Category: God: The Father, the Son Jesus Christ, & the Holy Ghost

When the Roll is Called Up Yonder #3

Friday, April 10, 2015

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11-13 KJV).

The third verse of James Milton Black’s classic 1893 hymn “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder” highlights today’s Scripture.

“Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun,
Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care;
Then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.”

Some dear Christians just sit around idly waiting for Jesus Christ to come for them. While it is tempting to join them, today’s Scripture teaches otherwise. Through Paul’s all-nation ministry and epistles (Romans through Philemon), God’s grace that brings salvation has appeared to all nations. That same grace teaches Christians to live separate from the world—to reject ungodly living and worldly desires (cf. Ephesians 2:1-3)—and to live “soberly, righteously, and godly” (with sound thinking and right living; today’s Scripture). As we are walking (not sitting) in the grace life, God’s life manifested in and through us, we should be looking for the return of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Only one of two events should end the activity of every Christian’s ambassadorship on Earth—physical death or the Rapture! While there is still breath in our bodies, and the Rapture remains future, there is still time for God to use us on Earth. Let us get out there and tell everyone we can about the Lord’s wonderful love He commended to us at Calvary’s cross, and how the grace life is the answer to life itself!

One day, dear brethren, the work that God started with us here on Earth will culminate in the heavenly places. The roll shall be called up yonder one day, but until it is, let us labor in the Lord hither today! 🙂

When the Roll is Called Up Yonder #2

Thursday, April 9, 2015

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17 KJV).

The second verse of James Milton Black’s classic 1893 hymn “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder” highlights today’s Scripture.

“On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise,
And the glory of His resurrection share;
When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.”

One day, when no one else wants to trust Jesus Christ as his or her personal Saviour, “the fulness of the Gentiles [will] be come in” (Romans 11:25). The Church the Body of Christ and the Dispensation of Grace will be complete: Paul’s Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) will no longer be a valid Gospel message. Once our mystery program ends with the Rapture (today’s Scripture), Israel’s prophetic program will resume where God paused it 2,000 years ago with Saul’s conversion in Acts chapter 9.

“Our gathering together unto [Christ]” (2 Thessalonians 2:1) is a most joyous hope, comforting bereaved and weary Christians: sadness and suffering permanently ends, a reunion with loved ones in Christ, and meeting Jesus Christ Himself! This world ending for us that we enter the heavenly places and fulfill God’s will there. The Rapture is much more than an escape from Earth. It is an appointment to keep in the heavens!

These weak, flesh-and-blood bodies cannot function in outer space. So, God will give all deceased Christians resurrected glorified bodies, and He will give us (living Christians) new glorified bodies as well (1 Corinthians 15:35-55). These new bodies will be just like Jesus’ resurrection body (Philippians 3:20,21), unlimited by time and space (meant to function in heaven). One day, I will be there, when all the saints are called up yonder to fill the heavens with Jesus Christ’s glory (Ephesians 1:18-23; Ephesians 2:6,7)! Will you?

Christ Liveth in Me

Sunday, April 5, 2015

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

“He is risen” is not a simple blasé cliché!

When Jesus’ disciples came to His tomb on that glorious Sunday morning nearly 2,000 years ago, they were startled to find it empty! Angels inform them that He has resurrected, but they are still in shock (Matthew 28:1-8; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-8). Jesus Christ Himself must later explain the Scriptures to them regarding what happened those last few days (Luke 24:44-46).

However, until Paul’s ministry, Christ’s finished crosswork is not preached as good news for salvation. Peter and Israel’s other apostles simply preach that Jesus Christ is now resurrected to “sit on [David’s] throne” (Acts 2:30)—that is bad news for much of Israel, for they still reject Him, weeks and months after His resurrection and ascension. Throughout early Acts, Israel’s apostles warn her that Jesus Christ is coming back to judge them.

