Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives and His disciples came to Him and asked Him:
"Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" (Matthew 24:3, NKJV, emphasis added)
The above indicates there are two separate coming events; the Day of Christ (Second coming of Jesus) and the Day of the Lord at the end of the age. According to the New Unger's Bible Dictionary the Day of Christ is the day when Jesus comes to take His bride (the true Church of Jesus Christ) as described in 1 Thess. 4:14 to 18. This event is commonly called the rapture. On the other hand, the Day of the Lord is not a single day, but a period when the judgment of God will be manifested at the closing phase of the Great Tribulation.
Amos gave a vivid description of the Day of the Lord:
"Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! For what good is the day of the Lord to you? It will be darkness, and not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him!" (Amos 5:18, 19)
Where are we in God's Time-table?
A major problem arises when we read Matthew 24 or Luke 21 concerning the Signs of the times. It is not easy to understand that there are actually two events - the Day of Christ and the Day of the Lord. Many Bible teachers believe there is only one event - you can call it the Day of Christ or the Day of the Lord, there is no difference. After all Christ is also the Lord!
This calls for spiritual discernment. First of all we must understand that the Day of Christ precedes the Day of the Lord. Secondly, there must be a day when Christ returns to take His bride to the Father's House of many mansions (John 14:2, 3) for the Marriage Supper (Rev. 19) and then comes back again together with His bride to judge those who are left behind (not saved) at that time.
This is the revelation. Just as God had delivered Noah and Lot before He brought destructions to the unrighteous, God is going to bring the bride of Christ (the true and overcoming Church) to Himself before He brings destructions to the unrighteous in that period of time. Therefore, the Days of Noah and the Days of the Lot speak of the period of time just before the rapture or the second coming of Jesus. I believe we are living in this period of time. The true Church of Jesus Christ is a type of Noah or a type of Lot. God shows us this truth by giving us these two vivid examples. The Scripture says, every thing written is "for our admonition" (1 Cor.10:11).
Description of the Days of Noah and the Days of Lot
Just by studying the evil things that people did in the Days of Noah and the Days of Lot will give us a good picture of how close we are to the Day of Christ.
Evils in the Days of Noah
1. Contact between human beings and evil spirits
The story of the Days of Noah begins in Genesis Chapter 6 where we are told the "sons of God" took wives from the "daughters of men" (Gen. 6:2). In the Old Testament, for example in the Book of Job "sons of God" usually refers to the angels of God (Read Job 2:1 and Job 38:7). But, according to Hebrew Scripture the "sons of God" in Gen. 6 are fallen or evil angels:
"The sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose" (Gen. 6:2).
Notice that good angels cannot marry or procreate (Matt 22:30). But in the Days of Noah evil angels and daughters of men (females born of men) produced "giants" or "mighty men".
Therefore, humanity in those days was infiltrated by satanic angels. This is the main reason why God brought the Flood and destroyed all except Noah and his household.
It is true that in the last days angelic intermarriages do not take place. But direct and unfettered contact between human beings in general ant the evil spirit world is also an abomination to God.
2. Evil Imaginations
"Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5).
I believe television is imagination in a box. There, we vicariously live out all our dreams and fantasies. There is always something for the imagination of everybody's heart.
3. Violence
"The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence" (Gen. 6:11).
4. Sexual corruption and perversion
"So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth" (Gen. 6:12).
Notice that Noah "found grace in the eyes of the Lord" and that he was a "just man and perfect in his generations" (Gen. 6:8, 9).
He was divinely warned of what God was about to do:
"By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and become heir of the righteousness which is according to faith" (Hebrews 11:7, emphasis added).
Similarly, the Church of Jesus Christ, also being hire of the righteousness which is according to faith is also being warned of the destructions yet to come! Are we "moved with godly fear" and take heed?
Evils in the Days of Lot
1. Blatant and violent homosexuality
"Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, 'Where are the men who come to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.'" (Gen. 19:4, 5).
Notice that the men of Sodom not only desire sex with men, they want to have sex with the angels of God even if they might not be aware of it! The Scripture says these men are after "strange flesh" (Jude 6, 7).
