Our Sure Foundation

Thursday, January 31, 2013, 7:00 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put these Glad songs in my mind early this morning:

And This is Love/God So Loved the World / Glad / Acapella Project

And this is Love, not that I have first loved You

And this is Love, that You have first loved me

And You gave up Your life

One perfect sacrifice…

God so loved the world He gave His only Son

To face the death that we deserved and overcome

And everyone who hears His word and believes

The promise that he’s heard will never die, will never die…

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Isaiah 33 (quoting some verses in the NIV 1984). http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2033&version=NIV1984

O Traitor

“Woe to you, O traitor,

    you who have not been betrayed!

When you stop destroying,

    you will be destroyed;

when you stop betraying,

    you will be betrayed.”

This is evidently speaking of Assyria as God’s instrument of judgment against his people, which God then judged for its traitorous and destructive acts. In the gospels in the New Testament we have another picture of a traitor, Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus Christ, his Lord, over to death on a cross. He is a picture of the antichrist, as well as were the Jews who deliberated in beating and in crucifying our Lord. And, then in the book of Revelation we have a description of another traitor, in particular as described in chapter 13. I believe Assyria is also a prototype, so to speak, of the final betrayer on the earth. God will allow him to have authority for a time, times and half a time, and then God will judge him (them).  

When God visits his people again in judgment, they will not be the Jews this time, for they ceased to be God’s chosen people when they, as a nation, rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah, God and Lord. The Jews are now numbered among the Gentiles as those who are of the slave woman, Hagar, and now the children of promise (of the promised seed Jesus Christ) are those who have put their faith and trust solely in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Yet, just as the Jews rebelled against God, became idolatrous and adulterous in their relationship with their Lord, forgot their God, and became complacent and unconcerned with their spiritual condition, the church of today, overall, is experiencing much the same, in particular here in America, though I don’t really know other nations. And, God will judge her just like he did Israel (see Revelation 2-3 and read Isaiah, as much is Messianic).

When the lukewarm and/or rebellious church, and the nations are judged in these final days on the earth, the people will feel betrayed, so there is going to be a level of broken trust. I believe in America that our leaders will break and have already broken trust with the American people, they will betray their own, they will turn their hands and backs against us, and they will turn and have already turned us over to our enemies. The evidence of this is everywhere if we will just open our eyes and pray that the Lord will show us the truth. Not only at the great and massive devastation and loss of life will the people mourn and wail, but also they will mourn because they trusted in those who turned against them.

O Lord, Be Gracious

“O Lord, be gracious to us;

    we long for you.

Be our strength every morning,

    our salvation in time of distress.”

There will be a cry among the people for the mercy of God when judgment falls. There will be many lukewarm Christian who will fall on his or her knees in repentance and in humility, calling on God to be gracious, and in longing for their Lord and for his salvation. As well, I believe the scriptures teach, particularly here in Isaiah, that people from all nations will flock to Jesus Christ, to the gospel of Christ, the cross of Christ, to salvation and to the kingdom of God, i.e. to Mt. Zion and to Jerusalem (not physical but spiritual).

“The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high;

    he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness.

He will be the sure foundation for your times,

    a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;

    the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.”

The Lord will be exalted in that day for he will show himself holy, just and merciful through judgment and through his salvation. Many of those who failed to acknowledge him and to obey him and to honor him as the holy God that he is will have their eyes opened and they will fall down and worship him. The Lord Jesus will fill his people with justice and righteousness and he will be their sure foundation for their times in which they live. In other words, when God visits us in judgment, the church will be revived and many will come to Jesus; the church will be filled with the Spirit of God, and they will put their trust solely in God for their support, help, and strength, and for all that they need to make it through each day, for the saints of God will suffer most severe persecution during these times.

The key to this treasured relationship with Jesus Christ, and to possessing this sure foundation, and this rich store of salvation, wisdom and knowledge is the fear of the Lord. To fear the Lord means to reverence, respect, worship (with life and love), adore and obey him; to show dedication, devotion, commitment, loyalty, fidelity, steadfastness, and faithfulness to him. Do you know that when you, as an American, place your hand over your heart and you pledge allegiance to the flag and to the form of government of the USA that you are doing the same as what God requires only for himself? Don’t believe me? Look up the word “allegiance” in a dictionary and thesaurus. It is the same exact words. Our hearts and allegiance and worship should be given only to one god, i.e. the One True God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, so pray about that and consider that the next time you pledge allegiance to the US flag and government. “Woe to the US government, O traitor!”

Call to Revival and Salvation

“Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?

    Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”

He who walks righteously

    and speaks what is right,

who rejects gain from extortion

    and keeps his hand from accepting bribes,

who stops his ears against plots of murder

    and shuts his eyes against contemplating evil—

 this is the man who will dwell on the heights,

    whose refuge will be the mountain fortress.

His bread will be supplied,

    and water will not fail him.”

Although this is certainly a call to respond to God’s acts of judgments against his people, to acknowledge his power, and to humble ourselves before God in repentance and faith, this is a call right now, even if we are not presently under judgment, though many are, to see the Lord in all his glory, strength and majesty, to fear and to honor him as holy, to humble ourselves before him in repentance, and to put our trust solely in him and in his salvation. If we are to stand in the judgment and to be counted among those who have eternal life with God, then we must turn from our lives of sin, rebellion, stubbornness, idolatry and spiritual adultery, we must allow God’s Spirit to transform us in heart and mind, and we must accept and appropriate to our lives the new lives Christ Jesus has provided for us to live and to walk in his holiness and righteousness (see Acts 26:16-18; Eph. 4:17-24; Luke 9:23-24).

Hope for the Future

There the Lord will be our Mighty One.

    It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.

No galley with oars will ride them,

    no mighty ship will sail them.

For the Lord is our judge,

    the Lord is our lawgiver,

the Lord is our king;

    it is he who will save us.…

No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill”;

    and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.

Yet, not all is bleak. Not only does God promise his salvation through his Son Jesus Christ because of his great love for us and because of his grace, but he will also provide us with the faith to believe and to act as though we believe (faith proved genuine) by his grace, too, if we are willing, humble, repentant and obedient. He asks that if we are to come to him that we must deny (disallow) ourselves (sinful flesh and self-will), take up our cross daily (die daily to sin and self) and follow (obey) him. His word teaches us that the way we come to know Christ is by forsaking (putting off; dying to) our old lives of sinful pleasure, by being transformed in heart and mind and made into new creatures in Christ Jesus (the working of God’s Holy Spirit), and by appropriating to our lives this new life in Christ, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” This is the true fear of God!

Then, we are given the hope of eternity with God/Jesus in glory. When Jesus Christ comes for his bride, we will go to be with him forever. Following this time of judgment on the earth, the Lord Jesus will reign on the earth as judge, King and Lord, and his saints will reign with him. War will be no more. There will be no more sickness, sorrow or pain, for the old order of things will have passed away and everything will become new. Our enemies will be gone. All will be peaceful, and we will be secure in our sure foundation. Oh, how I look forward to this day when I will be with my Lord forever and I will be able to worship him with his saints in glory completely free of all in this world that pulls at us continuously. That will be a wonderful day! Praise Jesus! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah / An Original Work / May 3, 2011

Hallelujah, hallelujah!

