.

Once the centurion (commander of 100 Roman soldiers) heard that Christ had entered his town of Capernaum, he sent Jewish elders to ask Him to heal his sick and dying servant; moreover, the elders affirm that this Gentile is worthy of the miracle being granted because he has loved and blessed Israel (Luke 7:1-5). Jesus agrees, and as He approaches the centurion’s home, the centurion sends friends to Jesus, informing Him that he is not worthy to have Jesus enter his home: he admits that he was not worthy enough to even come to Jesus personally (Luke 7:6,7). This is where today’s Scripture picks up the account (again, Matthew omits details that only Luke provides).

When Jesus Christ is even closer to the house, the centurion evidently comes out and repeats to Jesus face-to-face what he had sent his friends to tell Him earlier: “The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it” (Matthew 8:8,9). Today’s Scripture says that our Lord Jesus is amazed at this centurion’s statements—this Gentile has more faith than God’s people, Israel!

The centurion knows that there is power in Jesus Christ’s words. Just as this centurion commands servants to “do this” and “do that,” he knows that Jesus Christ can command the paralysis to depart from his dying servant! He knows Jesus can just speak the word from a distance, and his servant would be healed. Let us finish the narrative now….

Unfathomable Distances, Unsearchable Greatness

Monday, June 3, 2013

“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable” (Psalm 145:3 KJV).

Let us consider the greatness of the Lord Jesus Christ from the perspective of astronomy….

One of the most difficult scientific concepts to grasp is the scale of the universe, but using a familiar unit, we can better appreciate its size. Consider these mathematical calculations from my personal notes.

Assuming a nonstop driving speed of 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour), it would take:

  • 68 years to travel from the sun to Mercury.
  • 127 years to travel from the sun to Venus.
  • 176 years to travel from Earth to the sun.
  • 269 years to travel from the sun to Mars.
  • 918 years to travel from the sun to Jupiter.
  • 1,683 years to travel from the sun to Saturn.
  • 3,384 years to travel from the sun to Uranus.
  • 5,304 years to travel from the sun to Neptune.
  • 6,960 years to travel from the sun to Pluto (our solar system’s “edge”).

Another way to comprehend the vastness of the solar system is (using the same speed of 60 miles per hour):

  • Mercury is “108 years” away from us.
  • Venus is “49 years” away from us.
  • Mars is “93 years” away from us.
  • Jupiter is “742 years” away from us.
  • Saturn is “1,507 years” away from us.
  • Uranus is “3,208 years” away from us.
  • Neptune is “5,304 years” away from us.
  • Pluto is “6,784 years” away from us.

Now, think of this… the solar system (above) is merely a speck in the Milky Way Galaxy, which itself is but a speck in the Local Group, which itself is merely a speck in the universe! In fact, traveling at the previous speed of 60 miles per hour, it would take you 580,000,000,000,000,000 years to traverse the known universe from “end” to “end!”

What is most amazing? “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth” (Psalm 33:6). God spoke it all into being—from nothing!

Why the Firstborn Son?

Saturday, May 4, 2013

“And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of the cattle” (Exodus 12:29 KJV).

What was so special about the firstborn in Egypt that the LORD slew them?

Every casual Bible reader knows the context of today’s Scripture. Israel has been enslaved in Egypt for centuries, and the LORD has sent Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh to command Pharaoh to release Israel. Once Moses and Aaron appear before Pharaoh the first time, Pharaoh refuses to let Israel go and rather afflicts Israel with even more hardship (Exodus 4:1-23). So, the LORD demonstrates His power via ten plagues He poured out on Egypt. Unbelieving Israel will come to understand that Moses is God’s spokesman, and unbelieving Egypt will come to understand Israel is God’s people.

Moses and Aaron continually appear before Pharaoh, and Pharaoh refuses to let Israel go every time. Pharaoh is becoming more and more callous toward God’s Word: his heart is hardening and it is becoming increasingly stubborn. The tenth and final plague the LORD executes on Egypt and its pagan idols is the death of the firstborn: every firstborn in each Egyptian household, both of livestock and people, is slain by “the destroyer” that passes over Egypt (Exodus 12:23).

“For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD” (verse 12). Again, why the firstborn son? Exodus 4:22,23 explains: “And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: and I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.”

And thus, by slaying Egypt’s firstborn sons, God demonstrated to Pharaoh that Israel was His firstborn son.

A Doxology of Doctrine During Distressing Days #6

Saturday, April 6, 2013

“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” (2 Corinthians 4:17 KJV).

A brief, light annoyance—an everlasting, much heavier weight of praise and worship….

It is very difficult not to focus on our temporary suffering. After all, we see it. It is equally hard to focus on the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. After all, we cannot see it… sort of. In reality, we can see it! The verse following today’s Scripture reads: “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (verse 18).

How do we “look…at the things which are not seen?” Hebrews 11:1 tells us: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). When we place our faith in what God’s Word says about suffering in the Dispensation of Grace—which would be the contents of Paul’s epistles of Romans through Philemon—then we, by virtue of spiritual eyes, see what God sees. He is manifesting the very life of Jesus Christ in our mortal body (2 Corinthians 4:10,11). “…Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” (verse 16).

