Author: Michael Young, Sr.

I am a practicing Christian, a disciple of Jesus, a husband of over 50 years, a father and a grandfather, a business man, a veteran and a friend to all who will have me. I have served or am serving, at various times, as an Evangelist, a Pulpit fill pastor, an Associate Pastor of Evangelism and as Senior Pastor of a church plant. My passion is for practicing and teaching the Bible, building small groups, reaching the lost with the message of the Gospel of Jesus, recovering the straying Sheep of God and the gathering together the Called of God, in neighborhoods, business settings and in churches by equipping other Christians. I have authored a few small books and I have a background in professional business management, finance and investments. I am glad to meet you, even if it is virtually. Write me at any time and let's become friends.

THE WORDS OF JESUS – What To Do With Them? Updated

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

THE WORDS OF JESUS

Creative, Causative, Prophetic, Instructional

Do you read the Bible? If so, how do you read and understand the Bible?” What I am asking is,

Do you read the Bible as ‘stories’ about people, places and ‘about God’?

Do you read the Bible for prophecies? For promises? For power?

Do you read the Bible to learn? And if you read to learn, what have you learned? And most importantly, what do you DO with what you learn?

Reading the Bible and knowing about God can be a good thing – or it can be just a religious exercise to make us feel better about ourselves.  But that is NOT necessarily knowing God, and He wants us to know Him and His ways and to walk with Him, daily, then He becomes our sanctuary.

Please consider these Bible facts:

Did you know that the Bible is alive? Alive, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword? That it penetrates as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and that it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart? (Hebrews 4:12).

Did you know that all Scripture is actually the Breath of God? And that The Scriptures, (The Bible), is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work? (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Did you know that the Word is God? In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God? (John 1:1).

Did you know that The Word became flesh and dwelt among us?  Did you also know that many have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth, and that Word is Jesus? (John 1:14).

Did you know that the Word of God that goes out from His mouth shall not return to Him empty, but it shall accomplish that which He purposes, and shall succeed in the thing for which He sent it? (Isaiah 55:11).

Did you know that you are made clean because of the Word He has spoken to you? (John 15:3).

Did you know that whoever believes in Jesus, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water?’” (John 7:38).

Did you know that the Gospel, the Good News found in The Word, is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek? (Romans 1:16).

Did you know that God’s Word like fire and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? (Jeremiah 23:29).

Did you know that the Word of God is eternal and will not pass away?  (Matthew 24:35).

The Bible says that Jesus’ Words are creative, causative, prophetic and instructional. Can this really be true?

Let me ask you, “WHAT IF WHAT THE BIBLE IS SAYING IS REALLY TRUE?”  I mean, not only without error, but literally true and factually accurate in ways we fail to recognize? Regardless whether this Truth is spoken through plain language, as metaphors, similes or as an idiom? Let me give you an example before you answer.

The Bible says, “For the Word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  These words were written about 2,000 years ago, and there was no such thing as a discipline of psychology. So, can these words really be true?  And, how could the Bible look 2,000 years into the future to make such a statement?

These Words would seem to have been written as a metaphor, containing a simile. But, are they true? Can the Word of God this actually make these things happen?  Or are the Words of Jesus just metaphors and similes, an invention of a poetic mind?

A pastor and friend says Jesus’ words are largely, if not completely, metaphorical, communicating an idea but not facts, especially when it comes to His miracles. This pastor would say that when the Bible says Jesus raised the dead, it was a metaphor, actually meaning that people who are ‘dead’ are only emotionally or spiritually dead. So, by Jesus’ words of encouragement, they would come alive with new purpose in life, but no one actually came back from being dead.

This preacher would say the same of Jesus healing the blind and lame. The blind and the lame did not actually see or walk again, (and perhaps were never really physically blind or lame), but this preacher was asserting that Jesus could motivate the infirm to a ‘see life in a new way’ and would find a new way of ‘walking through life’.

But the Bible says Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and the savior of the world. Jesus says, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”. Jesus and the Word of God is not an invention of a perverse and unbelieving person and generation. (John 14:6)

I say, ‘how absurd’ of this pastor! Why bother studying scriptures if you believe they are hyperbole at best and a lie at worst! Why change what is plainly written to satisfy your own limited opinion and lack of understanding?

So, this pastor and many others would choose to stand in judgement of the Bible because they just cannot and will not believe. They are, in essence, saying that Jesus is either a liar, a fraud a hypocrite, a lunatic, or a motivational speaker and the Bible is a scam.

A STEP FARTHER

But, what if The Word of God is true? I mean, what if His Words are literally true in ways we fail to recognize? People who personally encountered Jesus testified and reported on the Works He did, and this caused throngs to follow Him, stirred great controversies, created deadly conflicts and gave untold millions a greater hope for a new, vibrant, changed life, full of promise now and eternal hope of a home in heaven with God.

The Words Jesus spoke, and the Works Jesus did, changed the world.

I ask again, ‘what if we have been reading and misunderstanding what Jesus meant by His Words and the intentions of His Words? What if we have been misapplying what He taught? (Jesus was always concerned about His disciple’s lack of understanding and ‘lack of faith’.)

What if Jesus has been telling us how to actively engage His Word, so we could actually do His Works, and even greater works? (“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will you do, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12.)

I realize I am wading into a potentially controversial area, but I am not referring to some kind of religious mysticism or extra-Biblical teaching, heresy or religious nonsense. (I believe, practice and teach a reformed view of the Bible.) But I do believe a great majority of the church, the teaching and practices of the church and the results produced by the early church have waned if not disappeared completely.

So, I ask one last time: What if the Word of God is

  •  Somehow, literally Alive, and
  • Somehow, literally Active, and
  • Producing the effect of being Sharper than any two-edged sword,
  • Capable of literally Penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit,
  • Dividing both joints and marrow, and
  • Somehow, literally able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart?

Ask yourself, “Why would the Bible and Jesus say such things if they were not true?”

“Why would Jesus and His disciples be willing to suffer and die for a lie or a scam?”

If The Word of God is absolutely true, and in light of what we have discussed and in light of what you have read, what do you now think about the Word of God?

How would you now approach the Bible?

Would you even dare pick up The Word of God, suspecting or knowing it is somehow “actually alive, and active and able to penetrate your mind, spirit and body, having the ability to ‘cut you to pieces’ and reveal the deepest secrets and thoughts of your heart mind and soul?

What would you now DO with such a strange and exciting potential?

Would you still read the Bible just as ‘stories’ about people, places and ‘about God’?