He is coming, hallelujah!

He’s our Lord God

And we love Him

For He saved us from our sin.

He is with us, hallelujah,

And He loves us, hallelujah!

We adore Him;

Give our worship

To our Lord God, King of kings.

He’s our Savior, hallelujah!

He provided our redemption;

Paid our ransom;

We’re forgiven;

In His death He bore our sin.

He is risen, hallelujah!

Conquered death, hell, sin, in vict’ry;

Sent His Spirit;

Lives within us;

Cleansed and purified within.

He is coming, hallelujah,

To receive us, hallelujah,

as His pure bride

for our wedding

to our Lord God, priest and King!

Live in vict’ry, hallelujah,

For He freed you, hallelujah,

To obey Him;

Turn from your sin;

Walk in fellowship with Him.

http://originalworks.info/hallelujah/

In Pieces like Pottery

Wednesday, January 30, 2013, 6:16 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “Rejoice in the Lord Always” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Isaiah 29-30, but I will focus mainly on chapter 30, which I will only quote in part. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2030&version=NIV1984

The Obstinate Children

In applying this passage of scripture to today, we must understand that the children of God are now the true church, the body of Christ, his temple. Obstinate and rebellious children of God still exist today, and the same message, in principle and in Biblical truth, that applied to Israel/Judah of old still applies to God’s people today.

The obstinate children are described here as those who carry out plans that are not God’s and who form an alliance, but not by God’s Spirit, “heaping sin upon sin.” In the OT, they went to Egypt for their protection against Assyria instead of consulting God. Today the church in the U.S. looks to the protection of the U.S. government via the 501c3 non-profit status for incorporation, thus bringing itself under the umbrella of the U.S. government. This dependency upon man instead of on God, or perhaps in combination with dependency on God, will be to the shame of God’s people within the institutional church, because their dependency in man will be brought under the judgment of God, so the people will realize that it was vain to put their trust in man instead of in God, for mankind will fail them.

As well, the church of today, particularly speaking of the institutional church here in America, puts their trust, overall, largely in the reasoning, thinking, planning and schemes of men (and women), oftentimes over and above, or in place of God and his word. Human marketing schemes modeled after big business oftentimes replace seeking God’s face to see what plans he has for his church and how it is to grow. Man-made religion, practices, rituals and traditions often get top-billing over and above God and his word. Books written by men and women are replacing the Bible and/or are interpreting God’s word to the people and the people of God are not, for the most part, it appears, taking the time to test what is being taught against God’s word, but are just buying into whatever they hear. Entertainment and pleasing the flesh of mankind are central in many of our “worship” services in order to draw in large crowds of people, but to what? – A cleaned-up version of what the world is offering.

Tell us Pleasant Things

The people did not want to hear the warnings of Isaiah, and many of today’s church people and leaders are the same. If they are confronted with the truth of what they are doing, they reject it. They don’t want to be confronted with their sin. They want only messages that tickle their itching ears, and they want to hear only what is pleasant, i.e. they want lies and deception over and above the truth of God’s word because then they can continue in their course of action in following after the ways of man and of their own flesh. These, too, are a “rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction.” They do not want to be confronted with the truths of God’s word and “with the Holy One of Israel” (of the church, the body of Christ).

Many teach a gospel absent of true repentance and obedience to Christ and his commands, thus ignoring much of the New Testament teachings concerning the requirements of both repentance and obedience for salvation (See Eph. 4:17-24; Luke 9:23-25). They do not teach the necessity of death to our old lives of sin and of a conscious choice of our wills to now follow the Lord Jesus Christ in obedience and surrender to his will for our lives. They have reduced the gospel of Jesus Christ to nothing more than an acceptance of a particular religion or lifestyle change, an emotional one-time decision at an altar thus “guaranteeing” eternity in heaven with God (not), or to mere acknowledgement of what Christ Jesus did for us when he died on the cross for our sins. Yet, they choose to forget that Jesus died so we could be free from slavery to sin day-to-day, and so we could be free to walk humbly before God in true righteousness and holiness in his power and in his strength.

The High Wall

The Lord God told his people of old that because they had rejected God’s messages, they had relied on oppression and depended on deceit, this sin would become for them “like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant. It will break in pieces like pottery, shattered so mercilessly…” The wall was the wall of lies and deception and oppression that the people and leaders had built for their own safety and prosperity. Wow! Does this ever speak of much of the institutional church in America today, in particular among its leaders! I have personally witnessed this over and over again, and the Lord has shown me much more, and I have observed how this training in marketing the church as one would market a business, which often involves lies and deception and oppression, has swept across evangelical Christianity in America like the spreading of a cult. One day God is going to judge his church for this sin and the sin of ignoring his commands.

Our Salvation

“In repentance and rest is your salvation,

    in quietness and trust is your strength,

    but you would have none of it.”

“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;

    he rises to show you compassion.

For the Lord is a God of justice.

    Blessed are all who wait for him!”

Paraphrasing vv. 19-22 to make it applicable to today:

“O people of my church, who, due to your rebellion, will incur my loving discipline and correction, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, the truths of God’s word will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see the truth plainly before you. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear the Holy Spirit say to you, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’ Then you will defile your idols of wealth, entertainment, leisure, success, prosperity, man-made religion, false teaching that tickles your itching ears, self-pleasure, and your own plans, etc. You will throw these idols of men away as you would a filthy rag no longer of use to you, and you will say, ‘Away with you!’”

Wow! This is a picture of revival. God desires that his church be revived. If she will not submit on her own, and she will not repent of her sins of self-pleasure and self-will and putting her trust in man over and above or in place of her trust in God, then God will bring judgment upon her as loving and divine correction and discipline in order to open her eyes to see the truth of God’s word and of God’s will and purposes for her life, so that she will repent, and she will call upon her one true God and Lord Jesus Christ; she will return to her first love, and she will walk in the ways of the Lord, and will forsake all her idols of men.

Spiritual Blessings of Renewal

When the church is revived and she is back in a right relationship with her Lord God, she will experience the spiritual blessings of God in her life in abundance! The Lord Jesus will bind up her bruises and he will heal the wounds he inflicted upon her in judgment. And, a big part of those blessings will come in the form of the salvation of many lives for Jesus Christ. All throughout these chapters in Isaiah, where he prophesied concerning the last days, we have a picture of God’s judgments on his people, true Israel, the church, the body of Christ who are living in rebellion and/or in lukewarmness (cf. Revelation 2-3), followed by revival of God’s people and the flocking of nations to Jesus Christ, his cross and to his salvation.

And, our hearts will rejoice, too, when the church is revived and is fulfilling God’s purposes he intended for her, and when we lift our voices in praise and in song and in giving public testimony of his saving grace, then the eyes of people throughout the world will be opened to the majesty and to the power of God in judgment but also in salvation. I believe Isaiah teaches here throughout his writings that many nations will flock to salvation in Jesus Christ their Lord and Messiah, and then the end will come.

Rejoice in the Lord Always! / An Original Work / January 26, 2013

Based off Phil. 4 & Col. 3

Rejoice in our Lord God always.

I say again: “Rejoice always!”

