Our Reasonable Service

 

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”     Romans 12:1,2  NKJV

One of the first passages of scripture I can remember memorizing as a child was these two verses from Romans 12.  As I’ve grown older it has become apparent just why these were chosen for a new believer as they are considered by many to be fundamental for our understanding of just what our Savior wants from us. As I have received so many questions in the past year or more about how we should respond to what we as a body are suffering from as the world around us seems to be losing its collective mind, my thoughts continually return to these two verses, and the message they have for us.

Three things came to mind as I read this passage and I want to share them with you today. The first thing I thought of was the word "present". Now obviously in this context it is used to mean "to give", as in give away, but I also thought of the idea of our bodies being a present as in a "gift" which we give to someone else. It seems to me that Paul is saying that we should give our bodies to God as a living gift for Him to use as He sees fit. I'm sure all of us have received a gift for one reason or another, and so are familiar with the feeling of joy that is produced when given something of value. So why do we "give" a gift of value to someone else? First we do it because we care about that person, and second because we want to see the joy it produces when received. Why do we care enough to give a gift to God? Well, one of the first things I was taught about studying the Bible was when you see the word "therefore", you look at the verses that come before to see what it's "there for".

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! “For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor? “Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?” For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.”    Romans 11:33-36 NKJV

You see, it's because of His riches and all that He has done for us that we want to give something back of value to Him. Paul tells us that our bodies, as a "living sacrifice", is the thing that God will find most "pleasing" so we give it as a gift knowing that God will never "take" it but rather patiently waits for us to give it.

The second thought that came to mind was that when you give a gift to someone, you release ownership of it. It no longer belongs to you, but to the person you gave it too. Now of course, some have tried that and we know there is a term for people who give things away and then try to take them back, but the whole idea here is to give away without wanting back. That's what makes it a sacrifice. Yet if our bodies are to be a "living sacrifice", the question must be asked just how often do we take it back in order to do what we want rather than what God wants? If we truly give our bodies to God, we should never want them back, but completely surrender our desires to Him and allow Him to use us as He will. As much as I wish I could say I have never taken my body back I can't, and I expect there are a lot of you who have to join me in saying that.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”     

The third thought that came to me is that our "present" to God must be "acceptable". Now that scares me on the surface because I know there is no way I could make my body in any way "acceptable" to God so that He would be pleased with it. But if you read on you find that Paul isn't telling us that "we" do the cleaning to make our lives "acceptable".

The point Paul is trying to make here is that God does the work for us when we allow Him to transform our minds, which then results in us becoming acceptable. But we have to make the choice to allow our minds to be transformed. How do we do that? Well, this verse seems to make it clear that it is really a question of black and white. Either we are concerned with the things of this world, or doing the will of God. There doesn't really seem to be any middle ground here. Paul says it's one or the other. Most of us would agree that the spirit of this age is obviously the advancement of self. It's all about what we have, what we can get, what makes me happy, what's in it for me, etc. What Paul is telling us is that we need to be transformed so that our thoughts are about what God wants, what will glorify Him, what does He want me to do? Just the opposite of what the world says we are to be concerned with.

Have you truly sacrificed yourself? Are you so thankful for the mercy God has shown to you that you want to give Him the gift of your body? Do you love Him enough that you won't try to take it back, and instead allow Him to use you as He will? Have you allowed Him to transform your mind so you think only of what He wants, rather than what you want? God says our bodies can be a pleasing gift to Him, and one that He will be happy to receive if we truly are willing to be transformed.  As we all struggle with what is happening around us, it is vitally important to “remember our vows” and rest in the knowledge that our Savior Jesus Christ will protect and provide for us as the day of His appearing draws ever closer.

Keep watching.

Will We Know When We Go

 

 "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first."      1 Thessalonians 4:16 NKJV
 

This past week I came across an article discussing an old and ongoing debate about just what we may experience in our consciousness when the rapture takes place. I have shared my thoughts on this on more than one occasion but if it is a subject new to you I thought I would repost an old article with just a few new thoughts. Most of the conclusions I have come to are based on the phrase found in Paul's writings that we will be changed in the twinkling of an eye.  The late Chuck Missler was fond of saying that although we should be aware of just what the Bible says, it is equally important to be aware of what it doesn't say. 

As I applied that thought to this passage, and to the question of what we are told occurs at the time of the rapture, my conclusion is that many believe the event itself happens in the twinkling of an eye, while in truth there are several events which make up the process of our deliverance. As I studied the question of the rapture, I was surprised to find that some of the teachers I highly respect do not necessarily agree with some of my thoughts.  Although I suppose that should not come as a surprise, yet it still was a disappointment to me because I believe that the Bible is pretty clear on the events surrounding our deliverance.  So enjoy reading today and decide for yourself if those who choose to believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins, will in fact, know when we go.

One of the things I enjoyed most when teaching young people were the questions I often got from them concerning the things we were studying in the scriptures. One of my favorites, and one I got repeatedly when teaching the rapture of the Church is if we will know or be aware that we are being raptured, or do we simply find ourselves suddenly in heaven without a clue that it was about to happen? That really is a great question and one I think many of us have thought about at one time or another, so I thought we might take a little time this morning to look closer at the event we call the rapture.