2. Materialism
"Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire are brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all" (Luke 17:28 to 30).
Notice that there is nothing wrong with eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting and building. But, it is their preoccupation of these things that the Lord hates!
You need only one word to describe these people - Materialism
Monday, September 26, 2005
Monday, September 19, 2005
God is Shaking All Things
Very little is said today in many contemporary Churches about the judgment of God. The general attitude is it is not nice to talk about God's judgment. Many Local Churches have reservation about presenting God as a Judge. They believe this will offend or frighten people. When people are offended they will not listen to the Gospel. The Gospel is supposed to be "good news" but, judgment is always bad news. Because of this false belief, the need of repentance is also seldom heard of in the contemporary Church. Some Christians even have the notion that repentance is not necessary for born again Christians because their sins have been forgiven after they have said the "Sinner's Prayer"!
Our Savior is also the Judge
The Words of Jesus declared:
"And when He (the Holy Spirit) has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8, NKJV, emphasis added).
Notice that, sin, righteousness and judgment together is the basis of the foundational doctrine of the Christian faith. Hence, a Christian who does not believe the judgment of God is not led by the Spirit of God, but instead led by some deceiving spirit.
Peter has this to say about the Jesus the Judge:
"And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be the Judge of the living and the dead" (Acts 10:42, emphasis added).
Paul also said:
"Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead" (Acts 17:30, 31, emphasis added).
God is Now Shaking All Things
Those who are now convinced that God is the Judge should take heed of what the writer of Hebrews said:
"See to it that you obey God, the one who is speaking to you. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, how terrible our danger if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: 'Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also'. This means that the things on earth will be shaken, so that only eternal things will be left. Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be destroyed, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:25 to 29, NLB, emphasis added).
Notice that, all things which will be shaken include heavens, earth, sea, dry land and all nations. Only eternal things (things of the Kingdom of God) will remain unshaken.
These shakings are right before our eyes. The present end-time phenomena (frequent occurrences hurricane, typhoon, earthquake, flooding, extreme temperature and weather changes, wars and rumors of wars, lawlessness, famines, pestilences, diseases, plane crashes and other disasters) should remind us of the need of the unshakable eternal Kingdom that is offered to us freely.
We should also be reminded of what Jesus said about building our house on the rock:
"I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on the rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built" (Luke 6:47, 48, NIV, emphasis added).
In other words, a person's eternal life in the Kingdom of God cannot be shaken if he comes to Jesus and hears His words and does them. This is precisely what James said:
"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22).
If we consider the above sayings of Jesus and James together, a person will be deceived if he disobeys the Word of God. Furthermore, his life will be shaken because it is not built on the foundation of the Rock (Jesus). A Christian who believes the doctrine of man and is deceived by man's unbiblical teaching and the teaching of false prophets (Matt. 24:11) belongs to this category.
Christian's Response
Peter, painting a picture of the Day of the Lord said:
"Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, ... " (2 Peter 3:11, 12, emphasis added).
These verses of Scripture speak volumes. Notice the emphasis is not on what we can do for God or for His Church but what kind of persons should we be! God emphasizes on personal attitude, conduct and character.
The three important things required of God are: Be holy in conduct and godliness, looking for the Day of God and hastening the coming of the Day of the God.
1. Be holy in conduct and godiness
Paul said, "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1).
Filthiness of the flesh speaks of sexual immorality, unclean habits and overcome by all forms of lust. Filthiness of the spirit speaks of the involvement of the occult, horoscopes, and false philosophies.
2. Looking for the Day of God
Paul said, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ ....." (Titus 2:11 to 13, emphasis added).
Christians are looking for the blessed hope when they are looking for the Day of God.
3. Hastening the coming of the Day of God
Two questions come to mind. One is, why do we need to hasten the coming of the Day of God and the other is, how do we hasten the coming the Day of God?
My answer for the first questin is, by hastening the coming the the Day of God we are shortening the period of suffering of humanity in this time of shaking (the beginning of sorrows - Matt. 24:8) leading to the "Great Tribulation" (Matt. 24:15 to 28).