Let your love and kindness show forth.

Our Lord Christ will soon appear.

Do not let yourself be troubled.

Do not fear your circumstances.

In all of life’s complications,

Pray to God with thankfulness.

God will give you peace and rest.

Set your minds on things of heaven:

What is true and right and lovely.

Do not focus your attention

On the things that pass away.

Therefore put to death your old self.

Clothe yourselves with God’s compassion.

Put the word of Christ in practice.

Let God’s peace rule in your hearts.

Sing songs of praise unto God.

In all of life’s circumstances

I’ll learn to trust; be contented.

Whether I have none or plenty,

I will give thanks unto God.

I can live my life to please Him,

Because Jesus gives me His strength.

My God will meet all of my needs,

From his treasure chest in Christ.

Glory, praise be unto God.

http://originalworks.info/rejoice-in-the-lord-always1/

Repost: Covered with Vomit

Tuesday, January 29, 2013, 10:55 p.m. – I couldn’t sleep, so I got up to spend some time with the Lord and to take my requests to him. I read Isaiah 28, and the Lord reminded me of a writing he gave me on that passage of scripture a little over a year ago. I sensed he would have me share this one again, so this is a repost.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011, 6:13 a.m. – I woke with the song, “Walking in The Light,” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Isaiah 28. I will summarize some and quote some due to the length of the passage. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2028&version=NIV1984

The Fading Flower

Samaria was the capital city of Ephraim, the northern kingdom of Israel. It was a prideful city filled with luxury and self-indulgences. “Ephraim’s drunkards” appears to be a reference to its supposed spiritual leaders. They may have been literally drunk on wine, and/or they may have been inebriated by their own sense of pride, arrogance, and/or believing in their own lies and their feeling that nothing could bring them down. Their capital city sat on a hill and was their crown, their floral wreath on their heads. Yet, the Lord described this floral wreath – their capital city – as a fading flower.

The Lord has one who is powerful and strong. He will use this divine instrument of judgment, which he compared to a hailstorm, a destructive wind, a driving rain and a flooding downpour, to throw this capital city forcefully to the ground. It will be trampled underfoot. It will be swallowed up by God’s judgment. The Lord brought the scripture to mind here – “For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:30-31 NIV ’84).

As I prayerfully considered this before the Lord, I believe he gave me a picture of the U.S. government, for those of us who live in the USA, as the pride of the institutional church in the USA, i.e. their floral wreath worn on their heads. The institutional church (incorporated under 501c3) is under the headship of the U.S. government. In most of these institutions of men, the flag of the U.S. government is prominently displayed at the front of the sanctuary so that the “worshipers” can always see the USA flag before them. On certain occasions, the church leaders even lead their people to pledge allegiance (loyalty; commitment; adherence; faithfulness; fidelity), with hand over heart, to the U.S. government. The institutional church gives honor to the US government and preference to the government over God’s commands where the government stipulates what a minister of God can or cannot say from the pulpit. This worship of the US government is taught so strongly in the church and in schools today that anyone challenging the actions of the government is treated as a blasphemer of Almighty God. This sets the church up for falling under the deception of the evil one, so that the people blindly follow these leaders to their destruction.

Befuddled with Wine

The drunkards are the leaders of the people – could include political leaders, judges, pastors, elders, etc. – anyone in a position of religious or governmental authority over the people of God. This staggering from wine could be literal and/or it could be figurative, describing those who lack spiritual discernment and judgment of God. A table is a place where decisions are made; plans are put together, etc., yet the Lord describes their tables (places where they make their decisions) as covered with vomit and that there is not a spot without filth. I did a search on the word “vomit,” and it rendered “bile,” which rendered “bitterness; irritability; temper; wrath; anger; fury; rage,” which then fits with what Isaiah states next. He is quoting these “religious leaders” here:

“Who is it he is trying to teach?

   To whom is he explaining his message?

To children weaned from their milk,

   to those just taken from the breast?

For it is:

   Do and do, do and do,

   rule on rule, rule on rule;

   a little here, a little there.”

These “religious” leaders of the people were mocking the words of God given to Isaiah, God’s messenger to the people. They were insulted that God would use Isaiah to speak to them, kind of like Balaam and his donkey, i.e. what an insult that God would use a lowly donkey to be God’s messenger to Balaam. The donkey saw with spiritual eyes, but Balaam did not, so he kept beating the donkey until God finally spoke through the donkey and opened Balaam’s eyes to what he was doing. Isaiah declared the word of God to these “inebriated spiritual guides” of the people. They questioned what right this prophet (messenger) of God had to teach them the spiritual milk of God’s word. They didn’t like it that Isaiah was telling them God’s commandments for them for holy living. They didn’t want anyone telling them that God has rules for daily living of the Christian life that we, as Christ’s followers, must follow. They liked the “all grace” messages that tells them that God does not require repentance and obedience and that he is pleased with them no matter what they do, so that they can continue in their sin and their willful rebellion with a false sense of security in what they falsely call God’s grace.

So, God has declared his judgment against these blind guides of the people. He will send foreigners against them to “speak” to this people. They will be judged by God because of their failure to hear the word of the Lord, as found in the Bible, which could have led them back into a right relationship with God. They don’t want to hear God’s truths. Fine! The next message will come through foreigners. It would now be through judgment that God would speak to his people. And, this will happen to the church here in the USA, too, if they do not repent of their stubborn rebellion against Almighty God, and if they continue to reject God’s words concerning what God requires of them in living in holiness and obedience to Christ. God keeps calling out to them to enter into his rest and to be saved (and/or revived spiritually), but they will not listen. Confidence in man’s own wisdom and abilities stands as a barrier to hearing the word of God and to following Jesus Christ in humble obedience.

These “blind guides” to the people scoffed at the words of God. They really thought they were untouchable and that no harm would come to them. The reason? – They believed their own lies, i.e. they made their own lies their refuge and falsehood their hiding place. In other words, they were trusting in lies and were hiding their evil deeds behind falsehood thinking that God would not see and that God would not act against them. That is the ultimate in pride and arrogance.

A Stone in Zion

Even though these wicked leaders were bent on refusing and mocking God’s words to them because of their pride, God was still calling out to them to enter into his salvation, because he is a God of grace and he is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. So, if they repented of their sin of unbelief, and if they chose truly to walk in the ways of the Lord from this day forward, God would restore them to fellowship with him and with his Son, Jesus Christ. Yet, if they refused God’s words, Jesus Christ, the stone in Zion (a fortress of salvation to the believer), would become a stumbling block over which men would fall to their spiritual deaths. Jesus Christ himself was rejected by the religious leaders of his day, and he is God. No wonder men still reject the truths of God’s word, because they rejected Christ through whom those words come.

So, if they continue to refuse God’s words on holy living, and they choose to continue in their own stubborn ways of rebellion against Almighty God, God will sweep away their refuge, i.e. their lie, and water will overflow their hiding place, i.e. their falsehood. This judgment of God would be continuous and often – morning by morning and day and night it will sweep through. This sounds like the time of tribulation which will be one judgment followed by another followed by another. Yet, the Lord is still speaking. He is saying, “Stop your mocking or your chains will become heavier.” “Listen to my voice; pay attention and hear what I say.” Allow God to instruct you and to teach you the right way, not the way of falsehood, lies and deception. “Wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom” is the word that comes from the LORD Almighty.