Would you still read the Bible for just for prophecies? For promises? For power?

Would you still you read the Bible just to learn about it? And, if so, what would you DO with what you would now learn?

Now perhaps, these Words have a clearer meaning, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12).

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT: THE WORDS OF JESUS – What Are We To Do With Them? “‘Man shall not live by bread alone”?, Part 2.

THE WORDS OF JESUS – What To Do With Them?

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 1 Comment

THE WORDS OF JESUS

Creative, Causative, Prophetic, Instructional

Do you read the Bible? If so, how do you read and understand the Bible?” What I am asking is,

Do you read the Bible as ‘stories’ about people, places and ‘about God’?

Do you read the Bible for prophecies? For promises? For power?

Do you read the Bible to learn? And if you read to learn, what have you learned? And most importantly, what do you DO with what you learn?

Please consider these Bible facts:

Did you know that the Bible is alive? Alive, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword? That it penetrates as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and that it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart? (Hebrews 4:12).

Did you know that all Scripture is actually the Breath of God? And that The Scriptures, (The Bible), is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work? (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Did you know that the Word is God? In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God? (John 1:1).

Did you know that The Word became flesh and dwelt among us?  Did you also know that many have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth, and that Word is Jesus? (John 1:14).

Did you know that the Word of God that goes out from His mouth shall not return to Him empty, but it shall accomplish that which He purposes, and shall succeed in the thing for which He sent it? (Isaiah 55:11).

Did you know that you are made clean because of the Word He has spoken to you? (John 15:3).

Did you know that whoever believes in Jesus, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water?’” (John 7:38).

Did you know that the Gospel, the Good News found in The Word, is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek? (Romans 1:16).

Did you know that God’s Word like fire and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? (Jeremiah 23:29).

Did you know that the Word of God is eternal and will not pass away?  (Matthew 24:35).

The Bible says that Jesus’ Words are creative, causative, prophetic and instructional. Can this really be true?

Let me ask you, “WHAT IF WHAT THE BIBLE IS SAYING IS REALLY TRUE?”  I mean, not only without error, but literally true and factually accurate in ways we fail to recognize? Regardless whether this Truth is spoken through plain language, as metaphors, similes or as an idiom? Let me give you an example before you answer.

The Bible says, “For the Word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  These words were written about 2,000 years ago, and there was no such thing as a discipline of psychology. So, can these words really be true?  And, how could the Bible look 2,000 years into the future to make such a statement?

These Words would seem to have been written as a metaphor, containing a simile. But, are they true? Can the Word of God this actually make these things happen?  Or are the Words of Jesus just metaphors and similes, an invention of a poetic mind?

A pastor and friend says Jesus’ words are largely, if not completely, metaphorical, communicating an idea but not facts, especially when it comes to His miracles. This pastor would say that when the Bible says Jesus raised the dead, it was a metaphor, actually meaning that people who are ‘dead’ are only emotionally or spiritually dead. So, by Jesus’ words of encouragement, they would come alive with new purpose in life, but no one actually came back from being dead.

This preacher would say the same of Jesus healing the blind and lame. The blind and the lame did not actually see or walk again, (and perhaps were never really physically blind or lame), but this preacher was asserting that Jesus could motivate the infirm to a ‘see life in a new way’ and would find a new way of ‘walking through life’.

But the Bible says Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and the savior of the world. Jesus says, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”. Jesus and the Word of God is not an invention of a perverse and unbelieving person and generation. (John 14:6)

I say, ‘how absurd’ of this pastor! Why bother studying scriptures if you believe they are hyperbole at best and a lie at worst! Why change what is plainly written to satisfy your own limited opinion and lack of understanding?

So, this pastor and many others would choose to stand in judgement of the Bible because they just cannot and will not believe. They are, in essence, saying that Jesus is either a liar, a fraud a hypocrite, a lunatic, or a motivational speaker and the Bible is a scam.

A STEP FARTHER

But, what if The Word of God is true? I mean, what if His Words are literally true in ways we fail to recognize? People who personally encountered Jesus testified and reported on the Works He did, and this caused throngs to follow Him, stirred great controversies, created deadly conflicts and gave untold millions a greater hope for a new, vibrant, changed life, full of promise now and eternal hope of a home in heaven with God.

The Words Jesus spoke, and the Works Jesus did, changed the world.

I ask again, ‘what if we have been reading and misunderstanding what Jesus meant by His Words and the intentions of His Words? What if we have been misapplying what He taught? (Jesus was always concerned about His disciple’s lack of understanding and ‘lack of faith’.)

What if Jesus has been telling us how to actively engage His Word, so we could actually do His Works, and even greater works? (“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will you do, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12.)

I realize I am wading into a potentially controversial area, but I am not referring to some kind of religious mysticism or extra-Biblical teaching, heresy or religious nonsense. (I believe, practice and teach a reformed view of the Bible.) But I do believe a great majority of the church, the teaching and practices of the church and the results produced by the early church have waned if not disappeared completely.

So, I ask one last time: What if the Word of God is

  •  Somehow, literally Alive, and
  • Somehow, literally Active, and
  • Producing the effect of being Sharper than any two-edged sword,
  • Capable of literally Penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit,
  • Dividing both joints and marrow, and
  • Somehow, literally able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart?

Ask yourself, “Why would the Bible and Jesus say such things if they were not true?”

“Why would Jesus and His disciples be willing to suffer and die for a lie or a scam?”

If The Word of God is absolutely true, and in light of what we have discussed and in light of what you have read, what do you now think about the Word of God?

How would you now approach the Bible?

Would you even dare pick up The Word of God, suspecting or knowing it is somehow “actually alive, and active and able to penetrate your mind, spirit and body, having the ability to ‘cut you to pieces’ and reveal the deepest secrets and thoughts of your heart mind and soul?

What would you now DO with such a strange and exciting potential?

Would you still read the Bible just as ‘stories’ about people, places and ‘about God’?

Would you still read the Bible for just for prophecies? For promises? For power?

Would you still you read the Bible just to learn about it? And, if so, what would you DO with what you would now learn?

Now perhaps, these Words have a clearer meaning, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12).

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT: Is it really true that, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone”? (Matthew 4:3).

PERFECTION – Epilogue

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

The scriptures encourage us to “Be Berean”, that is, to hold Scripture in such a high regard that it becomes your daily pursuit, your source of truth and the only reference book or material you would read in search of what is true.

