Category Archives: Sin

Arrogance, Bitterness / Resentment, Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Doubt / Lacking Faith, Greed, Homosexual Behavior, Mockers, Murder, Sin Nature, Strife, Tongue / Gossip / Slander, Unteachable / Foolish, Wickedness / Evil

Unbelief and Its Consequences

Many who mean well, genuinely struggle to understand how Yahweh can pass judgment on some who have never heard of Him. Sadly, rather than studying the Bible to gain better understanding, they just begin to redefine God in their image and rationalize that people will not go to hell after all. This leads to all manner of misconceptions about God and even more people lose their way.

We know that Yeshua is the way to the Father.

John 14:6

6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

If we believe those who do not hear about Yeshua will automatically go to heaven because of ignorance…we can find ourselves rationalizing that we should not go and tell others about Him. If we share the gospel and they reject Him then they will go to hell, but if we just don’t tell them… then they will go to heaven?

Following false doctrine leads to disastrous consequences. Yeshua commanded us to proclaim the gospel to all the nations, knowing that many would reject the message and reject Him.

Matthew 28:18-20

18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 7:13

13“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Does that mean Yeshua wants people to go to hell? Of course not! He came to save us, but people must submit to and follow Him in more than just empty words. We must show our love and obedience to Him by truly being His disciple. To be a disciple, we must learn. To learn correctly, we must study and pray.

Paul reveals the harsh truth of the matter. There are no excuses for those who choose to reject Yahweh. Evidence of our Creator is available all around us in His creation. God is not pleased with those who reject Him, whether or not a missionary has formally come to teach them about Him. Further, there are direct consequences for those who reject God. Without acknowledging God’s instructions for right and wrong, they have no guide to lead them to righteousness. Thus, it is natural to end up living in wickedness and sin.

Romans 1:18-32

Unbelief and Its Consequences

      18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

      24Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

      26For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

      28And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

Please review carefully the specific, but not all-inclusive, list of sins that Yahweh finds worthy of wrath. Many of these are well accepted today in our culture. Starting in verse 26, God speaks about homosexuality and God labels it degrading, unnatural, and indecent. Verse 29 continues with a further list of sin that develops around those who reject God: “unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful”.

Do not overlook verse 32… which highlights the sin of not just doing these acts, but also of simply approving of, accepting, or encouraging these behaviors.

If we look around our society today, we see all of these things which have been called out in scripture. We did not see them as blatantly and publicly accepted a hundred years ago when we as a country had a stronger focus on God, Biblical teaching, and God’s instruction for how we should live. In other words, we can tie the degradation of our society back to people rejecting God and Him turning them over to a depraved mind as scripture documents.

Yahweh will not force people to obey and follow Him. He will let them suffer in their own choice, by their own free will. He gives them over to degrading passions that they have chosen. He gives them over to their depraved mind which they have chosen. As such, they will suffer in this world and then face the ultimate judgment when they face Jehovah when they die. Those who have not accepted Jesus as savior and submitted their lives to follow Him will go to hell.

John 3:16-21

      16“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17“For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18“He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20“For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21“But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

The world and the people in it are inherently depraved and wicked, not inherently good. Some overcome this through becoming disciples of Christ. Some accept godly values even without accepting God, typically if it is normalized in a culture that generally does accept God. Sadly, many reject God and what He values. Prayerfully review the scripture and ask God to reveal to you what sins you may be practicing or approving of in others… of which you need to repent wholeheartedly to come back in right relationship with Him. Then humbly admitting your fault and recognizing the lies regarding what the world tries to paint as “right” and “proper” or “acceptable” behavior, turn from them and follow after Yeshua as a true disciple.

I encourage you to take a few minutes in prayer on this subject. pray for yourself first. Then consider praying for others and for our society as a whole. Take care not to move so quickly into prayer for others that you forget to pray about what God may need to show you in your own life.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Doubt / Lacking Faith, Faith / Trusting God, Wickedness / Evil

Do Not Be Ashamed Of The Gospel

The worldly continuously try to redefine what is right and wrong to rationalize and accept more and more sin as acceptable behavior. They are “tolerant” of all manner of despicable behavior, with the exception of those who choose to follow Christ wholeheartedly… that they cannot accept. They cannot accept it because it shines a light on their sin and wrong lifestyles.

John 3:19-21

     19“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20“For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21“But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

Thus they reach out try to shame Christians by redefining marriage and redefining sexuality and redefining covetousness and so on. They spend much time and effort to influence the culture around us, including Christians, to shame them out of following Christ… accepting one more sin, and then another, and then another… there is no end. If we follow the worldly we will end up far from God very quickly. So we must not be ashamed of Yahweh (Hebrew for God) and of Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus), even when people try to shame us.