The Remnant

In that Day of Judgment the LORD Almighty will be a glorious crown for his people, unlike the floral wreath of the capital city previously worn on their heads in pride. He will be a “spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.” I believe this “turning back the battle at the gate” has to do with those who have resisted Satan’s lies and deceptions and temptations in their own lives, as well as this represents those who are actively involved in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in order to turn back this battle of Satan against God’s people at the gate of men’s hearts so that men can be saved and so they can be free from the power of Satan and sin over their lives, so that they no longer allow Satan and sin to overcome them. They stop it at the gate. For those who have done this, i.e. for those who have “turned the battle back at the gate,” God will be their refuge and strength. This does not mean they will not suffer or even die for their faith in Jesus Christ and for his gospel, but it means that he will be with them even in death and he will bring them safely into his glorious presence.

Though God/Jesus Christ will be a stumbling block for those who trust in man and in their own resources (lies, deception, pride), he is a precious cornerstone and a sure foundation for those who put their trust in the Lord. They will never be dismayed. His God will instruct him in the right way; the way of holiness; walking in the light of the truth. Wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom is the LORD Almighty to those who put their trust in him and in him alone. He will comfort them in times of distress with his love.

Walking in The Light / An Original Work / November 16, 2011

Based off 1 John 1-2

When I lift up my voice, and

Sing praise unto God,

I will fellowship with my

Lord and Savior, King.

In Him there is no darkness.

He is in the light of truth.

If we walk in His light,

From sin He purifies.

If we repent of our sins,

He’ll forgive us now,

When we humble ourselves, and

Before Jesus bow.

The man who says, “I know Him,”

But does not obey His truth,

There is no truth in him.

In darkness still he’s found.

Do not love the world of sin,

For it is hell bound.

If you follow the world, you’ll

Not in Christ be found.

The world and its desires

Will not last; they’ll expire.

The one who does God’s will,

Receives eternal life.

See that what you have heard from

Christ remains in you.

Then, you’ll remain in Christ, and

In His Father, too.

This is what He promised us –

His eternal life with God.

So, continue in Him, and

You’ll receive a crown.

http://originalworks.info/walking-in-the-light/

http://youtu.be/wS6ljsF6aV4

Rejoice in the Lord Always

Fear, anxiety, and worry must be universally troublesome to most people because God/Jesus Christ warned his people, and/or he encouraged his people all throughout scripture (and history) to not fear, to not be afraid, to not fret, and to not be anxious, but “in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,” (to) “present your requests to God. And, the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (see Phil. 4:6-7).

One of the antidotes for fear and worry, thus, is to pray with thanksgiving, believing that God is going to answer, and to put our trust in God, knowing he has all things under his control, for fear is the opposite of trust/faith. Yet another antidote for anxiety is to rejoice in the Lord always and to sing songs of praise unto God. So, when Satan throws his darts of fear or doubt our way, we need to pray. It is essential that we choose to put our trust in God, believing that he has our circumstances under his control. And, we must be thankful, we should rejoice, and it is necessary that we praise our God in life, word and in song.

Sometimes we worry because we have adopted the ways and patterns of this world, and because we daily take into our minds and hearts far too much of this world’s junk, philosophies, character traits, habits, and attitudes. Instead, we need to focus our minds, hearts and attention on what has eternal value. We need to daily die to our old ways of living in sin and for self, and we need to clothe ourselves with our Lord Jesus Christ and take on his character and values. What is important to him should be essential to us. And, we should not only read or hear his word, but we should put it into practice in our lives.

Rejoice in the Lord Always! / An Original Work / January 26, 2013

Based off Phil. 4 & Col. 3

Rejoice in our Lord God always.

I say again: “Rejoice always!”

Let your love and kindness show forth.

Our Lord Christ will soon appear.

Do not let yourself be troubled.

Do not fear your circumstances.

In all of life’s complications,

Pray to God with thankfulness.

God will give you peace and rest.

Set your minds on things of heaven:

What is true and right and lovely.

Do not focus your attention

On the things that pass away.

Therefore put to death your old self.

Clothe yourselves with God’s compassion.

Put the word of Christ in practice.

Let God’s peace rule in your hearts.

Sing songs of praise unto God.

In all of life’s circumstances

I’ll learn to trust; be contented.

Whether I have none or plenty,

I will give thanks unto God.

I can live my life to please Him,

Because Jesus gives me His strength.

My God will meet all of my needs,

From his treasure chest in Christ.

Glory, praise be unto God.

Song lyrics @ Public Domain

MP3, Song lyrics, Sheet music w/chords & video (free):

http://originalworks.info/rejoice-in-the-lord-always1/

http://youtu.be/2ATLKGA9mjE

Make Peace with God

Tuesday, January 29, 2013, 7:45 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me this morning with the Glad songs “And This is Love” and “God So Loved the World” playing in my mind.

And This is Love/God So Loved the World / Glad / Acapella Project

And this is Love, not that I have first loved You

And this is Love, that You have first loved me

And You gave up Your life

One perfect sacrifice…

God so loved the world He gave His only Son

To face the death that we deserved and overcome

And everyone who hears His word and believes

The promise that he’s heard will never die, will never die…

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Isaiah 27 (NIV 1984):

In that day—

“Sing about a fruitful vineyard:

    I, the Lord, watch over it;

    I water it continually.

I guard it day and night

    so that no one may harm it.

    I am not angry.

If only there were briers and thorns confronting me!

    I would march against them in battle;

    I would set them all on fire.

Or else let them come to me for refuge;

    let them make peace with me,

    yes, let them make peace with me.”

In days to come Jacob will take root,

    Israel will bud and blossom

    and fill all the world with fruit.

Has the Lord struck her

    as he struck down those who struck her?

Has she been killed

    as those were killed who killed her?

By warfare and exile you contend with her—

    with his fierce blast he drives her out,

    as on a day the east wind blows.

By this, then, will Jacob’s guilt be atoned for,

    and this will be the full fruitage of the removal of his sin:

When he makes all the altar stones

    to be like chalk stones crushed to pieces,

no Asherah poles or incense altars

    will be left standing…

God’s Plan for our Sin

God’s plan for our sin was to send his Son Jesus Christ, God the Son, to the earth to become flesh, to die for our sins, to be resurrected back to life in conquering death, hell, Satan and sin, and then after he ascended back to heaven to send his Holy Spirit to indwell and empower the lives of Christ’s true followers to live lives pleasing unto God, to walk in the Spirit of God, and to obey our Lord in doing what he says to do and to become. His plan was to set us free not only from the ultimate penalty of sin (eternal damnation), but his plan was to free us from the control of and slavery to sin on a day-to-day basis, to free us to walk with Jesus Christ in true righteousness and holiness, and to give us new and everlasting lives with our Lord in glory.

God loved us so much in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. He does not provide his salvation for us because we are righteous in our own merit. We can do nothing of our own to earn our salvation. We will never be good enough of our own accord. It is by God’s grace that we are saved through faith. This is not of ourselves (of our own works) lest any of us should boast. Yet, what is faith? Faith is not just an emotional experience, a belief system, a choice of religion, a church denomination or affiliation, a mere acknowledgement of what Christ did for us on the cross, and/or a membership into a local religious club.

