Category: earthly kingdom / Millennial Reign of Christ

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing #3

Friday, December 5, 2025

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:5-8 KJV).

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

“Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them spiritual birth.
Risen with healing in His wings,
Light and life to all He brings,
Hail, the Sun of Righteousness!
Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace!”

Jesus Christ was literally the perfect example of living in fellowship with Father God. He did not make Himself the issue but rather glorified His Father who had sent Him. Yea, He said to His Father, “Not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39). What was Father God’s will? Check Hebrews 10:1-10. It was for Jesus to become a human that that human body die on that awful cross for our sins!

As our King James Bible says, “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Modern versions so butcher this passage, saying Jesus Christ “did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing.” Blasphemy!)

The Bible says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). That man may die and live through Him, Jesus Christ died. That man may die and live through Him, Jesus Christ resurrected. There is no greater name than the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:10)! Friends, let us join the angels in praising Him!

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing #2

Thursday, December 4, 2025

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matthew 1:21-23 KJV).

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

“Christ, by highest heaven adored;
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
Late in time behold Him come,
Offspring of the virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail the incarnate Deity,
Pleased as man with man to dwell;
Jesus, our Emmanuel!”

The first time in history that the Bible records angels singing joyfully, it was when they watched the God of the Bible create the heaven and the earth. The book of Job, chapter 38, verse 7, says in retrospect, “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” Now, some 4,000 years later, in the books of Matthew through John, the angels are singing because God the Son has become a Man, the God-Man.

Without the incarnation, the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us (John 1:14), the God of the Bible would be distant and cold. He would have no intimate relation to us. There would be no manifestation of the invisible Godhead—Father, Son, and Holy Ghost would just be immaterial Beings. But, the incarnation made Jesus Christ the most unique Person in all of the universe. “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9).

There is no other Being who is both fully God and fully man, total man and yet total God, untainted humanity and undiminished deity. The angels had never seen such a Person. They saw what God was doing and they took great value in it. They certainly did not understand what we know today, but they knew enough to sing and rejoice.

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing #1

Wednesday, December 3, 2025

“And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him” (Hebrews 1:6 KJV).

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

“Hark! The herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With the angelic host proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem!
Hark! The herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King!”

Angels are very strange, and thus, often misunderstood, creatures. They are like humans in some respects but also drastically different from us. According to today’s Scripture, angels have a capacity to find worth in, and hence worship, their Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ. God the Father, according to the book of Hebrews (today’s Scripture), does not consider His Son an angelic being but rather Someone apart from the angelic host, Someone worthy of their worship.

Psalm 103:20,21 says: “Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.” And Psalm 148:2, “Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.” In the spirit of these verses, the writer of the book of Hebrews penned what he did in today’s Scripture.

The angels knew that God’s Son, Jesus Christ, had finally become flesh, and He could now fulfill the Old Testament prophecies going all the way back to Adam—chiefly, God’s literal, physical, visible, earthly kingdom. On the night of Christ’s birth, Luke 2:13,14 says: “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men.” In perfect accordance with the book of Psalms, the angels filled the night sky of Palestine and joyfully sang to praise the Lord of glory! (What that massive angelic choir sounded like to human ears, we can only wonder!!)

Let us, by faith, join that angelic host in praising the Lord of glory!

NOTE: Dear readers, this is devotional #5300! Onward by God’s grace we go to #5400! 🙂

What Child Is This? #4

Tuesday, December 2, 2025

“O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms” (Psalm 95:1,2 KJV).

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

“This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.”

As the shepherds and angels gathered around Baby Jesus’ manger, we can only wonder what immense joy filled their hearts. In that world of old—plagued by the same basic problems of our modern world—He was a Beacon in the dark and a Solace in the misery. They undoubtedly sang right in the midst of all those farm animals! They were so thrilled to see God working in their presence. They were now standing before His baby crib!

Sinners today are greatly encouraged—yea, urged—to come by faith to God’s Son, Jesus Christ, right this moment. They are not to come by faith to His crib, for He is no longer a Baby. Rather, they are to come by faith to His cross, where He gave up that life for us! “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). What we need to do is rely exclusively on Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork, His shed sinless blood and His resurrection, as sufficient payment for our sins.