You probably already know the perceived condition of America in our current day, as well as the state of the world. Some are saying we are in a state of political and social chaos. New diseases, wars, political intrigue and poverty, to name a few things that are holding our attention and draining our treasury.

Despite the fact that the Pew Research Center, which tracks “trust in the media“, shows that less than half of Americans trust the news, and 72% of U.S. adults say news organizations do an insufficient job revealing their funding sources, many people are still turning to News Media outlets, (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, CNN, etc.) for information and to find direction.  Approximately 31 million people watched one of the three national network evening news broadcasts between March 16, 2021, and April 7 , 2021. That’s a 42% increase from a year ago.

Many more people, however, are turning to God and the Church for answers. Approximately 52 million “attend church” in one of the 300,000 plus churches in America, at least once a week each month.

The Answer?  Follow the pattern and method established by Jesus. Nothing more, nothing less.  In fact, why not try starting with something simple but profound:  “John 3:16″, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” Say it often.  Say it with both, passion and compassion.

Still, I can hear some people and pastors saying, “But, all the things we are already doing are the necessary parts of our ministry.”  And I say, “Yes? But Jesus did not say to do it your way, and He did not do it your way. Everything else you might say about Jesus, and those things which flow from Him, may be “Necessary, but they are Secondary”.  Jesus, alone, is the MAIN THING!

I have prepared a lengthy, 19-part series, on “Effective Spiritual Warfare” on how we can resist and fight back. It is the only way, according to the Bible, you and I can endure to the end and overcome this evil, as we await the return of Jesus and the day when He will completely conquer and destroy the works of the enemy. Click on this text or the image below to go to this dynamic and instructional Tutorial on Effective Spiritual Warfare.

I toured the Revolutionary Museum and some American Revolutionary War battlefield sites in Yorktown, Virginia.  The tour guides and docents were well-informed and helpful.  The postings and literature at the various sites, which was written by experts on the Revolutionary war, was also helpful and informative.  This information was written by highly educated and informed people.  But, as expert as these sources seemed to be, none of them could actually wage a war.  They could not implement the tactics of Revolutionary warfare, nor could they establish an effective government in the aftermath of such a war – despite their extensive knowledge. It was then that I realized, it is not what you know, but what you DO with what you know.

And now, may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. And may God give you His peace in your going out and in your coming in, in your lying down and in your rising up, in your labor and in your leisure, in your laughter and in your tears, until you come to stand before Jesus in that day in which there is no sunset and no dawning. Amen.

Your Brother and Friend,

 

Michael J. Young, Sr.

 PREVIOUSLY:   PERFECTION – AFTER THESE THINGS – Chapter 31

I am a practicing Christian, a disciple of Jesus, a husband of over 50 years, a father and a grandfather, a businessman, a veteran and a friend to all who will have me. I have served, or I am serving, at various times, as an Evangelist, a Pulpit fill pastor, an Associate Pastor of Evangelism and as Senior Pastor of a church plant. My passion is for practicing and teaching the Bible, building small groups, reaching the lost with the message of the Gospel of Jesus, recovering the straying Sheep of God and the gathering together the Called of God, in neighborhoods, business settings and in churches by equipping other Christians. I have authored a few small books and I have a background in professional business management, finance and investments. I am glad to meet you, even if it is virtually. Write me at any time and let’s become friends. Whitestonefellowship1@gmail.com

 View all posts on Whitestone Fellowship, by Michael Young, Sr.

IS JESUS DICHOTOMOUS, BIFURCATED, INCONGRUOUS or TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN?

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

 

DICHOTOMOUS? 

 

BIFURCATED?

 

INCONGRUOUS?

 

Or

TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN?

Jesus has been described in many ways. Some said he was filled with demons. Others said He was a liar, a fake and a fraud. Some of his closest friends and family questioned if He was insane?

There is little doubt the Jesus seemed to have two sides: A gentle, caring pastor, yet a confrontational, fiery preacher. A quiet, calm man of peace, yet a man of outrageous convictions, stirring controversy and division. So, which is He.

The Bible describes Jesus as:

Yet, Jesus:

Did Jesus really come to earth for these reasons:

  1. TO TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH – even when it was socially and politically unacceptable?

John 18:37 “Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.”  

 2. TO BRING A SWORD – even when it was divisive within the religious circles and churches?

Matthew 10:34, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. Verse 35, For I came to TURN A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; verse 36, and A PERSON’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.”

 3. TO FULFILL THE LAW – even when it was counter-cultural and did not fit specific denominational views?

Matthew 5:17, “Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.”  

 4. TO CALL SINNERS – even if it offended them and others?

Mark 2:17, “And hearing this, Jesus *said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” 

 5. TO SAVE THE WORLD – even when the world says Jesus was a fraud, was antagonistic to Him, and claimed it did not need saving?

John 12:47, “If anyone hears My teachings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.”

 6. TO CAST FIRE & BRING DIVISION UPON THE EARTH – even though He would be persecuted, tried, jailed and sentenced to death as a terrorist?

Luke 12:49, “I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! Verse 50,  But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! Verse 51, Do you think that I came to provide peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather to create division;  

 “WHAT HE REALLY MEANT?” – Even though He was radicalizing others?

John 14:12 “Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

Jesus’ demonstrated steadfast, unmovable courage despite the cost – and He has told us to do the same!

CONFRONT THE STORM

Mark 4:35-41, “On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

CONFRONT DEMONS

Luke 8:26-33 “Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.” For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert. And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss.

“Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. And the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.”

 BEFORE PILATE (Governors and elected officials)

John 19:8-12  ”Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid; and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.”

BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN (The religious authorities)

Matthew 24:57-67, “Those who had seized Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. But Peter was following Him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and entered in, and sat down with the officers to see the outcome.

“Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on two came forward, Verse 61, and said, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.’” The high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?”  But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.”  Jesus *said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

“Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy; what do you think?” They answered, “He deserves death!” Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him.”  

Jesus did not draw back.  He proceeded boldly to the Cross and secured our salvation!

Remember, Jesus came to earth for these stated reasons:

TO TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH. This, too, is our calling!

TO BRING A SWORD. This, too, is our calling!

 TO FULFILL THE LAW. This, too, is our calling!

TO CALL SINNERS. This, too, is our calling!

TO SAVE THE WORLD through Jesus. In a very real sense, this, too, is our calling, by lifting the Name of Jesus, telling others and leading them to Him

TO CAST FIRE & BRING DIVISION UPON THE EARTH. This, too, is our calling!