Romans 1:16-17

      16For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”

To please God, we must live by faith. To live by faith is to live according to His word revealed in the Bible, and do so boldly, proclaiming the gospel. Pray that God would help you to stand firmly in ever strengthening faith in His word even when others come against you. Study the truth of His word in the Bible daily and with emphasis in reading His word directly instead of only reading other people’s books about the Bible. Reflect on any changes you need to make in your life and pray God would help you.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, False Prophets / Teachers, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Jesus (hearing from God), Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Parables, Prophecy, Salvation, Sloth / Laziness, Wickedness / Evil

Jesus Prophecies About the Temple Destruction and His Return (Part 4)

Jesus continues His prophetic response to Peter, James, John and Andrew regarding three important questions in Matthew 25:14-46. They are having a private discussion on the mount of olives. The questions were: “When will the temple be destroyed?”, ” What will be the sign of Your coming?”, and “What will be the sign of the end of the age?” (If you missed it, we encourage you to read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 before you read further here in Part 4.)

Jesus provides additional strong warnings regarding judgment that will accompany His return. He warns us all to be ready now and expect that there will be consequences when He returns based on how we lived “while the master was away”. We will be held accountable. Those who lived faithfully submitted to Jesus will rejoice and be rewarded. There is no middle ground. We are either submitted to Jesus as Lord or we are not. Our behaviors and attitudes are an indication of our true relationship with Jesus as fruit is an indication of the type of tree that grows it. Those who accepted Jesus in name only, never changing their behaviors to reflect a true submission to Him as Lord will be held accountable just as those who outright rebelled against or rejected God.

Parable of the Talents

      14“For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15“To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. 16“Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. 17“In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. 18“But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

      19“Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20“The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ 21“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

      22“Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ 23“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

      24“And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 25‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’

      26“But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27‘Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

      29“For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 30“Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Be encouraged… the master did not get angry with the man who made only two talents because another made five. The master praised both for their efforts and stewardship. Even the servant who dug the hole may have satisfied the master to a degree if he even had just put it in the bank. God gives each of us talents and abilities and a certain amount of time on this Earth. He expects us to serve Him by using what He gives wisely and not being wicked or slothful.

The Judgment

      31“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32“All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

      34“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40“The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

      41“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44“Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ 45“Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46“These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Clearly there is judgment when Jesus returns. Just an a parent wants a child to obey when they are not together or an employer wants an employee to obey instructions when the employer is away… so too Jesus wants us to live in obedience to Him even before He returns. The test of how you love your master, parent, or employer is best reflected in how you behave when you think he or she is not around.

Jesus gives us some specific examples of things we can do to show Him we love Him… by loving other people. We can meet physical needs and spiritual needs of others. The physical needs are straightforward to understand. All of them also represent spiritual needs… we must bring the truth of the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ to as many as we can! Jesus compared himself to the bread of life and compared what He offers us to life giving waters that quench us such that we will never be thirsty again. So too loneliness, sickness and captivity can by physical or spiritual. Only Jesus can set people free and meet these needs… but we are commanded to  represent Him! How wonderful a task.

To begin, each of us must accept Jesus as Lord of our lives and turn away from our wrong behaviors and do things God’s way… according to the Biblical standard provided by God. This takes study and prayer to do it properly. We must study the Bible and learn to pray effectively. A godly, Biblical church can be part of that but can not replace additional personal time and  effort by invested by each individual.

It takes commitment to draw near to God and serve Him well. He calls for us to make Him our top priority… not a hobby. Begin now to dedicate your life to God if you, like me, want to hear Jesus tell you the following words when you meet Him:

‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

Get started by learning some key teachings:

Then we invite you to study the Bible with us daily through our devotions via email, Facebook, or on our website Latest Devotions page.

Please pray with me:

Father, please give me courage and faithfulness to use wisely what You have entrusted to me. Let me not simply meet my own needs and wants, but also see the needs of others as clearly as You do. Help me reach out to help others confidently and in Your name. Let me not simply be afraid that someone may be taking advantage of me, but really find tangible ways to help people in Your name. Help me to live a life to which You would consider me a good and faithful servant that I should hear those wonderful words from You, “well done”.  Amen. 

If you have questions or want to know more, please Contact Us.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, False Prophets / Teachers, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Jesus (hearing from God), Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Parables, Prophecy, Salvation, Tribulation

Jesus Prophecies About the Temple Destruction and His Return (Part 3)

Jesus continues His prophetic response to Peter, James, John and Andrew regarding three important questions in Matthew 24:32-51 and Matthew 25:1-13. They are having a private discussion on the mount of olives. The questions were: “When will the temple be destroyed?”, ” What will be the sign of Your coming?”, and “What will be the sign of the end of the age?” (If you missed it, we encourage you to read Part 1, and  Part 2  before you read further here in Part 3.)

