His Judgment Cometh

 

"But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber."                                  2 Peter 2:1-3  NKJV

Many of you will recognize this picture from the movie "The Shawshank Redemption". It hung on the wall of the wardens office and was featured prominently in a few of the scenes. While not from the Bible, it does remind one of the truths of the Word of God and that is He has, does, and will judge in His good time.  The month of November always serves as a reminder of this to me personally, as it is at this time of the year we arrive at the anniversary of the flood of Noah.  It was at this time in history when God chose to judge the entire world for their sinfulness and rejection of His lordship. The state of the world today has prompted many to ask if we have arrived in the very same place it was in Noah's day, and if we are at the point in time where God will once again choose to pass judgment on an unbelieving world.

One of my favorite writers in the New Testament concerning the time of the end of the age is the apostle Peter. You may recall some of my past writings on Peter and his letters to the Church, and I referred to them as his “last words” because of his awareness that his death was quickly approaching.  I believe that because of his knowledge of what was to shortly occur, his concern was for the future of the Church and the problems it would encounter.  In this passage from Peter’s second letter to the Church, we are told in no uncertain terms that their judgment is guaranteed.

In this chapter Peter begins by telling us that not only will there be false prophets as we approach the return of Christ, these people will receive the judgment they richly deserve just as God has judged others in the past.  Although it might seem to us at times that God could have forgotten because these individuals are not judged immediately, Peter makes the point that our Father never forgets.  He then goes on to remind us of three examples of God passing His judgment on those who have done something to deserve His wrath.

"For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned themto destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)—"       2 Peter 2:4-8  NKJV

From the way that Peter words these verses, it almost seems certain that he is responding to the question of “when” will God judge?  I believe either some in the Church were asking the question already, or Peter understood that it would be asked.  Being impatient to see God judge sin is a common theme throughout the scriptures with many examples we can find of His people crying out “how long”?  God will even hear this in heaven from those who have been martyred for His names’ sake.

"And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”                         Revelation 6:10  NKJV

When we see someone doing something we know is contrary to God’s laws, it is natural to desire to see justice applied.  However, at a time where believers are becoming more and more the minority in today’s society, and many are experiencing some sort of persecution, the temptation to defend ourselves and attempting to somehow persecute those who persecute us is strong.  We are told in no uncertain terms, though, that it is not our place to do that but rather God’s alone.  Paul put it this way in his letter to the Romans;

"Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord."     Romans 12:19  NKJV

So it begins to make sense that if we are not to be the instruments of God’s justice, we are placed in a position of waiting on God to exercise His promise to judge.  This then, in light of our natural impatience, leads us to ask the question “when”?  This is where Peter surprises us by answering that question by reminding us of the event we are all eagerly watching for, the rapture of the Church.  Many have referred to this passage as an “if/when” argument to support the doctrine of the Pre-tribulation rapture.  By using the example of Noah and the flood, and Lot at Sodom and Gomorrah, Peter illustrates that God delivers His own before He passes His judgment.  Notice that Peter begins verse four by saying “if God did not spare” and follows up in verse nine by saying;

"then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,"    2 Peter 2:9  NKJV

Do you want to know when God will judge?  Peter’s answer is that God is waiting to remove His own from harm’s way before He judges the world for their offense towards Him.  The rapture of the Church, the time when all true believers are caught up to be with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is the next event on God's calendar. Never fall into the trap of believing that God has forgotten, or changed His mind, or any other of the lies Satan uses to excuse sinful behavior.  Peter addresses this in the next chapter where he tells his readers this;

"knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth whichare now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men."            2 Peter 3:3-7  NKJV

God will judge this world.  We have His promise on that. His Church just has to leave first.

Keep watching.