This verse in Thessalonians is probably the best one we can use in describing exactly what God says will happen on that day. If we look closely at what it says, we find that we are told there are actually three distinct things which will occur in sequence when Jesus returns for His Church. These are a shout by the Lord Himself, the voice of an archangel, and the sound of the trumpet of God. So let's look closer at each of these three and see if there is a clue to the answer to our question “will we know”?

The Shout. In this verse we are told this shout is from the Lord Jesus Himself. Now at first, it would seem understandable that Jesus might want to shout since He has been waiting over two thousand years to come get His bride, yet there may be more to it than that. We are also told here that “the dead in Christ will rise first”. So there is a sequence of events, and the first is the resurrection of the bodies of those believers who have already died to be reunited with their souls which went to be with Lord at the time of their death.

"We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord."   2 Corinthians 5:8 NKJV

When a believer dies, his soul goes to be with the Lord in Heaven while his body is left behind. At the time of the rapture, the Lord apparently commands their bodies to rise from the grave just as He did with Lazarus.

"Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" John 11:43 NKJV

So the first thing to happen at the time of the rapture is the resurrection of the dead in Christ. While teaching this during Sunday School, one of my students said “dude, wouldn’t it be cool to be in a cemetery when that happens?” We laugh, but I just wonder if he is right?  Everybody present saw Lazarus rise, so I just wonder if we will see the dead in Christ rise?

The Voice. The only angel in the Bible to receive the title of archangel is the angel Michael, so I think it is safe to assume that is who is being talked about here. As opposed to the Lord's “shout”, we are told that we only hear the “voice” of Michael, so we are left to wonder exactly what his role here is. If you have studied this passage in the past, or study it further, you will find there are a few opinions as to what might be going on. Although any of them might be right, I am going to go as far as to suggest a new one which may or may not be accurate, but feels the most comfortable to me. As I sat and thought about why Michael might be involved, I decided to look at the other occasions where he is mentioned in the Bible. A very interesting place I found is in the book of Jude where we are told this;

"Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"                    Jude 1:9 NKJV

Now I certainly found it curious that here we find a situation involving Michael that, along with the account of the rapture, is concerned with a body belonging to a believer. In this account in Jude, the only explanation that makes any sense is that Satan was disputing “possession” of the dead body of Moses. We can find an account of this in the non-canonical Book of Enoch, which Jude is obviously referring to. In that account Satan laid claim to the body for two reasons. The first was that Moses was a murderer because he took the life of an Egyptian, and the second was that Moses body was buried on earth, and he, Satan, is the lord over the things of this world. 

So my thoughts are these; if Satan has in the past disputed over the ownership of the body of one believer, just what will his reaction to the resurrection of all dead believers bodies be? If in fact this is what happens, doesn't it make sense that the same scenario will repeat itself and the voice of the archangel is Michael again saying “The Lord rebuke you” to Satan? As I said, there are other ideas concerning this portion of the verse, but since both of these accounts of Michael concern the ownership of believers bodies, to me this seems to be a reasonable conclusion.

The Trumpet. Actually, we are told here that what we hear is the "trumpet of God". Just what exactly is this trumpet sound and what if anything makes it special? In another account of the rapture, Paul tells us this;

"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."   1 Corinthians 15:52 NKJV

Here Paul refers to this trumpet as the "last trump". This helps us identify it for from studying rabbinical sources we see that this use of the term "last trump" means it is the shofar, or ram's horn which is being used. The shofar is related to the account of Abraham sacrificing Isaac, and rabbinical tradition regards the left horn as the "first trump" and the right horn as the "last trump". There are two ways to blow the shofar, with the first being a series of short blasts which signify an alarm or bad news, and the second being one long blast which is meant to signal victory or good news. It is this last long blast which is identified as the "last trump". According to rabbinical sources the "last trump" or "tekiah gedolah" lasts as long as the blower has the lung capacity to blow. In this case, where the "trumpet of God" is being blown, one has to wonder just how long the blast will be? My personal opinion is very, very long.

The shout of Jesus calling for the resurrection of all dead believers bodies to rise, Michael rebuking Satan in the Lord's name for possession of the bodies, and the tekiah gedolah which lasts as long as the blower has breath, certainly gives rise to the thought that the answer to our original question might well be; yes! Yes we will know that the rapture is occurring because there is a sequence of three events which must take place before we go, and it's the last one when we are changed in the twinkling of an eye. I suspect the last trump will last long enough for all believers to know and understand that the time has come for the bride to go with the bridegroom and to rise and meet Him in the air. Come quickly Lord Jesus!