The Gospel according to Matthew gives us a clue how to hasten the coming of the Day of God. There are many signs of the Lord's Second coming, but no one knows when. We should focus our eyes on the last sign.
Jesus said, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come" (Matt. 24:14, emphasis added).
Therefore, the last sign is "The Sign" of His coming again. It depends on the completion and fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:16 to 20).
Our Savior is also the Judge
The Words of Jesus declared:
"And when He (the Holy Spirit) has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8, NKJV, emphasis added).
Notice that, sin, righteousness and judgment together is the basis of the foundational doctrine of the Christian faith. Hence, a Christian who does not believe the judgment of God is not led by the Spirit of God, but instead led by some deceiving spirit.
Peter has this to say about the Jesus the Judge:
"And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be the Judge of the living and the dead" (Acts 10:42, emphasis added).
Paul also said:
"Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead" (Acts 17:30, 31, emphasis added).
God is Now Shaking All Things
Those who are now convinced that God is the Judge should take heed of what the writer of Hebrews said:
"See to it that you obey God, the one who is speaking to you. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, how terrible our danger if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: 'Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also'. This means that the things on earth will be shaken, so that only eternal things will be left. Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be destroyed, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:25 to 29, NLB, emphasis added).
Notice that, all things which will be shaken include heavens, earth, sea, dry land and all nations. Only eternal things (things of the Kingdom of God) will remain unshaken.
These shakings are right before our eyes. The present end-time phenomena (frequent occurrences hurricane, typhoon, earthquake, flooding, extreme temperature and weather changes, wars and rumors of wars, lawlessness, famines, pestilences, diseases, plane crashes and other disasters) should remind us of the need of the unshakable eternal Kingdom that is offered to us freely.
We should also be reminded of what Jesus said about building our house on the rock:
"I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on the rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built" (Luke 6:47, 48, NIV, emphasis added).
In other words, a person's eternal life in the Kingdom of God cannot be shaken if he comes to Jesus and hears His words and does them. This is precisely what James said:
"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22).
If we consider the above sayings of Jesus and James together, a person will be deceived if he disobeys the Word of God. Furthermore, his life will be shaken because it is not built on the foundation of the Rock (Jesus). A Christian who believes the doctrine of man and is deceived by man's unbiblical teaching and the teaching of false prophets (Matt. 24:11) belongs to this category.
Christian's Response
Peter, painting a picture of the Day of the Lord said:
"Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, ... " (2 Peter 3:11, 12, emphasis added).
These verses of Scripture speak volumes. Notice the emphasis is not on what we can do for God or for His Church but what kind of persons should we be! God emphasizes on personal attitude, conduct and character.
The three important things required of God are: Be holy in conduct and godliness, looking for the Day of God and hastening the coming of the Day of the God.
1. Be holy in conduct and godiness
Paul said, "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1).
Filthiness of the flesh speaks of sexual immorality, unclean habits and overcome by all forms of lust. Filthiness of the spirit speaks of the involvement of the occult, horoscopes, and false philosophies.
2. Looking for the Day of God
Paul said, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ ....." (Titus 2:11 to 13, emphasis added).
Christians are looking for the blessed hope when they are looking for the Day of God.
3. Hastening the coming of the Day of God
Two questions come to mind. One is, why do we need to hasten the coming of the Day of God and the other is, how do we hasten the coming the Day of God?
My answer for the first questin is, by hastening the coming the the Day of God we are shortening the period of suffering of humanity in this time of shaking (the beginning of sorrows - Matt. 24:8) leading to the "Great Tribulation" (Matt. 24:15 to 28).
The Gospel according to Matthew gives us a clue how to hasten the coming of the Day of God. There are many signs of the Lord's Second coming, but no one knows when. We should focus our eyes on the last sign.
Jesus said, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come" (Matt. 24:14, emphasis added).
Therefore, the last sign is "The Sign" of His coming again. It depends on the completion and fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:16 to 20).
Monday, September 12, 2005
Can a Church be under a Curse?
