We are the people of the Messiah.
We rejoice with His heart when what was lost is found.
We look down the road every day, expectantly, prayerfully, filled with His hope.
We run down the road with Him when we see them coming back in whatever condition.
We throw the party of all parties for them.
We restore them to the family, NO QUESTIONS ASKED!
Let me try to communicate my take on the problem of evil. God creates angels, amazing beings to whom He assigns jobs one of whom has the job of leading worship. Two things in their design are unique - they live forever and if they choose to rebel they are locked in to that one choice. Lucifer was not content with his job he wanted to rule so somehow he got one third of the angels to agree with him. (In my mind I picture a hierarchy of three archangels each in charge of one third of the angels so he took His one third and rebelled.) They are now locked into that choice and cannot die.
God creates man. Lucifer is in the garden of Eden, I imagine he has quite a few talks with Adam and Eve before the fateful day because there is no indicator Eve is surprised by his presence or his desire to have a conversation. Lucifer launches a big advertising campaign to make the tree of the knowledge of good and evil seem super great and to make God's warning seem powerless, self-centered and maybe even inept.
Let's look at Lucifer in light of this verse about angels, Hebrews 1:14 "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?" Lucifer was known as the angel who covers and I wonder if he hadn't rebelled would his job have been to cover humans from wanting to rebel against God?
Anyway, Adam and Eve choose rebellion over trust.
Adam and Eve had been given authority in the world and when they rebelled against God that authority transferred to Satan who now is elevated to the god of this world. As a consequence the one who is locked in to rebellion is doing everything he can to lead humans to steal, kill and destroy. He will entertain and use prosperity to lull people in to sleep so they don't ever repent. He will point out the evil that he is causing and turn people against God so they never repent. This to me is the greatest magic trick of all time. Picture this another guy and I are standing in front of you, the other guy punches you in the face, when you recover enough to stand back up he is able to convince you that I punched you in the face and you learn to hate me and the other guy doesn't get any blame and you never ever re-visit the actual event to see that it was him that punched you not me.
The consequence of Satan's actions and leading people is death and destruction, but he never gets the blame. He disappears, he "doesn't exist" according to some of the greatest minds the world has ever known. How incredibly convenient! Satan's least effective tool is to persecute those who believe in God. Typically he has to reveal himself and his hatred of people to do this, so people actually become more firm in their beliefs and more united in their love for God in lands where the persecution is the greatest. (Currently Iran and China)
What about God- did He just give up after the garden of Eden, no! Right in the garden of Eden Satan is told the SEED of the WOMAN will crush your head and you will bruise him on the heel.
Every other god is utilitarian. They demand sacrifices in order to give favors. The true God is the creator of all and you can't "give" Him anything. His rule stated rebellion would mean death for humans.
Here is where the Wisdom of God enters the picture and saves a doomed race of humanity from the death that they choose. In full view of Satan after scattering the people at the tower of Babel, God chooses one people from the 70 nations to bring the Messiah through them. Just like the "church" they forget their mission to be a connecting point between God and the world and they begin to act like they were chosen because they are special when the God clearly states, I chose you because I chose you - in love - it had nothing to do with your worth or value.
Anyway in spite of Satan's best attempts to destroy or corrupt things, a descendant of Shem through Abraham and through David named Mary has a SEED (which WOMEN do not have) and that seed does not have the sin passed down from Adam - He is God's Son and He lives a perfect life - never sinning but Satan is blinded by the fact that "this is the heir" if I kill Him the inheritance is mine, so Satan works out a plan for Jesus death and he places the penalty of death on One who did not sin so the penalty should not apply to Him. Now the penalty has been paid through a willing, loving sacrificial death and all of humanity can choose to believe that - that death paid for their sins and if they do they never die - they obtain eternal life.
Currently how I feel about the time we are living in, man has had approx. 6,000 years of recorded history for the most part choosing to believe Satan's lies. God's choosing of Israel is always and only because of His love. His love doesn't change. "6" is mans number in scripture and "7" is rest. Six Thousand years of man's rule (which was handed over to Satan) is about to come to a close and God will have a day = 1,000 years of rule in "rest" through His chosen people who because of their chosenness have paid double for all their sins.
At some point "soon" due to this scripture I can't imagine it being more than 15 years ("He will revive us after 2 days; He will raise us up on the third day.") Possibly 2,000 years after Jesus was crucified around the year 2031-2034 God will kick Satan out fo the heavenlies he will appear to resurrect a small ruler who will at that time become the anti-Christ and start three and 1/2 years of very bad times but during those very bad times Satan's methods will be there for all to see and a multitude "that no man can number" will choose to follow Yeshua, even though since Satan is exercising great authority and has a terrifying army at his disposal - most of those who follow Yeshua will die because of that choice. Also during that intensely bad three and a half years 2/3rds of living Jews will be killed by the anti-Christ also.