The prophecy can be difficult to fully evaluate in part because Jesus does not clearly separate where He is talking about the end of the Age… His second coming… from the signs preceding the temple destruction, which occurred approximately 40 years after these words were spoken. (To study much more detail, consider the commentaries available on BibleHub.com.)

Many people spend a lot of time trying to specifically predict when Jesus will return at the end of the age… the end of the world as it currently exists. While it is important to be familiar with prophecy to recognize the signs of the times so we can properly respond to Jesus’ warning about the times leading up to His return… He also warns us in several different examples that none shall know the specific hour of His coming. Rather the warning is to be prepared ahead of time… prepare now.

Matthew 24:32-51

Parable of the Fig Tree

32“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 34“Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

36“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37“For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38“For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40“Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41“Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.

Be Ready for His Coming

42“Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43“But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44“For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

45“Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46“Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. 47“Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48“But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ 49and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; 50the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, 51and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 25:1-13

Parable of Ten Virgins

1“Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2“Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. 3“For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. 5“Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. 6“But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7“Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8“The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9“But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10“And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. 11“Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ 12“But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13“Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

Thankfully, we do not have to fully understand prophecy to understand what Jesus is calling us to do to prepare. We are called to accept Jesus as Lord repenting from our sins, become disciples through constant study and prayer, and then go and make disciples of others. This is how we prepare for the end times… to be ready even though we do not know exactly when it comes. We know enough to recognize that we better devote our lives to Jesus and help others to do the same. That is how we prepare.

Get started by learning some key teachings:

Then we invite you to study the Bible with us daily through our devotions via email, Facebook, or on our website Latest Devotions page.

Click link to continue to Part 4 in this article series.

Please pray with me:

Father, please help me to come to proper relationship with You now. Let me not put it off, assuming it only matters that I am doing what is right when You return. Help me to strengthen my faith, my passion for Your word, to worship You, to spend time with You, to share the gospel with others. Help me to know when I hear from You. Lead me to repent of my sins. Help me to prepare now, this very day. Amen. 

If you have questions or want to know more, please Contact Us.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, False Prophets / Teachers, Fear / Reverence for God, Jesus (hearing from God), Obeying God, Prophecy, Salvation, Tribulation

Jesus Prophecies About the Temple Destruction and His Return (Part 2)

Jesus continues His prophetic response to Peter, James, John and Andrew regarding three important questions in Matthew 24:15-31. They are having a private discussion on the mount of olives. The questions were: “When will the temple be destroyed?”, ” What will be the sign of Your coming?”, and “What will be the sign of the end of the age?” (If you missed it, we encourage you to read Part 1, before you read further here in Part 2.)

    15“Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17“Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. 18“Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19“But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20“But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21“For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22“Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. 24“For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25“Behold, I have told you in advance. 26“So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 27“For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28“Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

      29“But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30“And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. 31“And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Jesus provides no specific answer as to when the temple will be destroyed. In fact He answers in a way that intermingles the description of the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the age so that it is at times difficult to separate which comments apply for which event. He  answers as if both the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the age may be described by a similar answer… as if one is a  foreshadowing one for the other.

Let us break it down verse by verse for more insight.

15“Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),

The abomination of desolation refers to the Roman army’s occupation of Jerusalem preceding the city’s destruction and the desecration of the temple resulting from the actions of Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the mid-2nd century BC. Specifically, he set up an altar to Zeus in the Second Temple in Jerusalem, and sacrificed swine on it around the year 167 BC.

The destruction of Jerusalem after the Jewish people rejected Jesus Christ as Messiah may represent a foreshadowing of the end of the world when Christ comes again after many reject Him.

16then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17“Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. 18“Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19“But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

This section of the prophecy clearly warns God’s people to be prepared. Recognize the signs and move quickly and urgently. There is no time to spare. It will be difficult. In regards to the Roman siege of Jerusalem, those who heeded Jesus’ prophecy were able to get out before the siege began, escaping to the countryside or wilderness. Those who were not prepared… who did not recognize the signs… would have been trapped in the middle of it.