Many believers have an incomplete picture of God. They live with the notion that God blesses Christians and will never curse any Christian, let alone the Church. To them curses come from Satan and never from God! But, this is an incomplete picture of God. Furthermore, Satan deceives Christians and makes them feel guilty, but he has no power to curse Christian, unless God allows him. The Scripture clearly says that God blesses and curses His people (Deuteronomy 28). God pronounces His curses on many kinds of sins, even sins committed by "born-again" Christians.
The root cause of all curses comes from God's Universal Law of sowing and reaping:
"Even as I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same" (Job 4:8, NKJV).
"Talk no more so very proudly; let no arrogance come from your mouth, for the Lord is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed" (1 Sam. 2:3, emphasis added).
"I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings" (Jeremiah 17:10).
"Do not be decieved, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life" (Gal. 6:7,8, emphasis added).
The outworking of this Universal Law is very simple - He who sows righteousness reaps the blessing of God; he who sows wickedness or sin reaps the curse of God!
In my opinion, (you may disagree with me) there are two main ways by which God pronounces His curse on individual sinning believer, group of believers or the Church. One is independent of God and the other is anti-semitism.
Independent of God
Thus says the Lord: "Cursed is the man who trust in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord" (Jeremiah 17:5, emphasis added).
Notice that the word "flesh" does not denote the physical body. Rather, it denotes the nature each of us has received by inheritance from our common ancestor, Adam. Adam did not beget any children until he himself had trangressed God's commandment. The essential motivation of his transgression was not so much the desire to do evil as the desire to be independent of God.
The cause of the curse is when Elders, Pastors and leaders shepherd the Local Church trusting in their own strength and ability. When they do that (according to the above verse) their action indicates that their hearts depart from the Lord. Notice that this also indicates that at an earlier time these people's hearts were with the Lord. They have experienced God's supernatural grace and power, but then turn back to relying on their own natural ability. Their conduct reveals that they have more confidence in what they can do for themselves than what God can do for them.
Look around you and you will not fail to notice that this is the condition of many Local Churches, especially the denomination Churches. Church history also tells us that some historical denomination began with the grace of God, power and blessings of God. But, after a generation or two they became complacent, self-sufficient and carnal. They no longer acknowledge their dependence on God. They no longer make room for the Holy Spirit, but simply say that we can do it. It is this attitude which calls forth God's curse.
The outworking of this curse is described in the next verse:
"For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited" (Emphasis added).
In other words, an individual Christian or the Local Church under this curse will not be productive or fruitful or effective in their ministry. All that surrounds them is barren and dreary. They will not "see when good comes" because blessings and refreshing may come to others all around them, but in some mysterious way it always passes them by. They have only barrenness and frustration.
Paul wrote to the Galatians:
"O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth .... Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh" (Gal. 3:1 and 3, emphasis added)?
A Local Church that "makes flesh as strength" (instead of being led by the Spirit of God) is also in danger of opening its door for witchcraft.
Anti-Semitism
God has provided protection to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel) - His chosen people by a promise:
"I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Gen. 12:3).
The Church are Abraham's children through faith and imputed righteousness (Romans 4:13 to 16). But, if through unbelief and failure to walk in the steps of Abraham and knowingly and unknowingly curse the Jew, the Church will be under the curse of God Himself!
There is a false teaching in some section of Christendom known as "The Replacement Theology" which advocates believers to believe that the Church has replaced the Jewish people as God's chosen people. According to this false teaching the Church is now the "Spiritual Israel" and God has given up Israel and all the blessings now come to the Church. In my opinion, Christians who advocate such false doctrine will not believe in any Bible prophecies of God's plan for Israel. These Christians are deceived and they are unable to discern the true teaching of the Scripture.
Read Romans 11 and you will understand what I mean.
Paul wrote, "I say then, has God cst away His people? Certainly not!" (Rom. 11:1). The Jew is God's people and always will be. I just cannot understand why any God-fearing Christian has the audacity to say that God has given up on the Jew. Well, any Local Church that believes the so-called "Replacement Theology" is under God's curse. That is why they are blinded!