The spiritual fortitude and edifice of sound Bible doctrine that God the Holy Spirit is constructing within our inner man, is eternal, for the inner man (soul and spirit) is everlasting. Our physical body experiencing the present sufferings is temporary, for the physical body is temporary. Actually, the same word—“moment”—used to describe the duration of our present suffering (today’s Scripture), is equivalent to the split-second rapture that will one day catch us members of the Body of Christ up into heaven’s glory (1 Corinthians 15:52)!

By allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us as we believe this sound Bible doctrine, it brings God praise now… and forevermore….

A Doxology of Doctrine During Distressing Days #5

Friday, April 5, 2013

“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” (2 Corinthians 4:17 KJV).

A brief, light annoyance—an everlasting, much heavier weight of praise and worship….

One of the primary causes of the charismatic movement, besides a failure to understand the Bible dispensationally, is that its proponents are seeking God’s power and love. They believe that God needs to demonstrate His power and His love for them by removing their troubles and healing their sick bodies. They want literal, physical, visible proof of God’s presence. Because it is ironic, the thought never occurs to them that God’s wisdom, love, and power could be—and are—demonstrated by Him not removing their troubles and sicknesses.

In the context of today’s Scripture (4:1–6:18), the Apostle Paul discussed the ministry we have as “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20). He lists various afflictions that he and we Christians suffer, but concluded: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Notice, “that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” Why do we have the treasure—the life of Jesus Christ—in our earthen vessels—our weak, limited physical bodies? So the exceeding greatness of God’s power can be demonstrated and our inadequacy in and of ourselves can be manifested.

When the Apostle Paul later commented about his various sufferings, he wrote: “And [the Lord] said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9,10).

To wit, we can and do endure difficult circumstances, not because of ourselves, but due to God’s power strengthening us by transforming our inner man to become the very life of Jesus Christ. What a concept….!

A Papal Prophecy? #10

Saturday, March 9, 2013

“And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time” (2 Thessalonians 2:6 KJV).

The recent resignation of Benedict XVI as pope is being greatly discussed within “Christian” circles in light of eschatology. Are we seeing Bible prophecy fulfilled today, or is this simply the (usual) failure to “rightly divide the word of truth?”

Firstly, why is the antichrist in Scripture?

3. To demonstrate that, in the end, God is far wiser and far more powerful than Satan and sinful man whom he controls.

The antichrist will be permitted to rule the world during the seven-year Tribulation. This ruthless, bloodthirsty dictator will persecute and execute anyone who defies him. He will swell with pride, operating under the impression that he is God, that he is invincible, that he can do whatever he wants and no one can stop him. This attitude is present in Satan and sinful mankind. The antichrist, like King Nebuchadnezzar, will learn “the hard way:” “The most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will… and those that walk in pride he is able to abase” (Daniel 4:32,37).

When the seven years of Tribulation expire, Jesus Christ will return to earth (His Second Coming), “in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:8). He will “consume [the antichrist] with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:8,9). John affirms this in Revelation 19:11-21.

Until the Lord Jesus Christ returns to earth at His Second Coming, Satan’s evil world system will continue to dominate, as it has for 6,000 years. That policy of evil will finally reach a culmination when the antichrist is revealed (today’s Scripture). But, the wise God of the Bible is prepared, and the pages of Scripture record both Satan’s battle plans and God’s counterattack military strategies. In the end, the antichrist and Satan are forever deposed from ruling over creation!

A Papal Prophecy? #9

Friday, March 8, 2013

“And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time” (2 Thessalonians 2:6 KJV).

The recent resignation of Benedict XVI as pope is being greatly discussed within “Christian” circles in light of eschatology. Are we seeing Bible prophecy fulfilled today, or is this simply the (usual) failure to “rightly divide the word of truth?”

Firstly, why is the antichrist in Scripture?

3. To demonstrate that God is far wiser and far more powerful than Satan and sinful man whom he controls.

Ever since his fall from heaven 6,000 years ago, Lucifer/Satan has operated his policy of evil: “to change the truth of God into a lie, and worship and serve the creature more than the Creator” (Romans 1:25). This evil world system is Satan’s wise conspiracy to rob Jesus Christ of worship, and while it seems to be triumphing right now, the Scriptures declare that God has an even more clever plan to overcome it.

Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar was the most powerful world ruler 605-562 B.C. Understandably, he grew very prideful, causing the God of the Bible to humble him by transforming him into a savage (Daniel 4:1-37). When God restored Nebuchadnezzar, the now meek king confessed: “Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase” (verse 37). He finally realized, “the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will” (verse 32).

Interestingly, Nebuchadnezzar is a type (preview/prophecy) of the antichrist. The God of the Bible permits both of them to have worldwide dominion (especially over Israel, whose believing remnant they both persecute). They both become very prideful: they establish idols of themselves for people to worship. However, God demonstrates to both of them that He—not them—is God, the Supreme Ruler. Nebuchadnezzar is eventually humbled; actually, he may have renounced his paganism and trusted in the God of Israel. The antichrist, however, never repents of his wickedness, and he will spend eternity future in the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20).

Let us now conclude with the antichrist’s defeat….