Jesus said that if anyone would come after him he must deny (disallow) himself (his own flesh) and take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and self) and follow (obey) him (see Luke 9:23-25). Scripture also teaches that the way we come to know Christ is by forsaking (putting off; dying to) our old ways of living in sin, by being transformed in heart and mind (a working of the Holy Spirit of God), and by putting on (appropriating; applying) our new lives in Christ Jesus, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (see Eph. 4:17-24). So, God made the way for us to come to faith in Christ Jesus, and we come to faith in Christ via repentance (turning from sin) and turning to walk in obedience to Christ.

The Problem with Man

We read in Isaiah 26 that “though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the Lord” (v. 10).

The Lord has given me a picture of this here in America. We are certainly not a “land of uprightness,” but we are a nation that has been blessed with freedom of religion, and that has been blessed in abundance with the word of God and the teachings of scripture. Everywhere you turn in America there is a church building - though not all church institutions teach the truth of God’s word or the truth of the gospel of Christ. There are church-based ministries, Bibles and gospel tracts, Christian radio and TV stations, preaching, teaching and gospel music all over the internet, and Christian-based books and bookstores galore! We are in no way in want of the word of God in our nation.

Yet, where is the fruit of all this blessing? Why is our nation on such a stark spiritual decline? I believe part of this is due to the influences of our culture and the world system that have infiltrated the church, and because the institution of church has been turned into a marketplace for marketing religion and the church instead of it being a house of prayer and a place for sending out people to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. I also believe this is due to a movement toward man-made religion, and away from the true teachings of scripture, and a movement of teaching a false grace which is no grace at all. Many of today’s churches are teaching that repentance and obedience are not required for salvation, which then leaves people still in their sins yet believing they are going to heaven.

God’s Solution

Isaiah 26:9 says, “When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.” I believe this includes the people of the worldly church. The reasons I believe this are many, but for now I will limit my comments to this passage of scripture in Isaiah 27.

We have already learned that Isaiah 24-27 is eschatological, i.e. these chapters in Isaiah refer to the last days, i.e. they are messianic. If that is the case, then the vineyard being spoken of here is not physical Israel, but is spiritual Israel, i.e. the body of Christ, the true church, the saints of God. Physical Israel ceased to be the “vineyard”, i.e. the people of God when they, as a nation, rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah, God and Lord.

In Galatians 4 we read that Hagar, the slave woman, corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, but the Jerusalem that is above is free. It also states that believers in Jesus Christ are the children of promise; children of the free woman, indicating that all those who do not believe in Jesus Christ, including unbelieving Jews, are part of the slave woman. As well, we read in Romans 9 that not all who are physical descendants of Israel are Israel. It is not the natural children who are God’s children but the children of the promised seed, Jesus Christ, who are God’s children.

In these prophecies in Isaiah concerning the last days we read that God will judge his people - the complacent, lukewarm and/or rebellious, idolatrous and adulterous church, which I believe largely refers to the institutional church, in particular here in America, though I don’t really know other countries. The “briers and thorns” appear to be not only a symbol of the result of God’s judgment but also of spiritual lukewarmness of the vineyard due to spiritual neglect – a “land” that is neither pruned nor developed and thus has rampant undergrowth. They can also represent internal enemies of the church, i.e. false teachers/leaders, false teaching (a false and watered-down gospel), and man-made religion, etc. that draw God’s people away from pure devotion to God toward devotion to mankind, and away from the truth of his word and of his gospel to a gospel of men.

Yet, the Lord is still extending the call to make peace with him through repentance and obedience, i.e. through true faith in Jesus Christ.

Yet, one day he will visit us in judgment, and I believe with all my heart that he will judge the institutional, rebellious, lukewarm and man-made church of today (see Rev 2-3). Yet, when he judges, we will learn righteousness. And, when he judges, the church will be revived. And, when he judges, the gospel will go forth to the ends of the earth and people from all nations will flock to Jesus Christ, to his gospel, to the cross of Christ, and to the kingdom of God, i.e. to Mount Zion and to the heavenly Jerusalem, the saints of God. This is what Isaiah prophesied concerning the last days.

This Day of Judgment is fast approaching; yet don’t wait for it to appear before you learn righteousness. Humble yourselves before God today, repent of your sins, and turn to walk in faithful obedience to Jesus Christ from this day forward. 

On This Mountain

Monday, January 28, 2013, 8:00 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “And This is Love” playing in my mind.

And This is Love / Glad / Acapella Project

And this is Love, not that I have first loved You

And this is Love, that You have first loved me

And You give up Your life

One perfect sacrifice

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Isaiah 25 (quoting vv. 6-9 in the NIV 1984):

On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare

    a feast of rich food for all peoples,

a banquet of aged wine—

    the best of meats and the finest of wines.

On this mountain he will destroy

    the shroud that enfolds all peoples,

the sheet that covers all nations;

    he will swallow up death forever.

The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears

    from all faces;

he will remove the disgrace of his people

    from all the earth.

The Lord has spoken.

In that day they will say,

“Surely this is our God;

    we trusted in him, and he saved us.

This is the Lord, we trusted in him;

    let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

In Context

In Isaiah 24 we read God’s declarations of judgment against the whole earth to take place at the end of time (cf. the book of Revelation). The reason for this judgment is described thus: “The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant” (see v. 5). Then, Isaiah described the particular ways in which God will judge the earth and its inhabitants, and the effect on the people. Not only is there to be massive devastation and loss of life on the earth, but the people no longer party and get drunk. Instead, it says, that among the nations the people raise their voices, they shout for joy, they acclaim the Lord’s majesty, they are called on to give glory to God, and they sing “Glory to the Righteous One.” The passage ends with these words: “…for the Lord Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders, gloriously.”

I continually see this same theme (as in the paragraph above) throughout the book of Isaiah with regard to the last days, i.e. in particular in connection with the time of judgment to come on the earth during the time of tribulation, and concerning the revival of God’s people (the true church and body of Christ) and the salvation of the masses from the ends of the earth as they flock to Jesus Christ, to the cross of Christ, to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to God’s eternal kingdom – to Mount Zion, in other words, and to the heavenly Jerusalem, the bride of Christ, on and in which Christ will reign.

God’s purposes in judgment throughout history, I believe, have been mainly to bring people to God or back to God in faith, obedience, and surrender of their wills to the will of the Father; forsaking their sins and idols, and following God in righteousness and holiness, giving him the praise, honor and glory he so deserves. I believe Isaiah prophesied not only this time of judgment coming, but of a great revival of God’s people, the salvation of people from all nations of the earth, a return to the one true God, and then the promise of Jesus Christ’s reign on the earth as King of kings and as Lord of lords. Amen! Hallelujah!

The Mountain

No one likes to hear prophecies of judgment on the earth, yet along with these prophecies of judgment also come prophecies and declarations of salvation. Amen! In other words, this is the ultimate goal of judgment, not only to punish the wicked, but to bring people to repentance and to faith in Jesus Christ, and for them to honor God as the holy God he is.

