Surprise!

All scripture references, unless otherwise noted, are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. The Hebrew and Greek meaning of the words mentioned are from Strong's Hebrew Greek Dictionary.

I don't like surprises very much. Never have and I probably never will! My kids, when they were young, every so often would ask me something out of the blue.  I would almost always tell them no when they would spring something on me. There is however a question asked by God in Isaiah 33:14-16 where a surprise is mentioned, "The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" 

The Bible answers the question in the next few verses,  "He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure" 

The story from Daniel 3:15-28 came into my mind where the three Hebrew children were thrown into the furnace that Nebuchadnezzar had prepared. When king Nebuchadnezzar looked he saw four men walking in the fire and the fourth was like the Son of God. Almost immediately my mind went to the account of Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10:1-2, when they offered strange fire to the LORD. The Bible says that the fire of God came out from the LORD and consumed them. God protected the Hebrew children and will protect those who sincerely call upon God when Jesus comes again. 

If you (and I) want God to protect us in that day we need to pay heed to the scriptures. God isn't willing that we perish but that we repent. (See 2nd Peter 3:9) Let me encourage you to obey the New Testament and be baptized in Jesus name and let God fill you with His Spirit. (See Acts 2:1-4 and verses 38-40) God wants to save you but He will only do so His way. He inspired the apostles and prophets  to show us the way. What they said is that there is no other name but the name of Jesus that can save us. (See Acts 4:12)

Built On The Rock

All scripture references, unless otherwise noted, are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. The Hebrew and Greek meaning of the words mentioned are from Strong's Hebrew Greek Dictionary.

Below are the three scriptures in Matthew, the Seventh Chapter, that ought to give all who call themselves Pentecostal pause...

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Matthew 7:21 "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."

Not every one - Ου πας, a Hebraism, say some, for no person. It is a Graecism and a Latinism too: ου παντων θεων, not All of the gods, i.e. not Any of the gods, Hom. Odyss. Z. 240. So Terence Sine omni periclo, without All danger, i.e. without Any danger. And Juvenal: Sine omni labe, without All imperfection, i.e. without Any. See more in Mr. Wakefield. The sense of this verse seems to be this: No person, by merely acknowledging my authority, believing in the Divinity of my nature, professing faith in the perfection of my righteousness, and infinite merit of my atonement, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven - shall have any part with God in glory; but he who doeth the will of my Father - he who gets the bad tree rooted up, the good tree planted, and continues to bring forth fruit to the glory and praise of God. There is a good saying among the rabbins on this subject. “A man should be as vigorous as a panther, as swift as an eagle, as fleet as a stag, and as strong as a lion, to do the will of his Creator.”

Matthew 7:22 '"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?"

Many will say to me in that day - Εκεινη τη ημερα, in that very day, viz. the day of judgment - have we not prophesied, taught, publicly preached, in thy name; acknowledging thee to be the only Savior, and proclaiming thee as such to others; cast out demons, impure spirits, who had taken possession of the bodies of men; done many miracles, being assisted by supernatural agency to invert even the course of nature, and thus prove the truth of the doctrine we preached?

Matthew 7:23 "And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

Will I profess - Ομολογησω, I will fully and plainly tell them, I never knew you - I never approved of you; for so the word is used in many places, both in the Old and New Testaments. You held the truth in unrighteousness, while you preached my pure and holy doctrine; and for the sake of my own truth, and through my love to the souls of men, I blessed your preaching; but yourselves I could never esteem, because you were destitute of the spirit of my Gospel, unholy in your hearts, and unrighteous in your conduct. Alas! alas! how many preachers are there who appear prophets in their pulpits; how many writers, and other evangelical workmen, the miracles of whose labor, learning, and doctrine, we admire, who are nothing, and worse than nothing, before God, because they perform not his will, but their own? What an awful consideration, that a man of eminent gifts, whose talents are a source of public utility, should be only as a way-mark or finger-post in the way to eternal bliss, pointing out the road to others, without walking in it himself!

Depart from me - What a terrible word! What a dreadful separation! Depart from Me! from the very Jesus whom you have proclaimed in union with whom alone eternal life is to be found. For, united to Christ, all is heaven; separated from him, all is hell.