So too we must prepare ourselves for the end of the age… the end of the world. We must be ready for it. The most important preparation is to turn from our wrong behaviors and thoughts (our sins)… to ask Jesus for forgiveness and make Him Lord of our life. (read more: The Message of the Cross – Salvation)

20“But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21“For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22“Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

Followers of Christ were not spared the tribulation of the siege of Jerusalem by God removing them from the situation. If they were prepared and heeded Jesus’ prophetic warning to leave, then their time was less hard… but still hard.  So, too, will it be at the end of the age. Christians will not be spared the great tribulation, but can take refuge in knowing what it brings and through personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Jesus encourages us to pray that our part of the tribulation would be more manageable… less harsh… so that we may endure it to the end. We should do as Jesus guides and pray.

23“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. 24“For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25“Behold, I have told you in advance. 26“So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them.

Jesus’ comments here appear to apply more toward the end times rather than the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. He warns us clearly to watch out for the deception of false prophets who will claim to be Christ or speak for God. We must study scripture daily, seek God in prayer, and pray for God’s help to recognize the false prophets for what they are… lest they lead us astray. There are many today, leading people away from Jesus, claiming to teach His word. Each of us must heed this warning and take action in our lives to prepare. We must not be lazy in our study and prayer… doing it “when we have time”. We must seek first the kingdom of God.

Matthew 6:33 33“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

27“For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Jesus is letting us know that when He returns… it will be in a manner very different than we may imagine and very different from every false Christ. The second coming of Jesus shall be like lightning… swift, unexpected, and powerful. There is some thought that even the manner in which the Romans came to conquer Jerusalem can be compared to this prophecy… again as perhaps a foreshadowing of the end of the age.

 28“Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

To be honest, this verse is a bit tougher to understand with confidence. It may refer to wherever a church or nation has rejected God… is dead to God… and is decaying… there God’s ministers of vengeance, the vultures, do their work of destruction so as to leave room for new life.

 29“But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30“And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. 31“And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Verses 29-31 again reinforce that Jesus’ return will not be subtle. It will be magnificent and obvious for those who are prepared to recognize it. His return will not be something that is unclear at all but rather He will come in great power.

All the tribes of the earth will mourn… all those who have rejected Jesus and instead chosen another path fear the coming of judgment. If they do not fear it now… they will fear it as Jesus returns in full power and glory and they can no longer rationalize their denial and rejection of Him.

The angels are sent forth with great fanfare to gather those on the earth who have chosen and submitted to Jesus, for they were scattered.

For those of us who follow and submit to Jesus, this time represents a wonderful time for celebration! For those who reject Jesus , it is a time to dread… judgment comes and they are on the wrong side of it.

Thankfully, we do not have to fully understand prophecy to understand what Jesus is calling us to do to prepare. We are called to accept Jesus as Lord repenting from our sins, become disciples through constant study and prayer, and then go and make disciples of others. This is how we prepare for the end times… to be ready even though we do not know exactly when it comes. We know enough to recognize that we better devote our lives to Jesus and help others to do the same. That is how we prepare.

Get started by learning some key teachings:

Then we invite you to study the Bible with us daily through our devotions via email, Facebook, or on our website Latest Devotions page.

Click link to continue to Part 3 in this article series.

Please pray with me:

Father, please help me to come to proper relationship with You now. Let me not put it off, assuming it only matters that I am doing what is right when You return. Help me to strengthen my faith, my passion for Your word, to worship You, to spend time with You, to share the gospel with others. Help me to know when I hear from You. Lead me to repent of my sins. Help me to prepare now, this very day. Amen. 

If you have questions or want to know more, please Contact Us.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, False Prophets / Teachers, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Jesus (hearing from God), Obeying God, Salvation, Through Prophets, Tribulation

Jesus Prophecies About The Temple Destruction And His Return (Part 1)

Jesus provides prophetic insight into when He returns at the end of the age to his disciples in Matthew 24:1-14. I find it interesting to note that this particular teaching, which may be harder to understand than others is directed in a private discussion between Jesus and some of His disciples, rather than a public forum. Some prophecy can be difficult to fully understand, especially by those who have not yet come into proper relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

      1Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. 2And He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”

      3As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

      4And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 5“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. 6“You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8“But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

      9“Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10“At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11“Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 12“Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. 13“But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. 14“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Let us dive in and explore this prophecy from Jesus verse by verse. To study in more detail, I recommend starting by reviewing a variety of commentaries for this scripture on BibleHub.com. You can go verse by verse at:

http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/24-1.htm

1Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him.

As Jesus and His disciples left the temple, it would be natural to expect them to observe the structure in all of its splendor. It was magnificent.