After Isaiah praised the Lord for the judgments, because in judgment God destroyed the strongholds of Satan in people’s lives, and he delivered them and set them free to love, honor, worship and obey their one true God, he declared that “On this mountain” God is going to prepare a feast of rich foods for all peoples.

In chapter two of Isaiah we read about this “Mountain of the Lord; the house of the God of Jacob.” We learned that this mountain “will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.” And, then we read that grammatically speaking, when the passage stated that “He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths,” that not only was this referring to Jesus Christ, our Messiah, but this was in direct reference to the mountain of the Lord and the house of God that will be established (or has already been established) as chief among the mountains. In other words, the mountain is Jesus Christ, his gospel of salvation, the cross of Christ and his eternal kingdom, including the saints of God, the body of Christ – what Mount Zion symbolizes in our day and time. So, when Zion and Jerusalem are referred to in light of the New Covenant relationship between God and his people, this is no longer speaking of physical locations, but this is speaking of Jesus Christ and God’s eternal kingdom.

The Banquet Feast

These verses in Isaiah 25 have a multi-dimensional application, I believe. In context, and on a physical level, I believe this is referring to the time following the tribulation judgments, when Jesus has prepared his bride for her bridegroom, and now she is ready for the great wedding banquet with her husband (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:42-58). Her time of weeping and mourning will be past, and now God will wipe away all the tears from her eyes. Amen! Sickness, pain, suffering and death will be no more. Our salvation will be complete and we will be with our Lord forever, amen! What a glorious day that will be when we see Jesus face to face! Yet, I believe this is also a picture of our salvation from the beginning, not just when it is completed at Christ’s return for his bride.

We, under the curse of Adam, were born into sin, so we are dead in our sins outside of faith in Jesus Christ. We are spiritually blind and destined for eternal punishment in hell – the final judgment. Because God loves us so much, he had a plan for our salvation. He sent his Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins so that we could go free from slavery to sin and so we could be set free from the ultimate penalty of sin, eternal death and eternal punishment in hell (the lake of fire). He also set us free to love, honor, obey and worship Jesus Christ and God the Father. He didn’t do this because of our goodness. We did nothing to deserve his great salvation. Christ died for us while we were still dead in our sins, and it is only the working of the Holy Spirit of God within us that applies what Christ did for us on the cross to our individual lives. Yet, we must accept what he did for us by faith, and that faith is active faith, i.e. it involves repentance and obedience to Christ’s commands.

The way we come to know Jesus Christ, and to have his salvation applied to our lives, so that we are turned from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that we might receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are being sanctified in Christ Jesus, is described for us in many ways throughout the New Testament, yet there are two passages of scripture which I believe summarize it so well. One is in Ephesians 4, which tells us that the way we come to know Christ is by putting off (forsaking; dying to) our old lifestyles of sin, by being transformed in heart and mind (the working of the Holy Spirit), and by putting on our new lives (appropriating Christ’s salvation to our lives by faith), “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” The other is found in Luke 9 where Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny (disallow) himself, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and self), and follow (obey) him.

In Conclusion

So, if you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ’s invitation to follow him in obedience and surrender of your will for your life to the will of the Father, and if you have not yet made that decision by faith to enter into relationship with Jesus Christ by forsaking your sins and by choosing to walk by faith and by the Spirit of God from this point on, I pray you will make that decision today. Judgment of God is a sure thing, and it is coming, and none of us is guaranteed tomorrow. Don’t wait until it is too late, not only so you don’t miss heaven and eternity with God, but so you don’t miss the life of faith you can experience while you are still here on the earth. There is no better place to be on this earth than in the center of God’s will doing what our Lord Jesus has purposed and called us to do and to become.

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer / Thomas O. Chisholm / W. J. Kirkpatrick

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

The "And"

Saturday, January 26, 2013, 8:00 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “He Keeps Me Singing.” Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Isaiah 14 (quoting vv. 1-11 in the NIV 1984):

The Lord will have compassion on Jacob;

    once again he will choose Israel

    and will settle them in their own land.

Aliens will join them

    and unite with the house of Jacob.

Nations will take them

    and bring them to their own place.

And the house of Israel will possess the nations

    as menservants and maidservants in the Lord’s land.

They will make captives of their captors

    and rule over their oppressors.

On the day the Lord gives you relief from suffering and turmoil and cruel bondage, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:

How the oppressor has come to an end!

    How his fury has ended!

The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked,

    the scepter of the rulers,

which in anger struck down peoples

    with unceasing blows,

and in fury subdued nations

    with relentless aggression.

All the lands are at rest and at peace;

    they break into singing.

Even the pine trees and the cedars of Lebanon

    exult over you and say,

“Now that you have been laid low,

    no woodsman comes to cut us down.”

The grave below is all astir

    to meet you at your coming;

it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you—

    all those who were leaders in the world;

it makes them rise from their thrones—

    all those who were kings over the nations.

They will all respond,

    they will say to you,

“You also have become weak, as we are;

    you have become like us.”

All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,

    along with the noise of your harps;

maggots are spread out beneath you

    and worms cover you.

The Background

In chapter 13 of Isaiah God gave Isaiah a prophecy of judgment against Babylon (see parallels with Revelation 18-19 and the destruction of Babylon). In this passage, God said that he would punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. He would put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and would humble the pride of the ruthless. He said: “Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the Babylonians’ pride, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah… Her time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged.”

Many believe that Babylon is symbolic of world powers. Others believe she represents the world system as a whole. Others think she symbolizes a specific place, and others see her as the “great prostitute,” i.e. the institutional and/or the apostate church, etc.

Compassion on Israel

Once God would complete his judgment against Israel’s and God’s enemy Babylon, the Lord would restore Israel. Yet, I see in this passage a prophecy concerning the end of time, as well. Israel, as God’s people, is now the true church, the body of Christ, though at the time of this writing in Isaiah, it was a physical nation with a physical city of Jerusalem. Now it is a spiritual entity. And, Babylon is not necessarily a physical location, either, but is a “spiritual” entity, as well, i.e. it is of Satan and his demons, because it stands directly opposed to God, to his work, and to his people – true Israel, Christ’s body, the true church.

One of the ways in which God has shown me “Babylon,” many times over, is as the institutional church. Yet, let me explain what I mean here. This is certainly not an indictment against all congregations of saints throughout the world who meet together to worship God, sing his praises, fellowship in the Spirit together, utilize their spiritual gifts, are taught the truths of God’s word and the true gospel, and who pray together. Instead, this is what it is about:

"When religion has said its last word, there is little that we need other than God Himself. The evil habit of seeking God-and effectively prevents us from finding God in full revelation. In the ‘and’ lies our great woe. If we omit the ‘and’ we shall soon find God, and in Him we shall find that for which we have all our lives been secretly longing." [A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, chapter 1 – Following Hard After God - http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/tozer/5f00.0888/5f00.0888.01.htm]

So, it is the “and” that is the issue here. Let me explain.

The “Ands”

The Lord gave me a picture of the institutional church this morning not unlike he has given me before. He gave me a picture of a house (the true church, the body of Christ) with an additional – “and” - room extension (external) in the back. The external room was set up like a banquet room filled with people. There was a woman who appeared to be in charge or in control, and she was busy entertaining, enticing and alluring the people there.