The truth is there is no such thing as "Spiritual Israel" and you cannot find this in the Bible. The Church is a type of Israel and nothing more. There are 3 and only 3 types of people in the world - The Jew, Gentile and the Church. The Church consists of believing Jews and believing Gentile and they are called Christians. Study the Scripture and you will not fail to notice that God has separate plans for the unbelieving Jews, Gentile and the true Church of Jesus Christ.
The root cause of all curses comes from God's Universal Law of sowing and reaping:
"Even as I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same" (Job 4:8, NKJV).
"Talk no more so very proudly; let no arrogance come from your mouth, for the Lord is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed" (1 Sam. 2:3, emphasis added).
"I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings" (Jeremiah 17:10).
"Do not be decieved, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life" (Gal. 6:7,8, emphasis added).
The outworking of this Universal Law is very simple - He who sows righteousness reaps the blessing of God; he who sows wickedness or sin reaps the curse of God!
In my opinion, (you may disagree with me) there are two main ways by which God pronounces His curse on individual sinning believer, group of believers or the Church. One is independent of God and the other is anti-semitism.
Independent of God
Thus says the Lord: "Cursed is the man who trust in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord" (Jeremiah 17:5, emphasis added).
Notice that the word "flesh" does not denote the physical body. Rather, it denotes the nature each of us has received by inheritance from our common ancestor, Adam. Adam did not beget any children until he himself had trangressed God's commandment. The essential motivation of his transgression was not so much the desire to do evil as the desire to be independent of God.
The cause of the curse is when Elders, Pastors and leaders shepherd the Local Church trusting in their own strength and ability. When they do that (according to the above verse) their action indicates that their hearts depart from the Lord. Notice that this also indicates that at an earlier time these people's hearts were with the Lord. They have experienced God's supernatural grace and power, but then turn back to relying on their own natural ability. Their conduct reveals that they have more confidence in what they can do for themselves than what God can do for them.
Look around you and you will not fail to notice that this is the condition of many Local Churches, especially the denomination Churches. Church history also tells us that some historical denomination began with the grace of God, power and blessings of God. But, after a generation or two they became complacent, self-sufficient and carnal. They no longer acknowledge their dependence on God. They no longer make room for the Holy Spirit, but simply say that we can do it. It is this attitude which calls forth God's curse.
The outworking of this curse is described in the next verse:
"For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited" (Emphasis added).
In other words, an individual Christian or the Local Church under this curse will not be productive or fruitful or effective in their ministry. All that surrounds them is barren and dreary. They will not "see when good comes" because blessings and refreshing may come to others all around them, but in some mysterious way it always passes them by. They have only barrenness and frustration.
Paul wrote to the Galatians:
"O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth .... Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh" (Gal. 3:1 and 3, emphasis added)?
A Local Church that "makes flesh as strength" (instead of being led by the Spirit of God) is also in danger of opening its door for witchcraft.
Anti-Semitism
God has provided protection to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel) - His chosen people by a promise:
"I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Gen. 12:3).
The Church are Abraham's children through faith and imputed righteousness (Romans 4:13 to 16). But, if through unbelief and failure to walk in the steps of Abraham and knowingly and unknowingly curse the Jew, the Church will be under the curse of God Himself!
There is a false teaching in some section of Christendom known as "The Replacement Theology" which advocates believers to believe that the Church has replaced the Jewish people as God's chosen people. According to this false teaching the Church is now the "Spiritual Israel" and God has given up Israel and all the blessings now come to the Church. In my opinion, Christians who advocate such false doctrine will not believe in any Bible prophecies of God's plan for Israel. These Christians are deceived and they are unable to discern the true teaching of the Scripture.
Read Romans 11 and you will understand what I mean.
Paul wrote, "I say then, has God cst away His people? Certainly not!" (Rom. 11:1). The Jew is God's people and always will be. I just cannot understand why any God-fearing Christian has the audacity to say that God has given up on the Jew. Well, any Local Church that believes the so-called "Replacement Theology" is under God's curse. That is why they are blinded!