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The above is a "copy and paste," from the  KJV and commentary of  Adam Clarke. It is available for a free download at "E-sword.com," which if you haven't done so yet, you ought to send them an offering.  Adam Clarke born in 1762 and died 1832, a contemporary of John Wesley who also took Mr. Clarke as a student. It is interesting that John Wesley added to his commentary of the same scriptures a plaintive, "...is it my case?"

The scripture quotations are from the Words of the Lord Jesus.   I feel led of God to add the scriptures found in Matthew 8:11-12, "And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." You say He was only speaking of the Jews but He made reference to,  "...the children of the kingdom..." in this passage. The last time I checked we applied that term  to us. I never want to hear from the Lord Jesus, "depart from Me you that work iniquity."

I don't think for a second that Acts 2:38, et al, is not required. It is along with being born again spoken of in John 3:3-8 a must. One must be saved, according to what the Bible says in its entirety. Many will count on their ability to do things, even in the name of  the Lord Jesus. They may make many converts but in the end not make heaven their home. What a tragedy.

A Difficult Area

All scripture references, unless otherwise noted, are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. The Hebrew and Greek meaning of the words mentioned are from Strong's Hebrew Greek Dictionary.

Apostle Paul wrote in 1st Corinthians 7:10-11, "And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife." This, the apostle said, is the commandment of the Lord Jesus Himself. I don't think the Lord has changed his mind over the intervening years. I have read the Bible through many times and never have I found what scripture Apostle Paul was referring to. My assumption then is that he received it by direct revelation from the Lord Jesus. He was after all the apostle to the Gentiles!

My spouse and I have discussed this issue many times. She doesn't necessarily agree with me as to what Paul said in the subsequent scriptures, e,g., 1st Corinthians 7:12-15. He said, (among other things), "...if an unbelieving spouse departs the believing spouse is under no obligation in such cases." The apostle Paul wrote also in Romans 7:2 to them that knew the Law, "For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband." This fully agrees with what the Lord Jesus said in Mark 10:12. We have never argued over what the Bible says but we have expressed our differing opinions on occasion. But each time I have had to talk with anyone on these issues I have always tried to apply these scriptures to the persons I have talked with to the best of my ability. (By the way I am not a licenced counselor).

This then is a serious issue. the Bible is clear that no adulterer shall inherit the kingdom of God. In 1st Corinthians 6:9-11 Apostle Paul said, "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you:"   He went on and said "but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." We all, everyone of us, fit the description in some way or another. For as the Bible says in Ephesians 2:3, "Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." The Apostle Paul even included himself in the foregoing scripture. What else could he have meant with the term, "...we all..." I am so glad that he said "And such were some of you..." So my advice is...if you are a Christian and you just can't get along with your spouse, don't worry, you may leave him or her, just live a celibate life or be reconciled to them. This is the Lord's command not mine. And this is very good and godly advice. BTW if you are reading this and you have never been baptized in the only name that can save you (see Acts 4:12)  Let me encourage you to do so today. Then let God fill you with  His spirit, You will be eternally glad you did.

Momentary Expectation

All scripture references, unless otherwise noted, are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. The Hebrew and Greek meaning of the words mentioned are from Strong's Hebrew Greek Dictionary.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth of the rapture of the church. He said that the church would be changed "in a moment in the twinkling of an eye." See 1st Corinthians 15:51-52  How long does it take for an eye to twinkle? I'm thinking of a chorus we used to sing in church, it goes as follows:    

     We shall be changed, we shall be changed,                

     Changed from this mortal to immortality,  

     In the twinkling of an eye.                                         

What a wonderful hope for the church. Based on this thought there'll be indeed no time to mend our ways. I believe the Apostle Paul had insight that was directly from God.  One moment we will be going about our daily lives and routine, the next moment we will be forever with our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. It will be a sudden transformation. It is no wonder that Jesus said in Mark 13:35-37, "Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." The Lord was obviously speaking to more than just His disciples there with Him that day, He was speaking to us also.

I'm writing this blog, primarily to those  who have been baptized in Jesus name and have received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, evidenced by speaking in tongues or languages they never learned. If you wish to be obedient to the gospel let me say that you must repent of your sins, find someone who will baptize you in the name of Jesus Christ, (see Acts 4:12) and that you receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost (see John 3:5-8) just like they did in Acts 2. See Acts 2:1-4 and Acts 2:38. The Lord Jesus is not willing that you perish but that you repent. See 2nd Peter 3:9. I hope to see you in heaven!

Repentance Is Required!

