Category: The Nation Israel

Be Not Pierced By the Sword of the Spirit #2

Sunday, August 12, 2012

“And take… the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” (Ephesians 6:17 KJV).

Satan not only attacks God’s Word, but he will attack you, the saint, with it!

The prophet Jeremiah preached before and during the three Babylonian invasions of circa 606–587 B.C., the last of which (587) involved the vandalism and burning of the Temple and the complete destruction of Jerusalem. Judah and Benjamin (the southern kingdom) being overrun by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar was God’s punishment.

Jeremiah chapter 23 reveals one reason why the LORD is so angry at the southern kingdom of Israel. “Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD” (verse 1). “For both prophet and priest are profane: yea, in my house [the Temple] have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD” (verse 11). “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain [worthless]: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD… I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied” (verses 16,21). “…[F]or ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God” (verse 36c).

People who claim to be speaking on behalf of God (prophets and priests) are lying to Israel… in God’s name too! False prophets had so deceived Israel that she had now fallen into pagan idolatry, and God’s wrath was imminent. Satan had used the office of the prophet—God’s Word—to spiritually injure Israel, and sadly, it worked!

Today, Satan still corrupts God’s people in God’s name. Paul talked about philosophers who “defile the temple of God… which temple [we] are” (1 Corinthians 3:16a,17b). Beware, just as the devil deceived Israel with false prophets, so he still misleads God’s people with false “bibles,” which claim to be “God’s Word” but are not (2 Thessalonians 2:2). God’s Word is a sword, so be careful Satan does not use it to harm you!

Why the Blood Sacrifices?

Friday, August 10, 2012

“But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat” (Genesis 9:4 KJV).

Do you ever wonder why God demands blood sacrifices for man’s sin?

Firstly, “…And without shedding of blood is no remission [forgiveness]” (Hebrews 9:22b). Blood must be shed if man is to be forgiven of his sins. This is transdispensational: it is true for every dispensation, no matter where you are in the Bible. It was true of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21), it is true today (Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14), and it will be true even beyond our dispensation (Hebrews 9:11,12). But, what is so special about blood?

Sin causes death: “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). As today’s Scripture teaches, blood is the source of life. God told Israel in the Mosaic Law: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul…  Blood… For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off” (Leviticus 17:11,14). And Deuteronomy 12:23: “…eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.”

The above verses explain why God demands blood for sins. What is the answer to death? Life! What is the answer to sin? Blood! Blood is the solution to sin because life is the answer to death. The sacrificial blood would give new life—it would atone, or “make man at one with God.” The Old Testament animals’ blood sacrifices could not take away sins: they were only temporary (Hebrews 10:2-12). Those blood sacrifices were a “type”/“picture”/preview of the perfect blood of Jesus Christ that provides total and permanent forgiveness, and more importantly: “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23b).

Full of Foolishness

Thursday, August 9, 2012

“Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him” (Proverbs 27:22 KJV).

What does today’s Scripture mean?

Firstly, “bray” means “to crush or grind.” Secondly, the pestle and mortar, in case you are unfamiliar with them, are used to grind up grain, spices, and medicines. Ingredients are placed within the cup-shaped mortar, and the pestle, a heavy wand-like tool that is round at one end, is used to pulverize them into powder.

For further explanation, we can consider Numbers 11:7,8, when the children of Israel are gathering manna: “And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof was as the colour of bdellium. And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.” The Jews would take the seeds of manna, and pound them in the mortar to produce flour, which they would then use to make cakes.

So, the analogy in today’s Scripture is simple. You can place wheat berries (grains) into the mortar, and repeatedly pound them with the pestle in order to extract the whole-wheat flour found inside. But, if you put a fool into the mortar, and pound him or her with the pestle, you cannot extract the foolishness found inside!

Proverbs 26:11 illustrates: “As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.” The fool never permanently abandons his idiocy. In fact, the Apostle Peter, referring to false teachers and prophets living during the future Tribulation period, writes: “But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again: and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire” (2 Peter 2:22). They understood God’s Word, and then they foolishly turn away from it / apostasy (verses 15-21).