When we come to the Apostle Paul’s ministry, we learn that we Gentiles can benefit from Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork. Israel’s rejected Messiah is now our way to heaven! Yes, Israel hated Him, and demanded that He experience the most awful method of execution devised, but God allowed it in order to accomplish His will. Satan attempted to hinder God’s will by having Christ killed, but all that did was provide the method whereby God could save us pagan Gentiles. Calvary’s finished crosswork frees us from Satan’s evil system and gives us a chance to be God’s people (Acts 26:17,18)!

As people who have trusted Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection as sufficient payment for our sins, that crucifixion is our death to self and sin, and that resurrection is our raising to walk in newness of life—His life (today’s Scripture; cf. Romans 6:1-11)!

Indeed, Jesus Christ is alive, and He lives in and through those who walk by faith in God’s Word to them, Paul’s epistles of Romans through Philemon! 🙂

HAPPY EASTER!

*Adapted from a larger Bible study by the same name. That study can be read here or watched here.

Messiah’s Joy Amidst Calvary’s Grief #2

Saturday, April 4, 2015

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2 KJV).

Do you ever wonder what our Lord Jesus Christ was thinking about while He hung there on Calvary’s cross?

Jesus knew Bible prophecy had to be fulfilled: He had to suffer in accordance with the Old Testament prophets. Even when He spoke seven times from the cross, He quoted various Old Testament verses. The Old Testament prophets also gave Him comfort: “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross” (today’s Scripture).

For instance, He remembered that Jonah’s prophecy had to be fulfilled: “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40). On the third day, He would live again, and be reunited with His heavenly Father!

He knew that His Father would resurrect Him. His spiritual torment and physical death were only temporarily, as David quoted Jesus 1000 B.C., “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption” (Psalm 16:10; cf. Acts 2:24-31).

Our Lord thought of reigning over that glorious kingdom that His Heavenly Father would give Him after His resurrection. As the psalmist wrote centuries before Calvary’s crosswork, “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession” (Psalm 2:6-8). “Begotten” refers to Jesus’ resurrection, not His nativity in Bethlehem (Acts 13:33,34).

Jesus Christ, during His torturous crucifixion, thought about and rejoiced in the promises in the Scriptures that applied to Him. Likewise, we, during difficult circumstances, can remember and rejoice in God’s promises to us—Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon.

We too can share Messiah’s joy amidst grief! 🙂

Please check out our archived Bible Q&As: “Should Christians celebrate Easter?” and “Is ‘Easter’ a mistranslation in the KJV?”

Messiah’s Joy Amidst Calvary’s Grief #1

Friday, April 3, 2015

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2 KJV).

Do you ever wonder what our Lord Jesus Christ was thinking about while He hung there on Calvary’s cross?

Psalm 22:1-21 provides us with a glimpse of Jesus’ thoughts as He endured that awful crucifixion: He is greatly tormented physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Various verses in Psalm 69 provide additional insight, especially as death begins to close in on His soul. Written about 1000 B.C., these and other “Messianic psalms” graphically describe assorted events in our Lord’s earthly life (in this case, His crucifixion)… centuries before they occurred!

What Jesus Christ thought about while suspended on Calvary’s cross was the Holy Scriptures. He had faith in the Old Testament passages that applied to Him. No matter what happened to Him, He knew it was His Father’s will, and His Father would be glorified. As He stated earlier, “Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup [of Thy wrath; Revelation 14:10] from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt” (Mark 14:36). “…The Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him” (John 8:29bc).

Do you realize what today’s Scripture is saying? Jesus Christ felt immense physiological and spiritual pain, but He thought about the overall view: “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame” (cf. Psalm 16:8-11). Yes, the Old Testament spoke of His suffering, and those Scriptures must be fulfilled, but it also testified of His glorious kingdom that would follow, and those Scriptures also were to be fulfilled in due time! “…The sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow” (1 Peter 1:11). While it did not diminish the extent of His distress and suffering, Jesus Christ kept in memory the glory His Father would give Him once He had endured the crucifixion (Philippians 2:8-11). It gave Him such joy. He felt grief unspeakable, but He also had joy unfathomable!

Please check out our archived Bible Q&A: “Are Christians obligated to observe Passover?”

Excruciating Thursday

Thursday, April 2, 2015

[Reader discretion advised: Christ’s sufferings are graphically described below.]