Get this right. Be like Jesus:

Be gentle as a dove, wise as a serpent, speak the truth, bring the sword, call sinners to Christ, cast His fire upon the earth, be like the Roaring Lamb.

Don’t be led or misled by the sheep. Follow the Lion of Judah!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

“He does not take pleasure in those who shrink back!”

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN – Part 17

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN – Part 17

John 2:5-11

“Jesus’ mother said to the servants, “Whatever He tells you, do it.”

 “Now there were six stone water pots standing there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing two or three measures each. Jesus said to them, “Fill the water pots with water.” So, they filled them up to the brim.

 “And He said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” And they took it to him. Now when the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the groom, and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the guests are drunk, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.”

“This beginning of His signs, Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.” 

There is nothing surprising about Jesus’ mother holding authority at this wedding.

These verses seem to be a concise report on Jesus’ first miracle. Some details are offered for context, but is little in the way of narrative.

The fact that there were six water pots available was apparently just coincidental. We can discern that these were the type of water pots used in ceremonial cleansing or purification according to existing Jewish custom, and that they most likely would hold about 20 gallons each. (This would have been a lot of wine for any wedding, so one could make assumptions such as the liberality and generosity of Jesus’ miracles, etc. But that is an unsubstantiated assumption.)

The process of Jesus’ miracle, although amazing in-an-of-itself, seems to be orderly.

The headwaiter’s comments reveal little more than his surprise at the quantity and quality of the wine being served later in the wedding.

But what is important is that the simplicity of this miracle “revealed Jesus’ glory; and His disciples believed in Him.”

The text says, “They believed in Him”. This ‘pisteúō – belief’ gave birth to faith, and this faith caused His disciples to believe Him.

This faith-based belief caused His disciples to leave their homes, their families, their possessions and their livelihoods to follow Jesus.

This faith-based belief caused His disciples to give their lives in the cause of Christ.

This faith heals the sick, raises the dead, and makes the lame to walk.

This faith-based belief transformed the world and continues to bring many to sons and daughters to glory.

Whatever He tells you, do it. His disciples saw, and believed Him.

Be a disciple. Believe. It changes everything!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Previous:  Chapter 16

THINK – Part 7 – This is the Power

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

Once again, many will hear Jesus’s words in these verses as a metaphor for something we must ‘do or attain to become’. This is not what He is saying. He is NOT telling us what we are to do, nor is He telling us what we are to strive to become.

Jesus is speaking prophetically, over and to His disciples, that is, He is speaking to anyone calling themselves a Christian and a follower of Jesus. He is proclaiming what we have already become or what we shall become because of His finished work of salvation and His continuing work of sanctification.

THIS IS THE POWER HE HAS CONFERRED ON YOU as an heir of the Kingdom of Heaven and a joint-heir of Jesus: YOU ARE THE LIGHT!

Jesus has said, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill (which) cannot be hidden.” This is also a positional statement. It cannot be undone, although it can go ‘unused’. It is your responsibility and my responsibility to use the power, and the position Jesus has given.

Jesus goes on to exclaim the obvious, that “people do not light a lamp, then put it under a basket”. How ridiculous would that be? The light is meant – you, as a Christian, are meant – to give light to the entire ‘house’!

When Jesus says that the light, which is Christ within you, is to shine before others, so they will see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven, He is not offering an option. He has spoken. This shall happen – unless YOU deliberately obscure His light or shrink back.

NOTE: Most people do not say, “Excuse me, I’ll be shrinking back now. I am leaving you now, Jesus.” They simply go silent. They stop doing as He has said; they stop submitting to His Lordship. They may fade back into their old lives and their old ways of doing things.

They may still ‘go through the motions of church and religion’. But these are those who have hidden their light.

Take from this what you will, but, as I said before, be warned. Jesus has said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)

The world is growing darker by the day. The forces of darkness and evil are spreading, almost unabated. Jesus is calling. He is saying,

“Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” (Ephesians 6:11-13.)

Dear brothers and sisters, it is an awesome responsibility and a great honor to stand with Christ. Remember, “you are from God, and you have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4).

THINK, and Make Your Stand!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

PREVIOUSLY:  THINK – Part 6 – This is your Potential

NEXT:  THINK – Part 8 – This is your Position

WHEN IS ‘DEMOCRACY’ NOT A DEMOCRACY?

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

What Type of Government Does the U.S. have, anyway?

A government that is run by elected officials is called a republic. The United States has both republican and democratic characteristics throughout its multiple levels of government.

America is considered a democratic republic. This essentially means that the government operates on the principles of both a republic and a democracy. In other words, the nation functions upon principles that are common in both republics and democracies. The American Heritage Dictionary defines a republic as “a political order in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who are entitled to vote for officers and representatives responsible to them.” The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines democracy as “a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation, usually involving periodically held free elections.” In other words, in a republic there are a group of citizens elected or appointed to represent the people, but with a democracy the power is theoretically in the hands of usually all voting citizens. A democratic republic is a mixture of the two.

The Purpose of a Democratic Republic – Checks and Balances

One of the main concepts that guided their decision-making was that of checks and balances.

However, Joe Biden and the democrats are saying “Republicans are a threat to democracy”!

Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary on the threat to ‘democracy’.

The founding fathers and patriots of the United States, thought back to the colonial days when formulating our type and style of government, considering that the people of the colonies had no say over the decisions of the parliament in the United Kingdom.

They concluded that elected officials serving as voices for the people is one of the main ways the government and citizens keep each other in check.

The people are not at the whims of a disconnected government because they can choose to whom they want to grant power, and the government avoids the chaos of the masses having total control by only allowing elected officials to take direct action.

Just as the people and government balance each other, the government has to keep itself in check. The most obvious way this occurs is by the division of power within state government and federal government.

The judicial branch interprets the constitutionality of laws.

The legislative branch of government makes laws, the executive branch enforces them, and the judicial branch interprets them.

These branches are allowed to interact with and contest each other, but their existence ensures that no small group of people has the power to do everything.

On the federal level, someone could propose a law, but if Congress does not vote in favor of it, the law does not get passed. Congress even balances itself through its structure.

A bicameral legislature

When the system was created, the Founding Fathers were unsure whether the states should get equal or proportional representation in Congress. Their solution was a bicameral legislature, a two-house legislative body.

In the Senate, the states get two senators each. In the House of Representatives, states’ representation depends on their respective populations.

Both houses have to pass a law for it to take effect, and even when that happens, the Supreme Court could deem the law unconstitutional and revoke it because The Constitution of the United States rules supreme.