Let us continue by faith in sound, Pauline grace Bible doctrine, lest we too be found full of foolishness….

A Competitor Who Could Not Be Eliminated

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

“And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him, and could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him” (Luke 19:47,48 KJV).

The Lord Jesus Christ is “bad for business.” Israel’s crooked religious leaders need to quickly get rid of Him: He has caused their funding to run dry and now He is challenging their “authority!”

Today’s Scripture is quite comical, and once we understand its context, we cannot help but smile. The Lord Jesus has just exposed and thrown out the dishonest individuals who were selling overpriced goods in the Temple (verses 45,46), and this greatly angers the money-hungry chief priests, scribes, and chief of the people. Now, in today’s Scripture, these religious leaders are frantic—Jesus has got to go! He has not only removed their source of income, but now He is teaching in the Temple everyday!

These religious leaders conspire to kill Jesus, but there are hindrances. God the Father is not ready for Jesus to die, and Jesus’ audience is so fascinated with the doctrine that He is teaching, that the religious leaders cannot take hold of Jesus without making a commotion. Thus, throughout Luke chapter 20, these religious leaders utilize many ploys to publicly discredit Jesus, to hopefully “outsmart” Him with a question and thus silence Him before His audience.

On several occasions, these religious leaders proceed to ask Jesus captious questions, inquiries designed to trap Him in His speech (Luke 20:1,2,20-22,26-33). Finally, “Then certain of the scribes answering said, Master, thou hast well said. And after that they durst [dare] not ask him any question at all” (verses 39,40). These religious leaders hated Jesus for exposing their hypocrisy and Bible ignorance. Though they fervently tried to silence Him, He had put them to complete shame: ultimately, they could do nothing but agree with Him and remain quiet.

God’s Word is always a threat to religion, so let us not be surprised or discouraged when religionists treat us as they did our Lord Jesus Christ. 🙂

A Minority Worth Joining

Monday, August 6, 2012

“And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)” (Acts 1:15 KJV).

The Bible is clear—truth is never dependent upon numbers.

Earth’s population is quickly approaching seven billion people, but only about one-third of this figure claims to be “Christian” (considering the anti-Christ beliefs within that minority, the number of true [Holy Spirit-indwelt] Christians is considerably less than the two billion normally assumed). The number of true Christians who know God’s Word to them is even smaller… the number of those who believe God’s Word to them is even smaller!

  • Most of the world is wrong. Since Jesus Christ is “the way, the truth, and the life” and “no man cometh unto the Father, but by [him]” (John 14:6), and most people reject Him, this means that most of the world is wrong. Jesus Christ “is the truth,” and by rejecting Him, they reject the truth.
  • Most of Christendom is wrong. Since 2 Corinthians 2:17 says, “Many… corrupt the word of God,” we conclude the following: There are many counterfeit Bible teachings—false doctrines and false “bibles”—so the likelihood of widespread deception increases, and the odds of someone finding and accepting (believing) the truth become smaller.

A Christian who just came to understand and believe the Bible dispensationally, asked: “This [Pauline dispensational Bible study] is the truth, so where is everyone?” She asked this while standing in a local grace church, which consisted of only a few dozen members. (A sobering thought regarding grace “mega-churches”—Located within a three-million-people metropolitan area, the “largest” grace church I personally know averages an amazing 200 people a week!)

We who understand and appreciate Paul’s special ministry are few. Yes, we are in the minority because we use the King James Bible. Indeed, we are few who have trusted Christ Jesus alone as our personal Saviour. But, that is fine. 🙂 Remember, worldwide, only eight were saved on Noah’s ark (2 Peter 2:5), and after three years of earthly ministry, Jesus Christ only had about 120 followers in Jerusalem (today’s Scripture).

God Has Already Spoken to Us

Sunday, August 5, 2012

“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:19-21 KJV).