The truth is there is no such thing as "Spiritual Israel" and you cannot find this in the Bible. The Church is a type of Israel and nothing more. There are 3 and only 3 types of people in the world - The Jew, Gentile and the Church. The Church consists of believing Jews and believing Gentile and they are called Christians. Study the Scripture and you will not fail to notice that God has separate plans for the unbelieving Jews, Gentile and the true Church of Jesus Christ.
Monday, September 05, 2005
Biblical Faith and Biblical Hope
In Scripture, faith has a close relationship with hope, but they are not the same. Many books have been written about faith but you cannot find many about hope.
The purpose of this message is to reveal the importance of biblical hope. But, faith and hope go together so closely that we cannot consider "hope" alone without mentioning "faith" also.
Ask any Bible teacher to define what faith is, you are likely to get this answer:
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1, NKJV).
By using a combination of various versions of the Bible this verse might also be translated:
"Now faith is the assurance or confidence of the things we do not see yet, but hoped for because we have the conviction their reality".
In other words, our faith perceives something as real fact what is not revealed to our senses.
In my opinion, anyone who does not understand the difference between the functions of the Spirit of man and the functions of his Soul will have great difficulty in understanding the differences between biblical faith and biblical hope. Because of this, I suggest my readers should refer to my previous postings, "The Three Types of Man" (28 Feb. 2005) and "Christian's New Heart" (10 March 2005) before they continue to read this.
There are two main ways in which faith differs from hope:
1. Hope is anchored in the realm of the mind, but faith is anchored in the realm of the spirit (heart) of a Christian. When we are led by the Spirit of God, our spirit tells us (in exercising our faith) something which we hoped for as real fact, before this thing is revealed to our senses. Notice that our five senses are part of the function of our soul.
2. Hope is directed toward the future, but faith is extablished in the present. Hope is an attitude of expectancy concerning things that are yet to be, but faith is a substance (a confidence, something real and definite within our heart and spirit) that we possess here and now.
Paul gave a strikingly clear explanation of the above with his description of the spiritual armour required by the Christian solder:
"But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation" (1 Thess. 5:8, emphasis added).
Notice that faith, together with love (agape and supernatural) is found in the region of the breast (heart). But hope is pictured as a helmet, in the region of the head or mind. Thus, hope is a mental attitude of expectancy concerning the future; faith is a condition of the heart, producing within us here and now something so real that it can be described by the word "substance" hoped for according to Heb. 11:1.
The Importance of Biblical Hope
Paul said, "For we are saved by hope ....." (Romans 8:24, KJV).
In other words, what Paul meant is, no hope no salvation! Hope is an essential part of our salvation experience.
This is made clear when Paul described the condition of the unsaved:
"Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12, NIV, emphasis added).
In other words, being without Christ, without hope, and without God is the condition of the lost.
For Christian the picture is just the reverse. If we have Christ, then we have hope and we have God.
Paul put it beautifully concerning the mystery of the Gospel of salvation:
"To them Cod has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27, NIV, emphasis added).
In other words, if Christ is in you, you have hope. If you do not have hope, it is just as if Christ is not in you but separated from you. You may not be a lost soul, but you are not living in the full experience of salvation. Hope in your mind is an essential part of your salvation experience. It helps you to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12).
Hope in life gives us the patience and strength to endure hardship, calamities and all the other pressure and stress that come against us in life (especially so in this "endtime" hours). It does not give us a bypass around them, but gives us the strength to go through them.
Hope as our Refuge
The writer of Hebrews gives two beautiful pictures of hope, one of which is believer's refuge in time of trouble:
"Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged" (Hebrews 6:17,18, NIV, emphasis added).
Our confidence in God may be based on two absolutely sure and unchanging things - God's Word confirmed by His oath. Hope is offered as our refuge on the horns of the Old Testament altar - a person who flees to the altar in time of trouble will be saved.
Hope as our Anchor
The other picture of hope is found in the next two verses:
"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered ou our behalf" (Hebrews 6:19,20, emphasis added).
Notice that, hope as an anchor is eternal hope. It reaches out of time into eternity, into the very presence of God. In this world, we are like a little vessel on the sea; everything around us is temporary, impermanent, unreliable and changeable. There is nothing (in human wisdom) to give us real security and stability. If we are to have total and permanent security, we need an anchor that reaches out of time into eternity and fastens in our God - the Rock of Ages.