The Supreme Law of the Land

The constitution can override anything the national government might decide to do.

This ensures that basic human rights may not be violated and that the foundational structure of the government cannot be radically altered.

But, does Joe Biden believe in and follow the principles of our long-established democratic republic? Or does he espouse a Socialist-democratic form of Marxism. Read his “American Rescue Plan of 2021” and decide.

NEXT: Read these quotes (and definitions) of Marxism by Karl Marx and Joseph Lenin and you will see the undeniable similarities between the American Democrat party platform and the murderous regimes of communism and Marxism.

Finally, here are three sources defining traditional democracy:

A DEMOCRACY – as defined by Dictionary.com:

Government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.

A state of society characterized by ‘formal equality of rights and privileges’, political or social equality; ‘democratic spirit’.

The common people of a community as distinguished from any privileged class; the common people with respect to their political power. (Dictionary.com)

NOTE: In a pure democracy, a majority can decided to rule over and take from the minority. Example: If the majority population dislikes working and earning incomes, they can vote to take for their own, the money of businesses and individuals who produce income, goods and services. (See how this is demonstrated by farmers being murdered and farmland stolen by Marxists in South Africa).

A DEMOCRACY – as defined by Merriam-Webster.com:

1a : government by the people, especially : rule of the majority

b : a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation, usually involving periodically held free elections

2 : a political unit that has a democratic government . (Merriam-Webster.com)

A DEMOCRACY – as defined by Wikipedia.org:

Democracy is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (“direct democracy”), or to choose governing officials to do so (“representative democracy”). Who is considered part of “the people” and how authority is shared among or delegated by the people has changed over time and at different rates in different countries, but over time more and more of a democratic country’s inhabitants have generally been included. Cornerstones of democracy include freedom of assembly, association, property rights, freedom of religion and speech, inclusiveness and equality, citizenship, consent of the governed, voting rights, freedom from unwarranted governmental deprivation of the right to life and liberty, and minority rights.

The notion of democracy has evolved over time considerably. The original form of democracy was a direct democracy. The most common form of democracy today is a representative democracy, where the people elect government officials to govern on their behalf, such as in a parliamentary or presidential democracy.

Prevalent day-to-day decision-making of democracies is the majority rule, though other decision-making approaches like super majority and consensus have also been integral to democracies. They serve the crucial purpose of inclusiveness and broader legitimacy on sensitive issues—counterbalancing majoritarianism—and therefore mostly take precedence on a constitutional level. In the common variant of liberal democracy, the powers of the majority are exercised within the framework of a representative democracy, but the constitution limits the majority and protects the minority—usually through the enjoyment by all of certain individual rights, e.g. freedom of speech or freedom of association. (Wikipedia.org)

The Purpose of a Democratic Republic – Checks and Balances

One of the main concepts that guided their decision-making was that of checks and balances. They thought back to the colonial days, when the people of the colonies had no say over the decisions of the parliament in the United Kingdom.

Elected officials serving as voices for the people is one of the main ways the government and citizens keep each other in check.

The people are not at the whims of a disconnected government because they can choose to whom they want to grant power, and the government avoids the chaos of the masses having total control by only allowing elected officials to take direct action.

Just as the people and government balance each other, the government has to keep itself in check.

The most obvious way this occurs is by the division of power within state government and federal government.

The judicial branch interprets the constitutionality of laws.

The legislative branch of government makes laws, the executive branch enforces them, and the judicial branch interprets them.

These branches are allowed to interact with and contest each other, but their existence ensures that no small group of people has the power to do everything.

On the federal level, someone could propose a law, but if Congress does not vote in favor of it, the law does not get passed. Congress even balances itself through its structure.

A bicameral legislature

When the system was created, the Founding Fathers were unsure whether the states should get equal or proportional representation in Congress. Their solution was a bicameral legislature, a two-house legislative body.

In the Senate, the states get two senators each. In the House of Representatives, states’ representation depends on their respective populations.

Both houses have to pass a law for it to take effect, and even when that happens, the Supreme Court could deem the law unconstitutional and revoke it because the constitution rules supreme.

The Supreme Law of the Land

The constitution can override anything the national government might decide to do.

This ensures that basic human rights may not be violated and that the foundational structure of the government cannot be radically altered.

These founding principals have sustained and prospered both America and the world for over 250 years, and continue to do so. But now they are under siege by Global Marxism and the American Democrat Party.

DEMOCRACY AND THE UNITED NATIONS – MARXISM IN DISGUISE

When Joe Biden, Barack Obama or any other democrat says ‘democracy’, what he or they are really referring to is ‘mob rule’, led by Marxist-style elitists. Please read and absorb the following from United Nations UNESCO: What is Democracy to the United Nations – A Socialist-Marxist Construct?

Additional Reading on this spreading threat:

The One World Government Emerges – 2022

Joe Bide, Barack Obama, Karl Marx and the United Nations

Agenda 2030, The U.N., Global Marxism

8 Great Lies by the Left

America Under Siege

The Great Reset

Ideas, excerpts and quotes from the main article above taken from various sites:

https://constitutionus.com/democracy/what-type-of-government-does-the-us-have/

 

THINK – Part 6 – This is Your Potential

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”  Matthew 5:10-12

We have read and have seen, (“THINK – Part 5”), that God is preparing us as heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven through His process of sanctification, that is the process of making or becoming holy, being set apart, consecrated for God’s purposes.

Sanctification is a supernatural work of God, and most of us work hard to avoid this process because it is difficult, painful and bewildering.  Actually, it is an amazing, supernatural work of God transforming us into His Own, children of Light. It is a difficult process that transforms and transcends.

The Apostle Peter reminds us about this process and its rewards, in 1 Peter 1:3-7, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

THE TRANSFORMATION

Many hear Jesus’s words in Matthew chapter 5 as something we must do on our own. But, this is NOT what He is saying. He is NOT telling us what we are to do. Jesus is telling us, prophetically, what we have become or what we shall become because of His work of sanctification. THIS IS YOUR POTENTIAL – You are an heir of the Kingdom of Heaven!

Matthew 5:13, flatly states, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.”

His statement, (Matthew 5:13), will not fit into any doctrinal position of any earthly church. Jesus is saying that, having been entirely sanctified, “YOU ARE NOW THE SALT OF THE EARTH”. It is the Greek word, ‘eimi’, which is the  same as Christ’s great “I AM” statements. It states, ‘straight-forward, existence without limit’.

Without pausing, Jesus continues by proclaiming, ‘but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.’