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man” (Hebrews 2:9 KJV).

His three years of earthly ministry have expired, but His greatest work is yet to come!

During the all-night interrogation in the “kangaroo court,” His sentence is passed—execution by crucifixion. They have scourged, beaten, and punched Him. Covered in their spit, they laugh at Him, and strike His head with a rod to force on the crown of thorns. His back shredded, His skull possibly fractured, His beard ripped off. His massive blood loss weakens Him further. Having been stripped of His clothing, He struggles to carry His heavy cross to Mount Calvary: Simon must carry His cross for Him. The crowds watch Him, laughing and jeering. His little flock looks on in total shock.

They lay Him on the wooden cross, yanking His limbs to nail them in place. His bones unbroken, but exposed, and His limbs dislocated. They pierce His hands and feet with long spikes, severing the median nerve in the hands, causing permanent hand paralysis. They raise up that cross, and He hangs, slowly suffocating due to His own weight. Every breath becomes increasingly difficult, His lungs fill with fluid, His heart becomes progressively strained. Eventually, He cannot breathe, and thus dies.

Now imagine His spiritual suffering. Three hours into His crucifixion, His heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost have abandoned Him. For the first time ever, He is totally alone. Physical and spiritual darkness now cover the earth. The weight of all the world’s sin and sins of all time crushes His soul. God’s undiluted wrath falls upon Him, as it does on those suffering in hellfire. He cries out in agony. Hanging on that cruel cross, with His spiritual eyes, He observes Satan himself and all his evil creatures snickering and cheering. He looks out to see His disciples staring at His helpless disfigured body. Oh, if only they knew how His physical and spiritual bodies were being tormented, utterly tortured beyond imagination!

After six hours of excruciating pain, He finally lets Himself die….

Please check out our archived Bible Q&A: “Was Jesus Christ really crucified on Friday?”

333’s 1400th – Morning By Morning

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

“The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned” (Isaiah 50:4 KJV).

Today, dear saints, only by the grace of God, we mark our 1400th devotional study!

Beloved, it was 46 months ago today that we began “333 Words of Grace.” After the cancellation of our weekly newspaper Bible study column, this daily devotionals blog was launched to fill that void. Only by God’s grace, we have branched out from our local community to literally scores upon scores of countries all around the world. We never would have dreamed our Lord Jesus Christ would transform our little ministry project into a massive online archive of grace-oriented, brief, clear, daily Bible studies. To the praise of His grace, it is still growing!

From the very beginning, we determined in the Lord to provide sound, high-quality, daily Bible devotionals at no cost. There is ever so much ignorance about Bible matters, even among professing Christians. We hope that our labor here in the Lord has taught and led many into the truths of God’s Word rightly divided. During these last 46 months, we have covered quite a bit of ground in the Holy Bible. Still, we have yet to do it justice. There is so much more yet to learn, so much more exciting truths still to extract from God’s precious Word!

The Christian life is all about learning more and more concerning what Father God is doing. As Jesus Christ Himself testified in today’s Scripture, He was willing to listen to the will of Father God. “I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things… I do always those things that please him” (John 8:28,29). Every morning, for the last 1,400 days, we have given an ear and an eye to Father God’s Word. We are all so much better off now, but let us not be content to stay where we are. Onward in Christ we must press… morning by morning… onward to #1500! 🙂

P.S.—Brethren, thank you for your continued prayer for this ministry project. Neither your time nor ours have been wasted!

Our latest Bible Q&A: “What is the ‘angels’ food’ of Psalm 78:24-25?”

Paradise Lost… And Re-Gained

Monday, March 30, 2015

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1 KJV).

This is one of the most well known Bible verses. While it is often used to teach that God created everything, this verse is missing something. What is it?

Has it ever occurred to you that Genesis 1:1 mentions heaven and earth, but makes no reference to hell? A lake of fire and brimstone that burns forever and ever, the most horrible place in which one could be imprisoned, did not exist in Genesis 1:1. It was never God’s intention for such a place to exist. All of God’s creatures were to remain in paradise with Him.