As with Jesus’ birth, for those who do not want to see anything, they do not see anything. Those who see are people who want to see. It has nothing to do with God hiding anything from anyone. What did Jesus tell the Jews? “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (John 7:17).

Although Jesus Christ is not physically here today, we can still haste to bring Him laud. We can praise Him highly in a public context. First, we can believe on Him and His finished crosswork. Then, we can tell others how they too can be saved through Calvary!

What Child Is This? #3

Monday, December 1, 2025

“But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20,21 KJV).

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

“So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh,
Come, peasant, king, to own Him.
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise a song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.”

While commonly assumed the wise men came to visit Baby Jesus in the manger in Bethlehem, a careful study of Matthew chapter 2 shows us that they met Jesus in Joseph’s house in Nazareth, when He was as much as two years old (verse 16). The Bible never specifies “three” wise men or three “kings,” either. Regardless of their number, these wise men, Gentiles from the East, came to Jerusalem looking for Israel’s King. Upon hearing the wise men, King Herod and all of Jerusalem were “troubled” (verse 3). Israel should be ready to receive her Messiah-King, but she is not. Gentiles are seeking Israel’s King, and they, the Gentiles, are ready! How odd!

The wise men learn that Israel’s Messiah was born in Bethlehem-Judah (verses 4-6), but a “star” (angel) leads them to Nazareth (verses 7-10). Verse 11: “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.” Jesus is a King, so the wise men have brought gold to Him. They have brought Him frankincense because He is a Priest. Myrrh has been brought to Him because He is a Prophet. Gentiles treat Israel’s King with more respect than Israel does!

Nothing has changed today. Some reject Jesus Christ while others accept Him. The songwriter, as does this author, urges people to accept Him!

The Mighty Man #8

Wednesday, November 19, 2025

“Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually” (Psalm 52:1 KJV).

Let us see how Psalm 52 can teach us something about the past, the present, and the future….

Re-read the rest of Psalm 52, verses 5-9: “[5] God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah. [6] The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him: [7] Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness. [8] But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. [9] I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.”

As David the Psalmist had faith in JEHOVAH God, so we ought to trust the Lord Jesus Christ. Just as David was said to be like “a green olive tree,” so we have spiritual life and access to Father God through Christ: “For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Ephesians 2:18). We the righteous should not fear the so-called “mighty man”—those who fight against the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, for He is the true Mighty Man and our victory in Him is certain. “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:57,58).

Similar to how David praised God in the midst of trouble, so our Apostle Paul did and we should too: “Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (2 Timothy 4:17,18).

The Mighty Man #7

Tuesday, November 18, 2025

“Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually” (Psalm 52:1 KJV).

Let us see how Psalm 52 can teach us something about the past, the present, and the future….

While we should always make distinctions between Israel and the Body of Christ, and differentiate between prophecy and mystery, we would also do well to notice similarities. For example, take Psalm 52. It is not to or about us, but it is for our learning. Certain principles are true no matter where we are on the Bible timeline: these are “transdispensational” or “intradispensational” truths.

Re-read Psalm 52:1-4: “Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually. The tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.” Did you notice the evil man, someone working against the God of the Bible, someone conspiring to lie and commit sin, someone not depending on the God of the Bible? This man is doomed to destruction. He trusts in temporary material wealth; “mammon” is his god, and it is impossible to serve God and money (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13). We should not repeat his sins, as the Lord through our Apostle Paul affirms.

“Charge [Command] them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;…” (1 Timothy 6:17). “Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;…” (Colossians 3:9). “That no flesh should glory [brag] in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:29-31). “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

Let us go back to Psalm 52 to see David the believer’s viewpoint….

The Mighty Man #6

Monday, November 17, 2025

“Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually” (Psalm 52:1 KJV).

Let us see how Psalm 52 can teach us something about the past, the present, and the future….

Read the final two verses of Psalm 52, verses 8 and 9: “But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.” The simile of “a green olive tree in the house of God” is the Jewish believer (David) enjoying spiritual life and access to the God of the Bible by faith. JEHOVAH God’s justice will enforce His righteousness—punishing the wicked and delivering the righteous from the harmful plans of the wicked. The saint simply has to praise and trust in the LORD, for the LORD will take care of the problems in due season (just as He eliminated David’s enemies, Doeg and Saul, when the proper time arrived).