How can this be? How can you, at one moment, being fully sanctified by God, set apart for His use, lose your ‘savor’ and saltiness? How can you go from entirely sanctified to be suddenly declared, worthless?

The picture drawn here is harsh and impudent, and it is the sternest of warnings for those who would follow Jesus and then turn away or withdraw.

NOTE: Most people do not say, “I am leaving you now, Jesus.” They simply stop doing as He has said; they stop submitting to His Lordship. They fade back into their old lives and their old ways of doing things. They still ‘go through the motions of going to church and practicing their religion’. These have lost their savor and their saltiness.

Take from this what you will, but, be warned: Jesus has said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)

What is the answer to this dilemma? The answer is submission. Humble, meek, dependent submission to the Hand of God.

This was and is the purpose and the result of being sanctified by God. This is the purpose of being grieved by various trials. You will be trained during your lifetime to be a disciple, a living example of Jesus. You are being transformed into the likeness of Jesus by the renewing of your mind. This is your spiritual service of worship to prove what is the good, acceptable and perfect will of God!

But, you must remember, it is no longer you who does these things, but the Spirit of God working within you. (Galatians 2:20).

So, when tests, trials and temptations come, submit to God. Surrender your will and your desires to Him. If it means suffering a loss – then suffer it gladly. If it means suffering mistreatment, then suffer with humility.

These are the great oracles of the Word of God. They cannot be understood by the natural mind. They are discerned by the Spirit which dwells within you.

THINK!

This is your calling. It is hard as it is amazing. It is unstoppable. It is unshakable. Now, nothing shall be impossible.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

PREVIOUSLY:  THINK – Part 5 – The Sermon on the Mount – Be Blessed

NEXT:  THINK – Part 6 – This is your Power

PERFECTION – Chapter 31 – After All These Things

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

Knowing the identity of “the Dragon, the Beast which comes out of the sea and the Beast which comes out of the earth” will help you understand (1) the chronology of End Times events, (2) The ferocity of the Last Days Judgments (3) How to prepare (4) The timing of the Rapture (5) The timing of the Mark of the Beast (666), without which, no one will be able to buy or sell.

Please, understand, that Bible prophecy has been 100% accurate to this point in history.  It is 100% certain that what the Bible teaches is yet to come, will happen.  Read, learn and prepare.

Scriptures teach, in Matthew 24: 31, “Jesus 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”, that is, those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, from Revelation 13:8, tells us that “only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life” will enter into the new heaven, the New Jerusalem”. And, Revelation 21:27, says that, “nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

It would then appear that those who are left behind may have one more chance at redemption, but many of those not taken in the Rapture will die and suffer greatly in the Great Tribulation, through the sounding of the 6th Trumpet.

There will be cosmic disturbances, asteroids will crash into the earth and the earth is set ablaze. The seas and rivers will be contaminated and polluted so that many will die. The sun and the moon are darkened and fierce creatures will come out of the great bottomless pit to torment and hurt many.

If a person dies during this time without having found redemption, they will be lost forever in the outer darkness and then cast into the lake of fire.

Finally, after the sounding of the 6th Trumpet, God will pour out His final wrath, and no one will be saved from the eternal death and the lake of fire, thereafter.

Know what is coming and get ready.

I have tried to find a balance between keeping a very complex subject as short as possible and simple enough to read and understand, yet comprehensive enough to give full disclosure of the important points.  Still, to some, this has been a long read, but I pray that it has been well worth your time.

RECAP – WHAT IS COMING

THE SEALS of THE SCROLL:  Revelation chapters 6, 7, 8:1

SEALS, 1 through 4, have been successively and progressively open (revealed) since around AD 30 through the current day. It appears that the fifth SEAL is now in the process of being opened.  The sixth seal is too opened at a future date, which appears to be in the not-distant-future.

This graphic shows Jesus’ Words, first from The Revelation then from the Book of Matthew, stating and confirming what is coming:

Revelation          The Book of Matthew

1st Seal –              Rider on the White Horse (occurring since AD 30)

2nd Seal –            War (occurring since AD 30)

3rd Seal –             Famine (occurring since AD 30)

4th Seal –             Death (occurring since AD 30)

5th Seal –             Martyrs, Apostasy (occurring now)

6th Seal –             Terror, Cosmic disturbances (Yet to come, soon)

      • The Interlude – during the 6th Seal.
      • The sealing of the 144,000 – during the 6th Seal.
      • The Multitude from the Tribulation gathered around the Throne of God in Heaven ( This is The Rapture)!

7th Seal –             Silence in Heaven for ‘half an hour’.

THE TRUMPETS: Revelation chapter 8:1 – chapter 9

1st Trumpet – hail and fire, mixed with blood  –  a third of the earth was burned

2nd Trumpet – something like a great mountain burning – a third of the sea became blood;  and a third of the creatures died; a third of the ships destroyed.

3rd Trumpet – a great star called Wormwood fell from heaven, fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters; a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.

4th Trumpet – a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened, and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way.

5th Trumpet – The Bottomless Pit a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. He opened the bottomless pit; smoke, of a great furnace; the sun, the air were darkened; came locusts, and they hurt only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

Revelation 9:12  “The first woe is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things.”

NOTE:  The Scroll Seals, 1 through 5, mark the ‘days of distress’ leading up to the beginning of the 7-year Great Tribulation (also known as “Daniel’s Seventieth Week”).

The 7 years of Great Tribulation (Daniel’s 70th Week) begins with the opening of the 6th Tribulation Seal and will reach the halfway mark, 3.5 years, at the sounding of the 6th Trumpet.  

The “first woe” is complete at the end of the 5th Trumpet, and, just before the sounding of the 6th trumpet.

The second half (3.5 years) of the 7 years of the Great Tribulation will begin with the pouring out of God’s Wrath on earth (the bowl judgments).

6th Trumpet – The Army from the East

      • The Angel and the Little Book
      • The Two Witnesses

Revelation 9:20 says, “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; verse 21. And they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.”

Revelation 11:14  The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly.  

The Second Woe comes and ends with the sounding of the 6th Trumpet (Revelation 11:14).

The 7th Trumpet marks the beginning of the second half of the 7 years of Great Tribulation and the beginning of the Third Woe. 

Christ’s Reign Foreseen

Revelation 12

The Red Dragon

The Male Child Christ

The Angel, Michael

Revelation 13

Revelation 13 introduces the DRAGON, THE BEAST FROM THE SEA AND THE BEAST FROM THE EARTH.  Then, I will give a chronology of the Bible, leading up to Revelation 13, and to the end of the Book of The Revelation, to help frame the timing of these events.