Keep watching. (and listening)

The Harvest Moon

 

“Ruth the Moabitess said, “He also said to me, ‘You shall stay close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’ ”And Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, and that people do not meet you in any other field.” So she stayed close by the young women of Boaz, to glean until the end of barley harvest and wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother-in-law.”  Ruth 2:21-23  NKJV

Most are familiar with the story of Ruth, and the fact that many believe it is a picture of the wedding of the Church to her groom, Jesus Christ.  As I have studied this story over and over again throughout the years, the one fact which keeps returning to my mind is the timing of the wedding, and if it might be a clue as to when the rapture will occur.  If you look at the story and what it says, I believe God makes it clear that it occurs after the harvest of both the barley and the wheat. In Israel, while the barley is harvested in the spring, the wheat is harvested at the end of summer, usually in September close to the autumn equinox.

"The harvest is past, The summer is ended, And we are not saved!"
Jeremiah 8:20 NKJV

This verse from Jeremiah is a lament over the fact that summer is over and they are not saved. The question that came to my mind is if the summer is over, it should be a time of rejoicing and celebration for the harvest. If indeed God is trying to tell us that the rapture may come at the end of summer, is the cry of Israel a response to that event? We know the tribulation is the time where God turns Israel back to Him by means of judgment so is it possible we find here another clue as to when that might occur? There is a saying among believers who study prophecy and the history of the nation of Israel, and it goes something like this; “the past is prologue”.  What this means is that quite often we find that events in the Old Testament are somehow a sign of things to come because they often repeat themselves, especially when it comes to Israel. 

"But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night."      1 Thessalonians 5:1-2  NKJV

I have often wondered if while we may not "know" when our wedding will take place, why does Paul mention the seasons in this passage? When speaking of the rapture, many scholars believe we are told that if we watch as we are commanded to do, we will recognize the “season” of the rapture of the Church.  With that in mind, I can’t help but wonder if the many references to the “harvest” when talking about the rapture, along with the fact that the wedding between Ruth and Boaz occurred after the harvest is something we need to take note of.  Something else I find interesting this year is just when the annual “harvest moon” occurs. 

Although there is a full moon every month of the year, the term “harvest moon” is given to the full moon which occurs closest to the autumn equinox.  I live in an agricultural valley and believe it or not, you can still find farmers baling hay in the light of the moon in an effort to get it in the barn before it is ruined by rain, which lowers the value dramatically.  Of course, there are many other harvests going on too, as many are picking over the last of their gardens before the first frost arrives to end the season.  I was surprised, however, to find that this year the full or “harvest moon” will fall exactly on the autumn equinox, something which rarely happens.

"You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, when you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your winepress.”
Deuteronomy 16:13 NKJV

As we approach Rosh Hashanah, also known as the Feast of Trumpets, many believers get excited as it has traditionally been thought to be a strong possibility for a day for the rapture of the Church. Since the calendar in Israel is lunar rather than solar, the beginning of the month is determined by the sighting of the new moon which may or may not occur on the day you determine to be the first of the month. That is why Rosh Hashanah is celebrated for two days rather than just one since there is a possibility the moon won't be sighted when you would expect it. Like many, I have always thought it no coincidence that this holiday is described as one where "no man knows"

While Rosh Hashanah has already been celebrated this past week, there are many who believe that the calendar in Israel this year is off by one month, and that Rosh Hashanah has been celebrated one month early.  If that were true, we would then be in the last month of “Elul”, which just coincidently comes from a Babylonian word meaning “harvest”.  In Israel, Elul is also known as the month of the bride, which comes from the phrase, “My beloved is mine, and I am his”, taken from the Song of Solomon 2:16. Another coincidence I found interesting is that in this “month of the bride”, the full moon/harvest moon occurs in Israel on Monday the 21^st.  Since the Bible tells us the bridegroom comes at midnight, it would then be Tuesday, which is the preferred day for weddings in Jewish tradition.

So to summarize, we are fast approaching the time of the wheat harvest in Israel, the time of the wedding of Ruth and Boaz.  If the calculations of some are accurate, we also find ourselves in the month  on the Jewish calendar which means harvest, as well as the month of the bride.  The favored day for a Jewish wedding is Tuesday, and since the bridegroom always comes at midnight, we find that when Tuesday arrives at midnight the the full harvest moon will be shining in Israel.  While I would also caution that I have no idea exactly when the rapture will occur, it is certainly curious to me to see all of these coincidences arriving at the same time.

While all of these things are interesting to consider, if we take into account where we find ourselves as the body of Christ in the events of the past year or so, is it so hard to believe that our time on this earth is rapidly winding down?  Speaking for myself, not only am I surprised we are still here, but also cannot help but believe that we will hear the call to “come away” to our wedding in heaven at any time.  Looking at all the “coincidences” of the coming few weeks excites me to no end as I long for an end to what the Church has had to endure, as well as hearing from so many others of you who feel the same way I do.

Of course, of greater importance is the question we all must ask of ourselves which is, am I prepared for the return of Jesus for His bride, the Church?  If you have never made the decision to ask Jesus to come into your life and accept the gift of salvation He has offered you I urge you to do it right now. Simply pray to Him and confess that you are a sinner in need of salvation, and then ask Him to forgive you of your sins. Tell Him you believe that He died on the cross to take your place and because of that you want to turn your life over to Him. If you do that you have His promise that you are saved.

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:"
John 1:12 NKJV

Keep watching.