2And He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”

Jesus uses a proverbial and figurative expression “not one stone here will be left upon another” to reveal the coming destruction of the temple.  Barnes’ Notes Commentary provides the following historical information:

The temple was vast, rich, splendid. It was the pride of the nation, and the nation was at peace. Yet in the short space of 40 years all this was accomplished exactly. Jerusalem was taken by the Roman armies, under the command of Titus, 70 a.d. The account of the siege and destruction of the city is left us by Josephus, a historian of undoubted veracity and singular fidelity. He was a Jewish priest. In the wars of which he gives an account, he fell into the hands of the Romans, and remained with them during the siege and destruction of the city. Being a Jew, he would of course say nothing designed to confirm the prophecies of Jesus Christ; yet his whole history appears almost like a running commentary on these predictions respecting the destruction of the temple.

3As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

The prediction that the temple would be destroyed had been made in the presence of all the apostles. A “part” now came privately to know more. We know from Mark 13:3, that Peter, James, John, and Andrew were the disciples who came with Jesus to ask about these things.

There were three questions asked by the disciples.

1. When will the temple be destroyed?

2. What will be the sign of Your coming?

3. What will be the sign of the end of the age?

 4And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 5“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.

Jesus begins an answer in verse 4 that continues for several chapters. We will not cover all of it in one devotion, but rather continue studying it over the course of several devotions as we walk through the book of Matthew.

Jesus provides no specific answer to the first question about when the temple will be destroyed. In fact He answers in a way that intermingles the description of the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the age so that it is at times difficult to separate which comments apply for which event. He  answers as if both the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the age may be described by a similar answer… as if one is a  foreshadowing one for the other.

Jesus does not provide a distinct and specific description of the events, but instead seems most interested in providing a warning about what is to come. We are warned not to be mislead by the many who claim to come in His name. There are many false prophets who claim the name of Jesus, but we must spend time studying the word and in prayer daily to fully recognize the false prophets from the true ones. Many will be led astray to their peril! We are not to be lazy in our desire to know and serve God or we will be easy prey to be led away from Him by false prophets.

6“You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8“But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

Jesus warns us further not to be frightened by the wars, famines and earthquakes. These events must occur. They are but the beginnings of birth pangs… the beginning of labor. These things can continue on for a long time before the end of the age… the birth of a new one. Knowing what they signal is coming… a new age… can help us to avoid fear as our response… just as knowing about birth pains helps us avoid fear when those pains are experienced in pregnancy. For those who understand pregnancy and birth, this metaphor clearly serves as warning also that more difficulty and pain are to come. The birth pains are more intense than the early labor pains.

9“Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10“At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11“Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. .

Contrary to the incorrect belief of many, the scripture indicates believers will experience tribulation, not be called away to Heaven before it comes. God’s people will be hated by all the nations because they submit to the name of Jesus. Under this intense pressure and persecution, many will fall away and betray one another. Many will hate one another. False prophets lead people away from God.

We can be encouraged because Jesus has warned us ahead of time. Those who understand and heed the warning will be better prepared to avoid being misled… being led away from Christ. We can endure tough situations, even finding joy in them, knowing that God has not been defeated… far from it! Jesus told us it would happen. We can look forward with great anticipation for the end of this age and the hope of the age to come.

12“Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold

Lawlessness refers specifically to the law of God… His commands on how we are to live. Jesus summarized God’s commands as loving God and loving your neighbor. As people discard the commands of God, claiming they are no longer relevant… their love grows cold. Some even teach discarding portions of the law because Jesus died for us, but this is contrary to what Jesus teaches. (To learn more, study our teaching Understanding the Law – What Does It Mean Today?)

Matthew 22:35-40

35One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, 36“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ 38“This is the great and foremost commandment. 39“The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ 40“On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

Jesus wants us to continue obeying all the laws and commands of God to the end of the age. By doing so we show love to God and our neighbors and do not allow our love to grow cold.

13“But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

Only the one who endures to the end will be saved. Those that turn away from God and follow their own path when it gets tough will be lost, regardless of whatever prior relationship they had with Jesus. While no one can “snatch” one out of the Father’s hand, all of God’s people must freely choose to submit to Him… and can also freely choose to reject and rebel against Him, even if they once submitted to Him.

John 10:26-30

26“But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. 27“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29“My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30“I and the Father are one.”

For each of us, our end comes in different ways and different times.  Every day, about 150,000 people a day are dying… meeting their end. Yes, some will make it to the end of the age, but for most of us our end comes before then. Either way, we are each called to endure to the end, submitting our lives to God despite suffering or hard times.

14“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

After His death and resurrection, Jesus gave a clear command to His disciples to go and make disciples of all the nations, confirming again what He said in Matthew 24:14. We should study this command and obey it as well. It not only applies to the disciples, but to all who truly submit to Jesus Christ and therefore commit to do His work and obey His will and honor His kingdom. The command may not be easy to follow, but neither was dying on the cross easy. Jesus’ command should be very important to each of us that declare Him “Lord”.