Does God communicate with us through hunches, feelings, emotions, visions, dreams, and “soft, still” voices in our heads? These are subjective: they are tentative because they vary amongst individuals. We need an objective standard, something trustworthy and unchanging—God’s written Word, the Holy Bible.

God did communicate with man via theophanies (God appeared in a physical body and spoke to people; Genesis 3:8,9; Genesis 18:1; et al.). Through angels, visions/dreams, supernatural spiritual gifts, and prophets, He relayed His messages to people (Daniel 9:22,23; Matthew 1:20-24; Acts 10:3; 2 Corinthians 12:1; et al.). But, according to 1 Corinthians 13:8-13, these temporary things—partial wisdom and partial knowledge—were done away when complete wisdom and complete knowledge were brought in.

When was complete wisdom and complete knowledge brought in? As soon as God’s written Word was completed (nearly 2000 years ago), God’s will was fully revealed to man. In the King James Bible’s 66 books we know everything that God wants us to know. Visions, apparitions, “prophetic words” from a preacher’s lips, and angelic appearances are not God’s methods of communication with us.

In the context of today’s Scripture (verses 16-18) the Apostle Peter recounts the time on the Mount of Transfiguration when he, James, and John saw Jesus Christ in His glorified form (Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36). But Peter says we have “a more sure word of prophecy.” The Bible is more reliable than experiences we can see with our physical eyes.

We have God’s revealed and written Word preserved in English in the King James Bible. The Bible is the Final Authority, not religious tradition or a preacher’s hunches.

The Detail of the World’s Chief-of-State #2

Friday, August 3, 2012

“Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53 KJV).

At His First Advent, Jesus Christ did not fight back, nor did the angels rescue Him from enduring Calvary’s cross. Now, at His Second Coming, the World’s Chief of State returns to earth…. with the angelic armies!

In hindsight, we understand that the Old Testament spoke of two comings of Christ, as 1 Peter 1:11 delineates: “the sufferings of Christ” (His First Coming in meekness to die) and “the glory that should follow” (His Second Coming in wrath to reign). Jesus Christ, had He asked His heavenly Father, would have been rescued by tens of thousands of angels (today’s Scripture). Nevertheless, He permitted His arrest, and crucifixion on Calvary, because the Old Testament prophecies regarding His suffering had to be fulfilled first. Now, the prophecies concerning His majestic return to earth to reign are awaiting fulfillment (see Zechariah 14:1-21).

“The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels…” (Psalm 68:17; Psalm 68 deals much with Christ’s Second Coming in wrath). “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels…” (Matthew 16:27a). “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory” (Matthew 25:31). “And the armies which were in heaven followed him [Jesus Christ] upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean” (Revelation 19:14).

The prophet Enoch lived over 5,000 years ago (Genesis 5:18-24), but we only read of the (interesting) message he preached, in Jude 14,15: “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these [the wicked], saying, Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints [“holy” angels], to execute judgment upon all, and to convince them 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.”

Rest assured, those angels mentioned in today’s Scripture will come and fight!

The Detail of the World’s Chief-of-State #1

Thursday, August 2, 2012

“Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53 KJV).

God the Father could have sent tens of thousands of angels to rescue His Son, Jesus Christ, from being arrested and eventually crucified, but those angels were never sent. Why?

Judas Iscariot has led a “great multitude” of Roman soldiers, Israel’s chief priests, and Jewish elders to arrest Jesus (verses 47-49). Immediately after Judas identifies Jesus by betraying Him with a kiss, the mob grabs Jesus. Then, someone with Jesus panics, draws a sword, strikes a servant of the high priest, and cuts off the servant’s right ear (the servant probably ducks to avoid decapitation!) (verse 51). (The one wielding the sword is the Apostle Peter; John 18:10.)