Finally, in Hebrews we read the following:
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23, NKJV).
God is faithful!
The purpose of this message is to reveal the importance of biblical hope. But, faith and hope go together so closely that we cannot consider "hope" alone without mentioning "faith" also.
Ask any Bible teacher to define what faith is, you are likely to get this answer:
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1, NKJV).
By using a combination of various versions of the Bible this verse might also be translated:
"Now faith is the assurance or confidence of the things we do not see yet, but hoped for because we have the conviction their reality".
In other words, our faith perceives something as real fact what is not revealed to our senses.
In my opinion, anyone who does not understand the difference between the functions of the Spirit of man and the functions of his Soul will have great difficulty in understanding the differences between biblical faith and biblical hope. Because of this, I suggest my readers should refer to my previous postings, "The Three Types of Man" (28 Feb. 2005) and "Christian's New Heart" (10 March 2005) before they continue to read this.
There are two main ways in which faith differs from hope:
1. Hope is anchored in the realm of the mind, but faith is anchored in the realm of the spirit (heart) of a Christian. When we are led by the Spirit of God, our spirit tells us (in exercising our faith) something which we hoped for as real fact, before this thing is revealed to our senses. Notice that our five senses are part of the function of our soul.
2. Hope is directed toward the future, but faith is extablished in the present. Hope is an attitude of expectancy concerning things that are yet to be, but faith is a substance (a confidence, something real and definite within our heart and spirit) that we possess here and now.
Paul gave a strikingly clear explanation of the above with his description of the spiritual armour required by the Christian solder:
"But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation" (1 Thess. 5:8, emphasis added).
Notice that faith, together with love (agape and supernatural) is found in the region of the breast (heart). But hope is pictured as a helmet, in the region of the head or mind. Thus, hope is a mental attitude of expectancy concerning the future; faith is a condition of the heart, producing within us here and now something so real that it can be described by the word "substance" hoped for according to Heb. 11:1.
The Importance of Biblical Hope
Paul said, "For we are saved by hope ....." (Romans 8:24, KJV).
In other words, what Paul meant is, no hope no salvation! Hope is an essential part of our salvation experience.
This is made clear when Paul described the condition of the unsaved:
"Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12, NIV, emphasis added).
In other words, being without Christ, without hope, and without God is the condition of the lost.
For Christian the picture is just the reverse. If we have Christ, then we have hope and we have God.
Paul put it beautifully concerning the mystery of the Gospel of salvation:
"To them Cod has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27, NIV, emphasis added).
In other words, if Christ is in you, you have hope. If you do not have hope, it is just as if Christ is not in you but separated from you. You may not be a lost soul, but you are not living in the full experience of salvation. Hope in your mind is an essential part of your salvation experience. It helps you to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12).
Hope in life gives us the patience and strength to endure hardship, calamities and all the other pressure and stress that come against us in life (especially so in this "endtime" hours). It does not give us a bypass around them, but gives us the strength to go through them.
Hope as our Refuge
The writer of Hebrews gives two beautiful pictures of hope, one of which is believer's refuge in time of trouble:
"Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged" (Hebrews 6:17,18, NIV, emphasis added).
Our confidence in God may be based on two absolutely sure and unchanging things - God's Word confirmed by His oath. Hope is offered as our refuge on the horns of the Old Testament altar - a person who flees to the altar in time of trouble will be saved.
Hope as our Anchor
The other picture of hope is found in the next two verses:
"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered ou our behalf" (Hebrews 6:19,20, emphasis added).
Notice that, hope as an anchor is eternal hope. It reaches out of time into eternity, into the very presence of God. In this world, we are like a little vessel on the sea; everything around us is temporary, impermanent, unreliable and changeable. There is nothing (in human wisdom) to give us real security and stability. If we are to have total and permanent security, we need an anchor that reaches out of time into eternity and fastens in our God - the Rock of Ages.
Finally, in Hebrews we read the following:
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23, NKJV).
God is faithful!
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