Matthew 28:16-20

16But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Those of us who serve Christ have our marching orders, a mission if you will. Jesus did not say… “Live comfortably and according to your own desires. When you feel like it and when it is convenient and easy, please consider telling others about me.” Not at all. Quite the opposite. Jesus commands us to go and make disciples of all the world! Do not think that this was easy for the disciples either, but rather it was a challenging task. To study more about the Great Commission commanded by Jesus, review our teaching, The Great Commission – Make Disciples Of All The Nations.

We should consider Jesus’ warnings and instructions carefully and thoughtfully consider how to apply them to our lives!

Of course, the first step, for those who have not yet done so, is to turn from our sins and wrong behaviors, ask forgiveness from Jesus and submit to Jesus Christ  as Lord of our lives. It is a journey that lasts a lifetime, transforming us to be less like our old sinful nature and more like Jesus along the way. Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross. Accepting Jesus as Lord is just the beginning!

Click link to continue to Part 2 in this article series.

Please pray with me:

Father, please help me to come to proper relationship with You now. Let me not put it off, assuming it only matters that I am doing what is right when You return. Help me to strengthen my faith, my passion for Your word, to worship You, to spend time with You, to share the gospel with others. Help me to know when I hear from You. Lead me to repent of my sins. Help me to prepare now, this very day. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Fasting, Interceding for Others, Learning To Pray Effectively, Pride, Protector / Deliverer, Seeking God, Wise

Prayer, Fasting, and Thoughtful Planning

As we continue to read in Esther, we pick up in chapter 5. Haman has previously set about a plan to destroy the Jews in Persia. Esther risks her life to come before the king uninvited in order to try to save her people. She and the Jews of Susa have prayed and fasted for three days. Still, she has a plan for how to surface the request to save the Jews. She plans two banquets and includes Haman in them. This is interesting and there could be interesting study in why she might have chosen this path instead of just talking privately to the king.

However, a key point to focus on here today is much simpler. Having prayed and fasted, and having asked others to do so with her, she still is thoughtful about how she proceeds. She is clever and subtle at first, not just laying it out there bluntly to the king. She gains his favor. Of course, do not overlook that God is at work in response to the prayer and fasting that is helping her be successful as well. There is much to be learned that we can apply in our own lives.

Esther 5

Esther Plans a Banquet

      1Now it came about on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace in front of the king’s rooms, and the king was sitting on his royal throne in the throne room, opposite the entrance to the palace. 2When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she obtained favor in his sight; and the king extended to Esther the golden scepter which was in his hand. So Esther came near and touched the top of the scepter. 3Then the king said to her, “What is troubling you, Queen Esther? And what is your request? Even to half of the kingdom it shall be given to you.” 4Esther said, “If it pleases the king, may the king and Haman come this day to the banquet that I have prepared for him.”

      5Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly that we may do as Esther desires.” So the king and Haman came to the banquet which Esther had prepared. 6As they drank their wine at the banquet, the king said to Esther, “What is your petition, for it shall be granted to you. And what is your request? Even to half of the kingdom it shall be done.” 7So Esther replied, “My petition and my request is: 8if I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and do what I request, may the king and Haman come to the banquet which I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king says.”

Haman’s Pride

      9Then Haman went out that day glad and pleased of heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate and that he did not stand up or tremble before him, Haman was filled with anger against Mordecai. 10Haman controlled himself, however, went to his house and sent for his friends and his wife Zeresh. 11Then Haman recounted to them the glory of his riches, and the number of his sons, and every instance where the king had magnified him and how he had promoted him above the princes and servants of the king. 12Haman also said, “Even Esther the queen let no one but me come with the king to the banquet which she had prepared; and tomorrow also I am invited by her with the king. 13“Yet all of this does not satisfy me every time I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.” 14Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, “Have a gallows fifty cubits high made and in the morning ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it; then go joyfully with the king to the banquet.” And the advice pleased Haman, so he had the gallows made.

When we face difficult situations, and we come before God in fasting and prayer, we can also still be thoughtful in how we approach any situation to try to get the best outcome. Don’t underestimate, however, that part of why the plan is working so well is because God is at work. Esther has taken personal risk and is carefully engaging the king, but she did so after first engaging God to help!

As a side note, we also see Haman’s pride on display, which leads him to construct gallows for Mordecai. (Spoiler alert: Mordecai is not the one who will hang on them.)

What situations do you have in your life that require you to overcome significant challenges? Are you praying and fasting to seek the LORD? If you are praying and fasting, are you also planning thoughtfully how to proceed?