Not of This World

 

“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”         John 17:14-16  NKJV

I have a question for you today. Have you ever traveled away from your home for a short period of time?  If so, I wonder if you experienced a longing to return home just as I have.  Now I love to travel, and I made it a point to take my family on vacations every year either to visit relatives or to go camping by ourselves.  Now I find myself spending a lot of time away visiting my children as they have all left home to live in different parts of the country.  Yet as much as I may enjoy seeing my daughters, it doesn’t take very long for me to begin to miss being at home. 

Have you ever felt a longing to return home when you were away?  As much as you may have enjoyed where you were or what you were doing, you began to miss the comfort of home?  Most believers are aware that Jesus prayed in the Garden on the night of His betrayal, yet many would be hard pressed to remember what the subject of His prayer was.  That prayer is recorded for us in the seventeenth chapter of John and if you read it you will find that rather than praying for Himself, Jesus was praying for us!  One of the things Jesus tells us in His prayer, and something I feel we all need to remember and never forget, is that we are not of this world.

What exactly does that mean?  I believe that Jesus wants His followers to understand that as much as we might begin to enjoy the comforts of this world and the distractions it might place before us, we are not at home here!  I have wondered a lot lately if this is the point of much of what has happened in the past couple of years. This world is just a temporary “hotel” where we are staying before we travel home to spend eternity with our Father in Heaven.  Peter refers to this in his letter to the believers living in different parts of the country some thirty years or so after the resurrection.

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.”         1 Peter 1:1-2  NKJV

The word translated pilgrims in the New King James Version is the Greek word parepidēmos, and the meaning of it is as follows; one who comes from a foreign country into a city or land to reside there by the side of the natives, a stranger, sojourning in a strange place, a foreigner, in the NT metaph. in reference to heaven as the native country, one who sojourns on earth.

You see, the very first thing Peter wants his readers to remember is that no matter where they are or what they are experiencing, they are just sojourners here on earth for a short period of time.  If you have ever experienced being homesick, you know how comforting it can be to know that your time away will come to an end.  I can remember telling my daughters when they took their first trips away from home for school functions or even sleepovers with friends and got homesick that it would be over soon and they would be back home.  The knowledge that their time away from home was temporary was a comfort to them, and made their time away easier.

The truth is, I can't tell you the number of believers I have heard from in the past few months who have made it abundantly clear that they are not only ready, but praying fervently for our Lord to take us home. It would appear from the many times we as believers are reminded of where our eternal home is  in scripture that God is making the point that we are only here for a short time and our real home is in Heaven with Him for eternity.  When I consider these things, I can think of at least three ways that knowledge can help us as believers living on this earth, especially in the times we are experiencing right now.

The first is simply hope.  Looking forward to what lies ahead gives us hope for tomorrow knowing what we can expect when we finally get home.

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”               Hebrews 11:13  NKJV

Second, it gives us strength to fight against the temptations of this world which Satan uses to try and get us to forget what lies ahead, and rather to enjoy the temporary pleasures of this world.

“Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,“                      1 Peter 2:11  NKJV

Third, it is a warning to us of what to expect from the world when it realizes that we are different, and in Jesus’ words, “not of this world”.

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.  “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”            John 15:18-19  NKJV

Many believers today are experiencing troubles and hardships and persecution.  This past year has affected not only the world in general, but in many ways singled out the church, the body of Christ. The world seems to be getting increasingly hostile to those who are not of this world, and it shows no signs of getting any easier for we who believe.  If you have made the decision to believe that Jesus died for your sins, and have accepted the salvation He offers based on His sacrifice for you, you can have the comfort provided with the knowledge that you are not of this world.

Our “home” is in Heaven with the Father, and our time here on earth is temporary.  We have the promises from God that our reward will be in Heaven with Him and there is nothing this world can do to take that away.  If you are homesick and wishing you could find comfort, remember what Jesus prayed for you in His prayer that night in the Garden.

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. “O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. “And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”                     John 17:20-26  NKJV

If you have never asked Jesus to come into your life and to make you a part of His family, I encourage you to do it today. Simply confess to Him you are a sinner, ask Him to forgive you, and believe that His Son, Jesus Christ paid the price for your salvation. At that point you become a child of God and Heaven becomes your eternal home.  Then you can join the rest of us in the body of Christ who can joyfully say, we are not of this world.