Jesus scolds Peter: “Put up thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword” (Matthew 26:52). In Luke 22:51, Jesus says, “Suffer [Allow] ye thus far.” Jesus forbids His disciples to defend Him: He is letting them arrest Him. Why does Jesus not fight back? Jesus says in today’s Scripture that God the Father can send over “twelve legions of angels” to defend Him (a Roman “legion” consisted of 5,000–6,000 soldiers, amounting to as many as 72,000 angels!) (To imagine the power of such an army, consider that one angel killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night [2 Kings 19:35; 2 Chronicles 32:21]). But God the Father never sent “bodyguard” angels to rescue Jesus at His arrest. Why?

John 18:11 explains, “Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?” Jesus submits to His heavenly Father’s will, allowing Himself to be taken captive by the Roman soldiers and the Jews. God the Father wants Jesus Christ to “drink” of the cup of His wrath against sin (Matthew 26:39; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42; cf. Revelation 14:9,10). There is no way around it: Jesus knows He has to die, so He does not fight back… yet….

Sound, But No Sound Doctrine

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

“And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me” (Acts 22:9 KJV).

In today’s Scripture, the Apostle Paul is giving his testimony to Israel, yet according to Bible critics, this verse “contradicts” another verse. Rather than “correcting” the Bible, as some modern translators have done, we let the Bible correct us… and it will teach us a valuable doctrine!

Today’s Scripture explains that those traveling to Damascus with Paul (at that time Saul) did not hear the voice of Jesus Christ, who appeared to Saul in Acts chapter 9. Yet, when we read Acts 9:7, the Bible seems to say the opposite: “And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.” Well, which is it? Did they hear (Acts 9:7), or did they not hear (Acts 22:9)? A lost person once tried to use this very argument against me in a desperate (and unsuccessful) attempt to discredit the Bible because it challenged his denomination!

Certainly, God’s Word has no mistakes (otherwise, He would be a liar!). If we consider John 12:28,29, resolving this apparent discrepancy actually teaches us something: “Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.” Here, Jesus, standing on earth, is speaking to His Father in heaven. Notice that His Father gave an intelligent response: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” Yet, some of the audience heard thunder, a mere noise: they did not hear anything intelligent.

So, those traveling with Saul did hear the sound of Jesus’ voice, but they did not hear the actual words (that is, understand what was spoken). Acts 9:7 and Acts 22:9 really complement one another, teaching us that people can hear God’s Word being read or spoken, but they are willingly too blinded by sin to hear His actual words with understanding (Isaiah 6:9,10; Matthew 13:13-15; Acts 28:24-27).

We Troublemakers Are Grace Partakers #6

Monday, July 30, 2012

“What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin” (Romans 3:9 KJV).

By God’s grace, we troublemakers can partake of the results of Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork on Calvary.

From today’s Scripture to verse 20, God’s Word proved that we are all sinners, offensive to God’s righteous standards (particularly, the Ten Commandments). The Mosaic Law was given “that the offence might abound” (Romans 5:20a): the Law clearly identifies and condemns man’s sins. Israel mistakenly believed the Mosaic Law would prove their “righteousness” (Deuteronomy 6:24,25)—it proved their unrighteousness, as it does ours, and proved God’s righteousness!

Romans 3:21ff. teaches that today, in the Dispensation of Grace, God is not demanding we keep any laws to gain His acceptance or forgiveness: the Dispensation of Law demonstrated that we sinners cannot measure up to His righteousness. So, God nailed the Mosaic Law that condemned us, on Calvary’s cross (Colossians 2:14), and replaced Israel’s performance-based acceptance system (Law) with His Jesus-based acceptance system (Grace)! “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:” (Romans 3:24).

Verses 26-28 conclude: “To declare, I say, at this time his [God’s] righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”

We are justified by faith without works because Jesus Christ already worked for our salvation. We cannot boast that we worked for heaven; we can only brag that we could not work for heaven! Jesus Christ is well pleasing to God (Matthew 3:17), so when we trust His finished crosswork as the “propitiation,” the fully satisfying payment for our sins, God “accept[s] us in the beloved [in Christ]” (Ephesians 1:6). Our sins and our “righteousness” are not the issue: Jesus Christ’s perfect sacrifice for our sins and His righteousness are!

Indeed, “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20b). 🙂