All scripture references, unless otherwise noted, are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. The Hebrew and Greek meaning of the words mentioned are from Strong's Hebrew Greek Dictionary.

The definition of he word repentance according to Strong's Greek Dictionary of The New Testament is "μετάνοια metanoia (pronounced) met-an'-oy-ah From G3340; (subjectively) compunction (for guilt, including reformation); by implication reversal (of [another’s] decision): - repentance." The word repent, from the same source is defined as, "μετανοέω metanoeō (pronounced) met-an-o-eh'-o From G3326 and G3539; to think differently or afterwards, that is, reconsider (morally to feel compunction): - repent." The Lord Jesus said according to Luke 13:1-5, "There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."  No matter what anyone says otherwise, repentance is required.

A while back a young woman came to  church and asked the pastor about baptism.  My wife offered to give her a Bible study. When my wife mentioned repentance to her she told my wife that she had nothing to repent of. Let me say again, repentance is required. The Bible command of the Apostle Peter on the Day of Pentecost to  the Jewish people was to repent and be baptized in Jesus name to have their sins forgiven and God would give them His Spirit. The promise was to them! I listened to a preacher the other day and thought he preached well. Then he talked about believing God for salvation and assured the listeners that they would be saved. He never mentioned the need to repent. I visited his web page and reminded him what the Lord Jesus said in Mark 16:16. No response! 

My friend if you want to meet Jesus in the air when He returns (1st Thessalonians 4:17) you will need to repent of your sin and be baptized in Jesus name to have your sins forgiven.  God promised to pour out His Holy Spirit upon all flesh. (Acts 2:17) He will give it to you also. (Acts 2:38-39) It makes no difference what some TV or Internet preacher may say. (Matthew 15:14) I hope and pray that you will heed what the Lord says, in Jesus name!

Jesus Is Coming Soon!

All scripture references, unless otherwise noted, are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. The Hebrew and Greek meaning of the words mentioned are from Strong's Hebrew Greek Dictionary.

Remember the song, :"He's Coming Soon" I do. However not everybody does. I was in a service in Arizona a few years ago in which the pastor's wife asked the piano player to play the song, The problem was that the piano player had never heard the song. Huh? Well the more modern music hadn't had that song in its repertoire. Some if not most of the more modern songs are ok. But I do miss some of the older songs. He's Coming Soon is one of them. Another older song that we used to sing is called, "We Shall See The King," The chorus is as follows:

  We shall see the King, we shall see the King, 

  We shall see the King when He comes;            

  He is coming in power, we'll hale the blessed hour,       

  We shall see the King when He comes. 

The last verse of that song should give us pause, it goes as follows:     

  Oh my brother are you ready for the call?

  To crown your Savior King and Lord of all?

  The kingdoms of this world shall soon before Him Fall,

  We shall see the King when He comes.

I wonder if those who are Jesus name people shall hear the Master say, "...Well done..." Matthew 25:21, or conversely, "...depart from Me..." Matthew 7:23. I certainly hope for the former possibility. Only you can answer that question. 

 

Jesus Loves (Even) Me

All scripture references, unless otherwise noted, are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. The Hebrew and Greek meaning of the words mentioned are from Strong's Hebrew Greek Dictionary.

"Jesus Loves Me" was the song, it was  my understanding when I first turned to God, that the the Chinese Christians loved it best of all. It is interesting to me that in the current climate of anti-Christian thought today, that a child is told by school administrators they can't express their faith by wearing a mask that says "Jesus Loves Me." See, https://adflegal.org/blog/third-grader-was-forced-remove-her-jesus-loves-me-mask-so-shes-taking-stand. These school officials may think of themselves that they are Christians which is unfortunate for them. I am not a constitutional lawyer but it seems to me, as a layman, that that goes against the 1st amendment of the U. S. Constitution.

The day is coming that the Lord Jesus will return and He will set everything to rights. If you are unsure of your salvation there are 4 things that are necessary to be ready. 1) you must repent of your sins, see Matthew 4:17 and 2nd Peter 3:9) You must be baptized in Jesus name to have your sins forgiven, see Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38 and Acts 4:12. 3) you must receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost, see Acts 1:4-8, Acts 2:1-4 and Acts 2:39. And 4) you must live a holy life, see Ephesians 1:4 and 1st Peter 1:15. If you will repent toward God and put your faith in the Lord Jesus, you will be saved, see Acts 20:21.