THE DRAGON (Satan)

Revelation 13:1 

  1. “And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore.

 THE FIRST BEAST (The Anti-Christ)

Revelation 13

  1. Verse 1. “… Then I saw a beast
  2. coming up out of the sea,
  3. having ten horns and seven heads, and
  4. on his horns were ten diadems, and
  5. on his heads were blasphemous names.
  6. Verse 2. And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion.
  7. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.
  8. Verse 3. I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed.
  9. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast;
  10. Verse 4. they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast;
  11. and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?”
  12. Verse 5. There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and
  13. authority to act for forty-two months(3.5 years) was given to him.
  14. Verse 6. And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.
  15. Verse 7. It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and
  16. authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.
  17. Verse 8. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.
  18. Verse 9. If anyone has an ear, let him hear. Verse 10. If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.

THE SECOND BEAST (The False Prophet)

Revelation 13:11

  1. Verse 11.  Then I saw another beast
  2. coming up out of the earth; and
  3. he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon.
  4. Verse 12. He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And
  5. he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.
  6. Verse 13. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men.
  7. Verse 14. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast,
  8. telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who *had the wound of the sword and has come to life.
  9. Verse 15. And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
  10. Verse 16. And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,
  11. Verse 17.and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.
  12. Verse 18. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.

WHEN DOES THIS OCCUR?

You can see when the Beasts of Revelation appear and when the “Mark of The Beast” is given, by following this chronological outline of the Book of The Revelation:

We will start with THE TRIBULATION SEALS: “The SCROLL OF THE SEALS”, found in Revelation 5:1, which represents “that which has been hidden and is now being revealed”.

Revelation define:  (The Greek word, “apokalupsis”):  an uncovering, revealing, revelation. “The Revelation” is principally used of the revelation of Jesus Christ (the Word), especially a particular spiritual manifestation of Christ, (His will), previously unknown to this extent, because it has been “veiled and covered”.

Revelation 14

A Scene of Heaven

The Lamb and the 144,000 on Mount Zion

Vision of the Angel with the Gospel

Doom for Worshipers of the Beast

The Reapers

Revelation 15 

Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.

Revelation 16

Six Bowls of Wrath

1st Bowl of Wrath – loathsome and malignant sores

2nd Bowl of Wrath – the sea became blood

3rd Bowl of Wrath – the rivers and the springs of waters became blood.

4th Bowl of Wrath – the sun scorched men with fire.

5th Bowl of Wrath – it became dark

6th Bowl of Wrath – the Euphrates and its water was dried up

Armageddon

7th Bowl of Wrath – “It is done.”

Revelation 17

The Doom of Babylon

Victory for the Lamb

 Revelation 18

Babylon Is Fallen

Lament for Babylon

The Fourfold Hallelujah

Revelation 19

Marriage of the Lamb

The Coming of Christ

Doom of the Beast and False Prophet

 Revelation 20

 Satan Bound

Satan Freed, Doomed

Judgment at the Throne of God

 Revelation 21

 The New Heaven and Earth

The New Jerusalem

 Revelation 22

 The River and the Tree of Life

The Final Message:

Revelation 22:6 “And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”

Verse 7. “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

Verse 8. “I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, verse 9, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

Verse 10. “And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Verse 11. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”

Verse 12. “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. Verse 13. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Verse 14. “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Verse 15. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

Verse 16. “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

Verse 17. “The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

Verse 18. “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, verse 19, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

Verse 20. “He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

 

“The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.” – Revelation 22:21.

 

NEXT – The final Chapter:  PERFECTION – The Epilogue.

PREVIOUS:  PERFECTION – Chapter 30 – Be Ready for His Coming – Pt. 2

THINK – Part 5 – The Sermon on the Mount – Be Blessed

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

This commentary of ‘The Sermon on the Mount” is concise yet mysterious.  It is hard to understand with the mind.  In fact, it is impossible to understand with the natural mind, but difficult even by the faculty of the mind of a Believer.  It must be experienced to be understood.

It is the supernatural work of SANCTIFICATION by God.  Most of us work hard to avoid this process because it can be difficult, painful and bewildering.  But, actually, it is the amazing, supernatural work of God transforming us into His Own, children of Light.

We become the Heirs of the Kingdom of God.

Matthew 5:1  “When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.

Verse 2.  He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

Verse 3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Verse 4.  “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Verse 5.  “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

Verse 6.  “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Verse 7.  “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Verse 8.  “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Verse 9.  “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Verse 10.  “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Verse 11.  “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

Verse 12.  “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Verse 13. “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.

Verse 14.  “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;

Verse 15.  nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

Verse 16.  “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Here is the interpretation of these verses and their meanings.  Please read:

Verse 3 ¶  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

This “Sermon on the Mount” starts by telling us that we are Blessed, when we are poor in spirit.  We all have heard that this means we are “spiritually bankrupt”.

Yes, I suppose this can be one very basic and rudimentary meaning.

Being “Poor in Spirit”  however, means so much more: “Poor in spirit” (Greek:  ptochos) literally means:

1) reduced to beggary, begging, asking alms

2) destitute of wealth, influence, position, honor

2a) lowly, afflicted, destitute of the Christian virtues and eternal riches

2b) helpless, powerless to accomplish an end

2c) poor, needy

3) lacking in anything

3a) as respects their spirit

3a1) destitute of wealth of learning and intellectual culture which the schools afford (men of this class most readily give themselves up to Christ’s teaching and proved themselves fitted to lay hold of the heavenly treasure)

This comes from a root and alternate meaning “to be terrified”, “as a decaying corpse”.

It should cause us to wonder how could we possibly be considered “Blessed” if we are “poor in spirit”?

These verses go on to tell us we are “Blessed” if we are “mourning” loss, “hungering and thirsting”, or being “persecuted for the sake of righteousness”.  How can this be?

“Poor in spirit” is, more literally, to be crushed in your spirit; to be pinched by toil, hopelessness and extreme poverty; A beggar with no hope of rescue on the verge of death and perishing.

It is when life deals you crushing blows, which seem to be your end with no way of escape that this marvelous work of salvation, redemption and sanctification can begin; and not before.

We hear it said “you must come to the end of yourself to enter the Kingdom of God” which is true enough, but none of us have the will power to bring ourselves to such a desperate state.  It is God, alone, who will allow or bring crushing circumstances to bear on our lives which will cause us to turn to God for help.  And only God can save us from such desperate circumstances, redeem us to a state of wholeness, health and safety which is His Sanctification (holiness) of our lives.