“And” No. 1 - I can’t speak for other nations, so I will speak of what I know of the institutional church in America. For one, the church made the decision to come under the authority of the US government via the 501c3 non-profit status for incorporation. This is the first “And” God is displeased with, because that places the US government as the “head” of the church instead of Christ, and the government can and will exercise that control over the institutional church whenever they deem it necessary. The church will have to comply with the government, even going against the teachings of scripture, perhaps, in order to keep their non-profit status. If so, this is a form of prostitution or adultery right there.

“And” No. 2 - The government, thus, brought worship of government into the church and the church itself promotes this worship. In the front of most sanctuaries or worship centers is the “image of the beast,” i.e. the U.S. flag. I was taught from early childhood to place my hand over my heart and to pledge allegiance (loyalty; fidelity; commitment; faithfulness; devotion; steadfastness and obedience) to the flag and to the republic (form of government) for which it stands. Where in scripture does it teach this? We are to obey our leaders (with Biblical exceptions where they are requiring disobedience to God), and we are to honor those deserving of honor, yet only God Almighty/Jesus Christ is to get our worship, devotion, faithfulness and fidelity.

Yet, this serves the government well because we were taught as children to equate our faithfulness to God with faithfulness to country, and our love for God with love of country, and our worship of God with worship of country. We were taught that America is one nation under the one true God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all, yet we know this is not true. We were taught that we are a Christian nation, but that is not true, either. Yet when we have this kind of worship and devotion and love of country that is reserved only for God, then we have idolatry and spiritual adultery, and we set ourselves up to be deceived into believing our nation is the “good guys” going throughout the world conquering the “bad guys,” for example. Thus, we put our trust in man more than we put our trust in God, and this, too, is an “And” which God finds displeasing and dishonoring to him.

“And” No. 3 - Combined with this worldly influence of government inside the institutional church is the promotion of man, man’s ways, means and methods for gaining people into the “church.” This is the image the Lord gave me of the woman (the great prostitute or Babylon) alluring and enticing people. This is what marketing is all about! And, this is what most institutional churches in America, I believe, use to gain new members into their congregations. The institutional church does not, overall, represent what God intended his church to be. It has, for the most part, turned into big business, is marketed just like big business, and has turned into entertainment centers instead of houses of prayer. And, God will cleanse this “temple” because his house has been turned into a marketplace.

“And” No. 4 - Going along with this marketing-scheme-oriented institutional church of today which follows the ways of man more than the ways of God, and which will even reject God’s ways if his ways do not comply with the marketing concepts of man, is the watering down of the gospel of Jesus Christ to make it more palatable, i.e. more marketable to its listeners, i.e. to its customers or consumers. A teaching is permeating the institutional church across America declaring that we don’t have to repent of our sins and we don’t have to obey Christ to be saved. Ephesian 4:17-4 and Luke 9:23-25, along with the whole of the NT disputes that theory or notion. This teaching, which is a false doctrine, gives people a false hope of heaven and eternity with God. It promises them heaven, yet it gives them the impression that nothing is required of them – no coming to the cross and dying to sin and self.

The House of Israel

In this illustration the Lord provided for me of the house (the true church) with this extension (the “and”), the Lord showed me this extra room as empty, which I believe was a picture of his judgment against “Babylon,” and then he showed it to me as a grassy hill with trees at the top and the sun shining down from above (see Is. 14:1-2, 7-8), which I believe is a picture of the church’s restoration, revival and renewal, which has been pictured throughout these chapters in Isaiah, so far.

In this picture (illustration) the Lord gave me, I had this vision of inviting people to Bible study on this hill, which fits with aliens joining “Israel” and uniting with the “house of Jacob,” i.e. with the true church. I was given permission to rent this extra room in this picture the Lord gave me, which is a picture of Israel – the true church – possessing the nations. This is also consistent with what I have read in Isaiah so far concerning the judgments against God’s people, followed by his restoration of them, and that through these judgments God would deliver his true church to be what he intended her to be, and he would release her from the influence of government and man-made religion, and he would revive her heart, and as a result, nations would flock to Jesus Christ and would thus be united with the true church. I believe this is where we are headed in the near future.

Yet, first there must be the time of judgment (see Revelation, in particular chp. 13), which will be a time of severe persecution for the true church, the saints of God who bear the testimony of Jesus Christ. Yet, we are not to fear what is coming. And, this will be a time like no other when we must make certain of our true loyalties and devotion, because we will either take the mark of the beast, which is more than just a physical mark but is the influence of the world’s system, or we will be marked as one of Christ’s own and thus marked for slaughter by the beast. Yet, we should not wait until this time, because we don’t know if we have tomorrow. We should decide to make Christ Jesus/God our only Lord (master), and declare our loyalties and devotion to him, and to him alone today!

He Keeps Me Singing / Luther B. Bridgers

There’s within my heart a melody

Jesus whispers sweet and low,

“Fear not, I am with thee, peace be still,”

In all of life’s ebb and flow.

All my life was wrecked by sin and strife,

Discord filled my heart with pain;

Jesus swept across the broken strings,

Stirred the slumbering chords again.

Feasting on the riches of His grace,

Resting ‘neath His sheltering wing,

Always looking on His smiling face –

That is why I shout and sing.

Though sometimes He leads through waters deep,

Trials fall across the way,

Though sometimes the path seems rough and steep

See His foot-prints all the way.

Soon He’s coming back to welcome me

Far beyond the starry sky;

I shall wing my flight to world’s unknown,

I shall reign with Him on high.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus –

Sweetest name I know,

Fills my every longing,

Keeps me singing as I go.

Christ's Warriors

Friday, January 25, 2013, 8:02 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with this song “Blessed Are You,” and this was followed by the song “In Harmony.” Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Isaiah 13:1-13 (NIV 1984):

An oracle concerning Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:

Raise a banner on a bare hilltop,

    shout to them;

beckon to them

    to enter the gates of the nobles.

I have commanded my holy ones;

    I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath—

    those who rejoice in my triumph.

Listen, a noise on the mountains,

    like that of a great multitude!

Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms,

    like nations massing together!

The Lord Almighty is mustering

    an army for war.

They come from faraway lands,

    from the ends of the heavens—

the Lord and the weapons of his wrath—

    to destroy the whole country.

Wail, for the day of the Lord is near;

    it will come like destruction from the Almighty.

Because of this, all hands will go limp,

    every man’s heart will melt.

Terror will seize them,

    pain and anguish will grip them;

    they will writhe like a woman in labor.

They will look aghast at each other,

    their faces aflame.

See, the day of the Lord is coming

    —a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—

to make the land desolate

    and destroy the sinners within it.

The stars of heaven and their constellations

    will not show their light.

The rising sun will be darkened

    and the moon will not give its light.

I will punish the world for its evil,

    the wicked for their sins.

I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty

    and will humble the pride of the ruthless.

I will make man scarcer than pure gold,

    more rare than the gold of Ophir.

Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;

    and the earth will shake from its place

at the wrath of the Lord Almighty,

    in the day of his burning anger.