In Psalm 10:1-11 (a parallel passage to Psalm 52), there are haughty, unpunished evildoers quite busy carrying out their wicked plans—especially during the end times, and particularly the Antichrist and his helpers. Observe how that Psalm ends: “[14] Thou [God] hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite [avenge, repay] it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless. [15] Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none. [16] The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land. [17] LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: [18] To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.” Like David in today’s Scripture, this unknown Psalmist awaits the glorious coming and reign of King Jesus Christ.

Now, let us see whatever we can learn from Psalm 52 as pertaining to us….

Convenient Season #5

Wednesday, November 5, 2025

“And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee” (Acts 24:25 KJV).

According to the Bible, when is the “convenient season?”

God and man never agree on definitions. Felix assumed his “convenient season” to believe the Gospel would come once he dawdled some more in his fellowshipping with this present evil world system. The Governor had no spiritual insight into the fact physical death might come upon him at any moment—and he as a lost man most definitely would face an holy, offended, angry God unprepared. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:…” (Hebrews 9:27).

We can be certain countless people have put off trusting Christ as their personal Saviour. They hung on to their sin a bit more, promising, “I will believe the Gospel tomorrow.” For some, tomorrow never came—they died in an accident, lost in their sins, and now, “tomorrow” will never come. For others, they delayed to trust Christ on multiple occasions. Life became busier and busier, and they were distracted by this or that for years and years until it was too late. Time passed by faster than they ever anticipated.

“We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)” (2 Corinthians 6:1,2). Originally, Isaiah (49:8) was writing about how God the Father had heard Messiah Jesus (God the Son), particularly how Messiah would send salvation and blessing to the world through redeemed Israel rising to kingdom glory. The “accepted time” and “the day of salvation” of Isaiah point to the Millennial Reign of Christ on Earth.

However, Paul sees a parallel in our mystery program. With his ministry in effect, now is the day of salvation and now is the accepted time for Gentiles; the Age of Grace is the “convenient [suitable] season.” Furthermore, the exact moment we realize this, we should believe the Gospel of Grace valid during that Age of Grace….

Possessed with Devils #25

Thursday, October 30, 2025

“And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them” (Matthew 4:24 KJV).

What does the Bible say about devil possession?

In prophecy, Satan uses evil spirits to corrupt Israel’s people and Israel’s Promised Land. Thus, these are “unclean spirits,” “foul spirits,” or “devils.” Remember, “the Jews require a sign” (1 Corinthians 1:22; cf. John 4:48). In God’s Word, healing the sick and casting out devils are two signs or indications the Lord Jesus Christ’s earthly kingdom is approaching (see Matthew 4:17,23,24—today’s Scripture; cf. Zechariah 13:2). In mystery (Paul’s epistles), however, God’s current relations with man, the battle has moved from Earth to Heaven, with emphasis on “spiritual wickedness in high [heavenly] places” (Ephesians 6:12). Thus, no devil possession is possible today, rendering exorcism unnecessary in our Dispensation of Grace. Still, unless we teach and believe sound Bible doctrine, works-religion and denominationalism will be Satan’s instruments to blind and pollute our minds and hearts (2 Corinthians 4:3,4; 2 Corinthians 11:3,4,13-15; 1 Timothy 4:1-5; 2 Timothy 2:26).

Finally, as for the terminology, we must set the record straight. Due to the influence of modern English versions (products of unbelief), “demon possession” and “demons” are used as supposedly “better alternatives” to “devil possession” and “devils.” This allegedly distinguishes between Satan (Devil) and his angelic employees (demons). However, our King James translators knew the difference between being possessed of devils (evil spirits) and being possessed of the Devil (Satan, the chief evil spirit). See Luke 22:3 and John 13:27, for example; though, differentiating between Satan and other evil spirits is generally immaterial because they all labor to oppose God’s works.

While “demon” is indeed a transliteration of the Greek “daimonion,” it poses two challenges for English readers. Firstly, “demon” does not contain the built-in clue as to its connection to “evil” (“devil” includes the very word “evil,” but “demon” is unclear). Secondly, the ancient Greeks used “demon” in both bad and good senses, evil spirits and good spirits—but “devil” is always bad. Modern English versions are ambiguous and therefore weak here. The Authorized Version King James Bible is superior, being more precise and, consequently, easier to read!

-FINIS!-