So the problem of evil is our fault and Satan's fault. God has provided the only solution to the problem through the death of His Son.
This question is in my heart.
If other people can drag you down and cause your behavior to not be "in the Messiah", how free are you?
The title is a good question I was recently asked. Good questions drive us deeper into God.
The key words are "in a believer's life", the fact that the person is a believer in the covenant keeping, God of Israel, whose promises are connected to the next age, with only a down payment available in this age, is the absolute key to unlocking the answer to this question.
We are a maranatha people. A people who cry out for the return of the Lord, to sit on His throne in Jerusalem and rule the nations with justice and peace. That is not happening in this age, the ruler of this world is satan, he needs to be kicked out and locked up for the next stage to take place.
As believers we have been brought into ultimate truth that this life is a training area, a staging area, for a much greater age to come. Time, it seems, has one purpose, to create the room necessary for repentance to take place. Time is a mercy, and bringing the time of this age to a close is a mercy too.
It is all mercy.
Which brings us to discomfort. If discomfort is used properly it causes us to take our hope and desire off of anything in this world. The beauty that we long for with trusting expectation is in the age to come, the coming Kingdom of the coming King. The ultimate place this will bring us to, is "loving not our lives unto the death." This place is the place where satan has no power. The ultimate power of satan and the states/nations/countries that he controls is, "We can have you put to death." When a believer is given to grace to see, "Oh, no you can't." they are free in a way that is ultimate and true and permanent.
Discomfort is a stepping stone to ultimate freedom. It is a stepping stone to a deeper place of rest and trust in the Messiah. It is a stepping stone to the peace that passes understanding. It is a mercy-filled blessing for those who have been given eyes to see and ears to hear.
This disaster is being circulated on Facebook by Christians, "Just thinking of the future. Having studied the Bible throughout my life, in many different forms, it really does always come down to this. I have been hearing about the second coming of Christ and the events unfolding since I was a kid. So keep in mind that the anti christ comes after the rapture (2 Thessalonians 2) when believers who are alive will be caught up together with those who have already died in Christ before the Great Tribulation." That is how it starts out and it is so far off the rails in that short series of sentences that I won't bother with the rest.
This is the second chapter of 2nd Thessalonians. " Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? 6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.
13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 14 It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, 17 comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word."
Very clearly in verse 3 Paul is telling us there will be a falling away and a revealing of the anti Christ, and the anti christ in verse 8 is slain by the appearance of the coming of the Lord. The Messiah came once and will come a 2nd time to slay the anti Christ and the Messiah's followers will meet Him in the air and return to the earth to establish His kingdom. The high calling of the followers of the Messiah is to be as loving and self sacrificing as the crucified Lamb, demonstrating their love by a willingness to lay down their lives for others. There is absolutely nothing in 2nd Thessalonians to make you think, the Messiah is coming back for a 1 and 1/2 coming that will "rescue His precious church" from trouble. That lie only flies in this country, it does not fly in China, or Iran, or any country controlled by Islam or communism.
The sad thing is most of the people re-posting this lie, did not take the time to read 2 Thessalonians 2.
The sad thing is most Christians choose to believe they will be whisked away before the tribulation and they are ripe for being a part of the great falling away, because they are putting their hope in something that is absolutely positively false, the pre-trib rapture of the "church".
The sad thing is entire denominations teach this lie.
The sad thing is this generation cannot afford to get this wrong.
Questions and thoughts to share with you.
Questions...
When is it time to draw a hard line? When is it time to say this is the truth and this is a lie?
As a teacher who will be held accountable, there is a weight to this question.
I believe part of the answer lies in the tree of life. When the tree of life, the life of Yeshua within you stands up and will not allow you to "hedge" or compromise, then it is time to confront, but with that same life, that desires only the very best for the other person, whose presentation is humble and inviting. Often the truth that is being shared is short-circuited by the subtle pride in the way it is being shared. (and my hand goes up as a sign that I have been very guilty of this, grateful for the mercy of God to forgive and start over, grateful for eyes to see and ears to hear given by grace)
Thoughts ....
TRUST such a costly thing, to your reputation and what other people think of you. To silently wait on the faithfulness of God to manifest. To silently wait and to appear to be impotent in the face of a situation, or circumstance over which you SHOULD be in control and have the solution. To endure what may be years of questions and looks that speak volumes of words, Why can't you... Why don't you.. Don't you see.... Don't you care...but then one day, one glorious day, by the power of the love of Him who alone is sovereign, the answer comes and you exhale and learn to trust Him even more!