The Church

It is my belief that when God comes in judgment again on the earth at the end of time, he will judge his rebellious, unrepentant, and lukewarm church first, indicated, I believe, by five of the seven letters to the seven churches in Rev. 2-3, by the parallels between these prophecies in Isaiah and the events of the last days, by the parallels between Jesus’ last week on this earth and the time of God’s judgments at the end of time, and as indicated by 1 Peter 4:17 and other parallel scriptures with like message, such as Ezekiel 9.

Some Bible scholars believe there is a parallel between Jesus’ last week on the earth and this final “week” for all those living on the earth at the time God comes to judge. Following the triumphal entry, Jesus cursed the fig tree, a symbol of God’s announcement of judgment on his people because they failed to bear spiritual fruit. Then, Jesus cleared the temple, which was a judgment on institutional religion, and because the institution of religion had turned God’s house, his temple, now the true church, the body of Christ, into a market place, which is what is happening in today’s institutional church.

The cleansing of the temple thus represents a judgment for the purpose of cleansing and revival of Christ’s church, his body. And, then the persecution, arrest, trial and crucifixion of Jesus ensued, which represents the persecution of Christ’s saints during the time of tribulation, during which time many of them will be martyred for their faith and testimony for Jesus Christ. And, at the end of this time there will be a resurrection of the dead in Christ and a gathering of all of Christ’s followers to himself, and then Christ will reign on the earth as King of kings and as Lord of Lords.

The Nations

God will also judge the nations of the world for their rejection of Christ as Messiah, for their refusal to obey God Almighty and to honor him as holy, for their pride and arrogance in making gods for themselves or in thinking and acting as though they are “gods” over the people, and so they oppress the people, and for their mistreatment of God’s saints. I believe this judgment will produce the salvation of many lives, and that people from all nations will flock to Jesus Christ and to the cross of Christ for their salvation at this time. The persecution of the church throughout history has usually advanced God’s kingdom, has brought about revival in the church, and has produced many souls won for Christ.

This section in Isaiah with these prophecies of judgments against the nations may have multiple levels of fulfillment, as they were most likely already fulfilled in history, as well as they could symbolize God’s judgments against the nations at the end of time.

For instance, this judgment against Babylon has many parallels with God’s judgments against Babylon in Revelation 18 and 19. And, there are many interpretations concerning this judgment against Babylon as foretold in Isaiah 13-14 and the one as foretold in Revelation 18 and 19. As well, there are multiple deliberations or theories as to who Babylon in Isaiah 13 and/or in Revelation 18 represent. What seems to be a common interpretation is that Babylon is symbolic of the world system and/or world powers organized against God/Jesus Christ, his kingdom and his kingdom people, the saints of God and followers of Jesus Christ. God has instructed his people to come out from her so that we don’t share in any of her sins. I have also seen Babylon as the institutional church in America which is in a contractual relationship with the U.S. government, as well as I have seen Babylon as a picture of the government of the USA and/or the U.N.

Spiritual Parallels

Although I believe this is a prophecy of judgment against an actual place or against people corporately who make up a body of people who stand in opposition to God/Jesus Christ, to the true gospel of Jesus Christ, and to God’s true purposes for his people and the people of this world, i.e. that this is a prophecy against what is known in scripture as the “world” or the “world’s system,” the Lord this morning was showing me some spiritual parallels to these physical events.

God has summoned his warriors to carry out a confrontation with the world and the world’s system, not on a physical level, but on a spiritual level; not with weapons of this world, but with weapons of righteousness (see Eph. 6:10-20). We, the true followers of Jesus Christ are his warriors in battle against Satan and his evil forces, and the goal is to win the victory over sin and evil and to see souls won for Jesus Christ. The warriors, nonetheless, are qualified as those who “rejoice in my triumph.” In other words, those who are able to do spiritual battle and to win the victory for the salvation of souls are those who rejoice in what Jesus Christ did on the cross in dying for our sins, in his resurrection in conquering sin, hell, death and Satan, and in what he has done in our lives in crucifying our flesh and sin, and in giving us transformed (new) lives in Christ so that we can walk in victory over sin, and so we can walk humbly before God in faithful obedience to Jesus Christ.

This army God is mustering for war in this sense is a spiritual army of people from nations all over the world. The noise, I believe, is their voices joining together in unity in proclaiming the true gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world. Their weapons are those spiritual weapons spoken about in Ephesians 6 – truth, righteousness, the beautiful feet of those who bring the good news, faith, salvation, the word of God (of truth), and prayer in the Spirit, etc. The fruit of the Spirit are also qualities and character traits of the Spirit of God that also equip us for battle against evil and sin and unbelief, as well as 1 Co. 13 fits here (the love chapter). Jesus taught us that we are to love our enemies, we are to do good to those who hate us, say kind things about those who curse us, and we are to pray for those who mistreat us. And, we are to leave judgment (wrath) up to God/Jesus Christ.

These are the weapons I believe Jesus Christ wants his children to use against their enemies and against the enemies of the cross of Christ both now and during the time of tribulation when the body of Christ will suffer enormous persecution and martyrdom for their testimony for Jesus Christ and for the true gospel of salvation. And I believe scripture teaches, especially in these previous chapters in Isaiah, that when God comes to judge that God will cleanse his temple, that revival will take place in the church, and that because the church is revived and they are amassing together in getting out the gospel of Jesus Christ to as many as possible, that many people from the nations of this globe will flock to Jesus Christ, to the cross of Christ, to the true gospel of Jesus Christ and to salvation. Yet, we should be doing this now.

This time of judgment to come on the earth will bring with it severe persecution and martyrdom of God’s saints, yet we are blessed because we are worthy to suffer for the sake of the name of Jesus Christ and for the sake of his gospel. And, we are to rejoice that we are considered among those whose testimony for Jesus Christ is so strong as to warrant such persecution. In fact, we are to leap for joy in that day, for great is our reward in heaven.

Blessed Are You / An Original Work / August 29, 2012

Based off Luke 6:20-49 NIV 1984

“Blessed are you;

Blessed are you who are poor

For God’s kingdom is yours.

(Kingdom is yours)

Blessed are you;

Blessed are you who are hungry,

You’ll be satisfied.

(Be satisfied)

Blessed are you;

Blessed are you who weep now,

For you will laugh with joy.

(Will laugh with joy)

Blessed are you;

Blessed are you when men hate

And reject you because of Christ.”

(Because of Christ)

“Rejoice in that;

Rejoice in that day and

Leap for joy; great your reward.

(Great your reward)

But I tell you;

But I tell you to love those

Who hate you; do them good.

(Do good to them)

Pray for those who;

Pray for those who treat you wrong

And say kind things of them.

(Kind things of them)

Do to others;

Do to others as you would have

Them do; have them do to you.”

(Them do to you)

“If you love those;

If you love those who love you,

What praise is there for you?

(What praise for you?)

Because Christ is;

Because Christ is kind,

Be merciful, just like He is.

(Just like He is)

Forgive others;

Forgive others their offense

Against you; be ye kind.

(Be kind to them)

Hear My words and;

Hear My words and put them

Into practice, then you’ll be fulfilled.”

(You’ll be fulfilled)

http://originalworks.info/blessed-are-you/

In Harmony: http://originalworks.info/in-harmony/