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank You that we can approach You in prayer and fasting to seek Your help. Thank You for examples in scripture that can help guide us in how we should live. Thank You for having mercy and forgiveness for Your people and redeeming us through Yeshua. Please help us to defeat the plans of the enemy and to protect Your people still today. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Church / Body of Christ, Courage / Fear, Fasting, Interceding for Others, Learning To Pray Effectively, Persecution / Glorifying God, Protector / Deliverer, Seeking God, Strong in Our Weakness, Wickedness / Evil

For Such a Time as This

Sometimes the choices we are forced to make may seem like being put between a rock and a hard place. There appears to be no good choice.  This certainly applies to Esther in the record we find in chapter 4. Haman plans to kill all the Jews and she has to decide if she will risk her life to try to stop him. Ultimately, she has to answer the question, “Has she been put in this position by God for such a time as this?”

Esther 4

Esther Learns of Haman’s Plot

      1When Mordecai learned all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city and wailed loudly and bitterly. 2He went as far as the king’s gate, for no one was to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth. 3In each and every province where the command and decree of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing; and many lay on sackcloth and ashes.

      4Then Esther’s maidens and her eunuchs came and told her, and the queen writhed in great anguish. And she sent garments to clothe Mordecai that he might remove his sackcloth from him, but he did not accept them. 5Then Esther summoned Hathach from the king’s eunuchs, whom the king had appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what this was and why it was. 6So Hathach went out to Mordecai to the city square in front of the king’s gate. 7Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact amount of money that Haman had promised to pay to the king’s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. 8He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict which had been issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show Esther and inform her, and to order her to go in to the king to implore his favor and to plead with him for her people.

      9Hathach came back and related Mordecai’s words to Esther. 10Then Esther spoke to Hathach and ordered him to reply to Mordecai: 11“All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that for any man or woman who comes to the king to the inner court who is not summoned, he has but one law, that he be put to death, unless the king holds out to him the golden scepter so that he may live. And I have not been summoned to come to the king for these thirty days.” 12They related Esther’s words to Mordecai.

      13Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews. 14“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?”

Esther Plans to Intercede

      15Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 16“Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.” 17So Mordecai went away and did just as Esther had commanded him.

Even as Esther plans to take action, she turns to the LORD. She calls for a three day fast for herself and all the Jews in Susa. She is drawing near to Yahweh and seeking His favor and help. This is a good approach for us as well. Esther chose to risk her life to save her people. We should be asking ourselves, “What am I able to influence given what position(s) I am in today?” “Does God want me to take certain action that may seem difficult for me but could be why He has placed me in this position?”

I think it is also worth highlighting a few other thoughts. When the Jews heard about the decree, they responded with fasting and mourning. We often overlook the value of fasting today. Additionally, take note of Mordecai’s faith, expressed in verse 14,  that the Jews will be rescued by God one way or another. I appreciate that faith. That is another area in which we sometimes fall short today.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank You for the Bible which leads and guides us and inspires us in our desire to walk closely with You. Please protect Your people around the world today from persecution. Raise up righteous leaders and prepare Your people to listen, repent of their wicked ways, and draw near to You. Defeat the plans of those who wish to come against Your people. Kindle in us an appropriate desire for fasting and prayer as a way to draw near to You and ask for Your help. Amen. 

 Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Courage / Fear, Faith / Trusting God, Persecution / Glorifying God, Pride, Purposeful / Intentional, Wickedness / Evil

Stand Strong for God, Even When the World Comes Against You

Sometimes those who are of the world will come against God’s people because we refuse to conform to their ways. It may be a pride issue, or simply resentment because we are different. Many are not comfortable tolerating others who have a different belief system and are living for God. It seems especially difficult when it results in highly visible differences in how we behave, as in the case with Haman and Mordecai.

Esther 3

Haman’s Plot against the Jews

      1After these events King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and established his authority over all the princes who were with him. 2All the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman; for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage. 3Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why are you transgressing the king’s command?” 4Now it was when they had spoken daily to him and he would not listen to them, that they told Haman to see whether Mordecai’s reason would stand; for he had told them that he was a Jew. 5When Haman saw that Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage to him, Haman was filled with rage. 6But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were; therefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.

      7In the first month, which is the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, Pur, that is the lot, was cast before Haman from day to day and from month to month, until the twelfth month, that is the month Adar. 8Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from those of all other people and they do not observe the king’s laws, so it is not in the king’s interest to let them remain. 9“If it is pleasing to the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who carry on the king’s business, to put into the king’s treasuries.” 10Then the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11The king said to Haman, “The silver is yours, and the people also, to do with them as you please.”