“God created hell” was true only after Lucifer devised his plan of evil and caused an angelic rebellion in God’s perfect creation. The Lord Jesus affirmed that the place of eternal hellfire was never intended for mankind: “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). However, mankind chose to join that angelic rebellion. Therefore, he will be consigned to the same punishment to which his leader Satan is destined.

When a lost person goes to hell today, we must never, ever, ever blame God. Creation and our conscience testify that there is a Creator God and that we will face Him in judgment (Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:13-16). If people want to escape that eternal wrath against our sin, there are Bibles in 90 percent of the world’s languages. There are Christian missionaries and Gospel literature worldwide. Everyone is “without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

Thus, for one to go to hell is to do so after jumping over every barrier God erected to keep him or her out of hell. If they do not want to know about Jesus Christ and what He did for them at Calvary, that is not God’s fault. “The Lord is… not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Because of Adam, man lost paradise and gained hell. But, because of Jesus Christ, man can re-gain paradise and lose hell (Romans 5:1-21)!

Me Whom They Have Pierced

Sunday, March 29, 2015

“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10 KJV).

JEHOVAH says, “they shall look upon me whom they have pierced.” What a clear affirmation of the deity of Jesus Christ!

Various and sundry Bible verses can be fulfilled twice—they have a dual application. Moreover, some verses have been completely fulfilled; others have been partly fulfilled (awaiting complete fulfillment). Concerning today’s Scripture, it is fulfilled on two occasions. It was fulfilled 2,000 years ago and it will be fulfilled again in the future. The Prophet Zechariah originally pointed to Jesus Christ’s Second Coming (still future), but the Holy Spirit moved John to use it to refer to His First Advent, too.

“And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced” (John 19:37). Israel looked at Jesus hanging on the cross that Rome had erected to appease them. Revelation 1:7 sees the Second Coming (future), just as Zechariah did in today’s Scripture: “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”

When Jesus was crucified (John 19:37), He was demonstrated to be the fulfillment of Zechariah 12:10. When He will come again, in wrath to avenge Israel against her (His) enemies, Revelation 1:7, He will again prove Himself to be Israel’s Messiah/Christ, her Deliverer/Saviour, the JEHOVAH of today’s Scripture (no wonder the “Jehovah’s Witness” New World Translation corrupts the verse).

After Jesus resurrected, His body still bore the scars from His crucifixion (John 20:25-27). Israel’s believing remnant will see them when He comes back one day. Zechariah 13:6: “And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.” They will finally see their mistake in rejecting Him. They will finally receive Him whom they pierced!

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Could you explain, ‘I will give you the sure mercies of David?’”

Boasting Excluded

Saturday, March 28, 2015

“Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith” (Romans 3:27 KJV).

How plain—there is no room in Christ for boasting!

We all have pride (not to mention those “proud to be humble!”). Hence, God wisely planned there would be no such bragging when it comes to the Gospel of Grace. In His grand design of the plan of salvation for this the Dispensation of Grace, He only requires one thing: “[23] For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; [24] Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: [25] Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; [26] To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”

“Believing in Jesus,” or trusting in (relying on) Jesus, is the only requirement to have eternal life and go to heaven today. Today’s Scripture: “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.” In this Dispensation, there is no physical circumcision, water baptism, Law-keeping, Sabbath-day observance, repentance, or confession of sins, necessary for salvation. The principle today is “of faith,” not “of works.” “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (verse 28).

Thus, not one person can brag, “I out-gave you to get into heaven! I out-prayed you, I out-joined you, I out-attended you, I out-did you, blah, blah, blah.” Either we have trusted Jesus Christ alone as our personal Saviour, or we have not. Thus, those in Christ are equal (heaven-bound), and those outside of Christ are equal (hell-bound). Those who are in Christ have believed Him equally and are secure in Him equally—there are no “more-saved” or “less-saved” Christians.

Ultimately, not only is boasting excluded, but worry is, too. We did not get into Christ because of our works; thus, we cannot be put out of Christ because of our works. What a marvelous salvation! 🙂