Keep watching.

The Eighth Day

 

“For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it.”   Leviticus 23:36  NKJV

 

This week we will be treated to an annual occurrence which for some reason I always look forward to and that is what is called the “harvest moon”.  I live in an agricultural valley and believe it or not, you can see farmers’ still 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.  This time of year, however, always reminds me of just how often the subject of “harvest” occurs in the Bible, and especially as it refers to our expected rapture of the Church.

 

Of the seven appointed feasts of the Lord given to the nation of Israel, the last one, called the Feast of Tabernacles, is arguably the most festive and celebratory.  It is a seven day celebration of the ending of the harvest, the forgiveness of sins on Yom Kippur, and a time of feasting as the people are allowed to eat of the tithes they brought to Jerusalem.  It too, will begin this coming week.

 

“You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. “And you shall eat before the LORD your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always. “But if the journey is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, or if the place where the LORD your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, when the LORD your God has blessed you, “then you shall exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place which the LORD your God chooses. “And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.”   Deuteronomy 14:22-26  NKJV

 

Originally, this feast lasted seven days, but it was later expanded to eight, with this last day given the name “shemini atzeret” which means “sacred assembly”.  It is taken from the passage in Leviticus 23 where God institutes this eighth day and refers to it as such.  This term is mentioned several times in scripture, and Jesus also chooses this day to make an interesting announcement.

 

“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”   John 7:37-39  NKJV

 

Why do I call this interesting?  The Holy Spirit was not given to believers until the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter two, which most consider to be the day the Church, the body of Christ, was created.  So in truth, this statement by Jesus was a direct reference to the Church, which had yet to be created, given before His crucifixion and resurrection.  Another reason I find this last day interesting is the following passage from Joel which refers to a “sacred assembly”.

 

“Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, and the bride from her dressing room.”    Joel 2:15-16  NKJV

 

Many have suggested the possibility that this passage might be a reference to the rapture of the Church when it talks about the bridegroom going out from his chamber to claim his bride.  Although that may or may not be the case, Jesus, as well as Paul certainly taught that Christ returning for the Church will mirror the traditions of a Jewish wedding.

 

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”  John 14:3  NKJV

 

“And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!”  Matthew 25:6  NKJV

 

“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. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”    1 Thessalonians 4:16-17  NKJV

 

After receiving permission to fetch his bride from his father, the bridegroom comes with a shout and the blowing of a ram’s horn.  It usually would occur at midnight, and he would call out for his bride to join him for the ceremony.  When Paul tells us in his letter to the Thessalonian church that Jesus will return in the clouds and call for the Church to join Him, it mirrors this tradition perfectly.  At some future date, known only by God the Father, Jesus will receive permission to return for His bride, the Church, and He will call out with a shout and a trumpet blast, for us to join Him in the air.

 

Regardless of whether or not the eighth day celebration, the sacred assembly, proves to be the time of the Church being caught up to meet her groom in Heaven, we as believers have much to be thankful for and setting aside a day to celebrate the gift of eternal life which has been promised to those who have chosen to believe is certainly a great idea.  If you have never given your life to Jesus and accepted His gift of eternal life which is free for the asking I would urge you to do it today.  The time is short, and as we see the world in free-fall it is obvious to those who do believe that we could hear the trumpet blow and be caught up to heaven at any time.

 

As we watch the world seemingly descend into darkness, the conclusion that the rapture must be near is virtually inescapable.  How wonderful it would be for the Church to go home during this season of thankfulness and harvest.  If you have never made the decision to accept the free gift of eternal life I encourage you to do so today.  Simply ask God to forgive you of your sin based on your belief that Jesus died to pay the price for your sin, and turn over control of your life to Him.  You can do that right now by praying a prayer just like this one;

 

"Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank You for saving me. Amen."

Keep watching.