      12Then the king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and it was written just as Haman commanded to the king’s satraps, to the governors who were over each province and to the princes of each people, each province according to its script, each people according to its language, being written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king’s signet ring. 13Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces to destroy, to kill and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to seize their possessions as plunder. 14A copy of the edict to be issued as law in every province was published to all the peoples so that they should be ready for this day. 15The couriers went out impelled by the king’s command while the decree was issued at the citadel in Susa; and while the king and Haman sat down to drink, the city of Susa was in confusion.

Of course, not all those who come against God’s people are going to try to execute all of us. However, do not fool yourself. There are still places in this world today that are very aggressive against those who follow Yeshua including persecution up to and including death. In countries like the United States, we more often see attempts to use the legal system and lawsuits to try to force us to turn away from our beliefs. To a lesser, but still powerful extent, social media and corporations and government and school systems all tend to be heavily biased against those who would visibly live our lives for God and follow His instructions.

We should stand firm in our faith and what we believe is right. We should seek the LORD to help protect and guide us.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help Your people stand strong in the face of opposition and persecution. Please protect us and bless us. Help us to thrive even among the godless culture in which we live. Open the eyes of the spiritually blind that they may see the truth around them and change their lives to live for You according to Your instructions. Amen.

 Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Abortion, Consequences of Sin, Grace / Patience, Help / Serve Others, Interceding for Others, Obeying God, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God

Crisis Help: Stop Abortion

Our heavenly Father calls us not only to seek Him in study of His written word, but also to seek Him in prayer and to live out our lives the way he instructs. He wants us to pray for and work toward righteousness in our society, not just in “the church”. He does not want us to accept wickedness under the guise of cultural acceptance.

According to the World Health Organization, every year an estimated 45 million children are killed inside their mother’s womb by someone carrying out an abortion.  

God clearly tells us life begins in the womb in Jeremiah 1:4-5

4 The Lord gave me this message:

5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.
    Before you were born I set you apart
    and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

And again in Psalms 139:13-16

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed.

Medical science today undeniably confirms what God told us thousands of years ago. Birth begins at conception and the human life grows inside the mother’s womb.

The baby is defenseless and without a voice, but clearly a separate individual human life inside the mother.

If you or someone you know is considering abortion.  Please choose to save the life of the child, even if it is a hard situation. Reach out to God and followers of Yeshua for help.

Similarly, if you or someone you know has already been involved in an abortion then you know how devastating it is emotionally for the mother. Remember that God is filled with grace.  He can forgive you if you turn toward Him with repentant heart and seek forgiveness. If you are struggling in grief, please reach out to God and to followers of Yeshua for help.

Let’s work together to stop abortion!

I have listed a few resource links below. If you know of Christian organizations that are effective in this area, please Contact Us  and let us know so we can add them to our site as resources.

  • Heartbeat International works to inspire and equip Christian communities worldwide to rescue women and couples from abortion through the development of neighborhood pregnancy help centers, maternity homes, and adoption services. These ministries provide life-saving help in a truly life-changing way by assisting women who are at risk for abortion with the life-affirming, practical support they need to choose life, then prepare them to parent or to place for adoption.
  • 40 Days for Life is a community-based campaign that takes a determined, peaceful approach to showing local communities the consequences of abortion in their own neighborhoods, for their own friends and families. It puts into action a desire to cooperate with God in the carrying out of His plan for the end of abortion. It draws attention to the evil of abortion through the use of a three-point program including: prayer and fasting, constant vigil, and community outreach
  • SilentNoMoreAwareness.org  is a Campaign whereby Christians make the public aware of the devastation abortion brings to women and men. The campaign seeks to expose and heal the secrecy and silence surrounding the emotional and physical pain of abortion.
  • DoveChristianCounseling.com provides online, email, or phone counseling to help those who have been involved in abortion or may be considering abortion.
  • I also encourage you to seek out a local Christ centered organization near you.  It is helpful to have someone you can meet with face to face who shares your faith and views on life and can help you through this difficult issue.   Yeshua wants us to work together as the body of Christ to stop abortion.

Brothers and sisters, come with me before God in prayer and repentance for our nations. Every day worldwide more than 120,000 unborn children are being killed by someone performing an abortion. That is an astonishing rate of 45 million children being killed this way each year. God put them in their mother’s wombs to grow so they could be safe and yet that is the leading cause of death in the world.

Pray too for those who have been involved in abortions already, either in performing, encouraging or forcing someone to participate, or the mother having an abortion. Their choice results in terrible grief and sadness. Pray they would come before God with repentant heart and be healed and forgiven. Pray they would forgive themselves too.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.