Please read the following verses and take note of the process.  This is the ‘psychology of humankind’ as created by God and explained in deep spiritual terms by the Bible.  This explains what you and I must endure, (yes, endure), in order to “inherit the Kingdom of God”.

Verse 4:  “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

“Mourning”.  An understandable response upon finding yourself severely pinched by poverty, reduced to begging; destitute with no influence, no position; lowly, afflicted and helpless; powerless to change your circumstances for the better; lacking in anything and terrified.

Think with me.  Have you ever endured an especially difficult time?  Perhaps, as a child, you were punished for bad behavior?  Besides receiving a scolding you may have been spanked or had privileges taken from you?  Or perhaps you endured a time of suffering and loss?  “Mourning” was the natural response.  What did you experience next?

Verse 5.  “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

Do you remember after enduring a time of suffering or loss and “mourning” your loss, having a good cry, you how your emotions or spirit was quieted for a time?  You may have now had time to reflect on what has happened and you lapse into a time of quiet, gentle appearing reflection.

Verse 6.  “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Do you remember coming through a difficult time, having a good cry, either mentally or actually shedding tears and then the ‘calm the followed the storm’ in your soul?  Do you also remember that, for some reason, with the storm of your life behind you, you were actually hungry?

It is the same in our spirit.  It is usually at this point that we begin to make life-decisions.  We either get angry and defiant or we decide to do better and to “be better”.

For those being redeemed by the mercies of God, the process is to ‘hunger and thirst for right thinking and right living’:  which is the very definition of Righteousness.

It is through this process that we gain new insights and understanding.  How apt are scriptures to remind us in

Verse 7.  “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

The word ‘mercy’ in this verse literally means “kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them; of men towards men: to exercise the virtue of mercy, show one’s self merciful

We are indeed being “Sanctified”:  Being made holy and set apart for God’s use.

Verse 8.  “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Our attitudes are changing.  Showing mercy is a sign that our hearts are changing and become pure in the sight of God.  We are being transformed in what we see and in how we see.  We are beginning to see matters as God sees them.

Verse 9.  “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

A peace will begin to settle over the heart and mind of the redeemed and sanctified Believer.  We, not only begin to experience ‘a peace that passes understanding’ from our deepening relationship with God, but we begin to demonstrate and practice that peace of God which earns us the title “sons (and daughters) of God”.  We are being made into His image.

Verse 10.  “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The bible tells us that we must be made ‘poor in spirit‘ (crushed, terrified, ruined), and made to mourn the loss of all we have and all we are so that we are humbled by a gentle spirit and can see through new and merciful eyes. This process gives us a pure heart and peaceable intentions toward others.

It is now that our persecution has produced a Godly righteousness within us and we are able to enter and possess the Kingdom of Heaven.

This statement is too rich and too profound for the “casual Christian” or “casual Believer” to understand. It is known and understood only by  the Spirit of God.

The Kingdom we inherit, the ‘basileia’, is the notion of a foundation of power, a royal power, a kingship of dominion, rule. It is not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom, such as the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah, or the royal power and dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiah’s kingdom.

The word ‘Kingdom’ descends from another Greek word, ‘baino’, which means  “to walk”, or “the sole of the foot; a stepping, walking”.  This reminds us of the tremendous proclamation in Joshua 1:3 “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses.”

The word ‘Heaven’: is from the Greek word, ‘ouranos’, is a world of things eternal and consummately perfect where God dwells.

We are becoming, and in a real sense, we have already become heirs of the Kingdom of God, the place and the foundation of all power.

(Ephesians 1:4 says, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,)

A place of royal power, kingship, dominion and rule, not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom, God’s Kingdom.  It is of the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah.  It is the Place of the royal power and dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiah’s kingdom.  (From Strong’s concordance, definitions and translations of the Greek and Hebrew languages)

Entire Sanctification

Matthew 5:14  “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;

Verse 15.  “nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

Verse 16.  “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

This is the ‘picture of salvation and the process of sanctification’. It is a difficult process that transforms and transcends:

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”  1 Peter 1:3-7

PERFECTION – Chapter 30 – Be Ready for His Coming – Pt. 2

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

Where Are We Now?

There is a convergence and concurrence of global events, as never been seen before, in alignment with Bible prophecy.  The branch of the olive tree has become tender and is putting forth its leaves, so, you know that summer is near; so, too, when you see all these things, recognize that Jesus is near, right at the door!

Where Do We Go From Here?

The Bible shows us the Spiritual War that has been raging for millennia, first in the spiritual realm and then on earth. That war is intensifying and the final Judgments of God are soon to follow. After these judgments, Jesus and His armies of heaven will appear to defeat the Beast and the False Prophet. Until that final day, we, who are on earth, are commanded to join the battle.  This is critical.

We are told that our first line of defense and our most effective offense is to trust in the Lord our God.

Next in order of priority is to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might and to put on the full armor of God, so that we will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. (Ephesians 6:10-17)

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:10-17)

FULL ARMOR OF GOD: Therefore, we are to take up the full armor of God,

RESIST IN THE EVIL DAY: So that we will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything,

STAND FIRM:  Stand firm. Stand firm therefore,

PUT ON TRUTH:  HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and

PUT ON RIGHTEOUSNESS:  HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and

PREPARE WITH THE GOSPEL OF PEACE: having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;

FAITH:  In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

PRAY:  With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

 How Shall We Do It?

Readiness and your response become a matter of faith, obedience to His Word, walking in His Spirit and speaking His Word.

Understand the meaning of: “Jeremiah 12:5, “If you have run with footmen, and they have tired you out, Then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, How will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?”

DO THESE THINGS

(Note:   Luke 15 contains the description of the first five Tribulation Seals which began around A D 30, and those who are alive on earth during these times, must endure.)

“But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake.

“It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. So, make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves;

“for, I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute. 

“But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by all because of My name.

“Yet not a hair of your head will perish.

“By your endurance you will gain your lives.“

  • So, make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves;
  • I will give you utterance and wisdom, which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute.
  • Yet not a hair of your head will perish.
  • By your endurance, you will gain your lives.


Isaiah 54:17 says, “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their vindication is from Me,” declares the Lord.

  • No weapon that is formed against you will prosper;
  • And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn

Matthew 21:21 says, ”And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen.”

  • Have faith and do not doubt
  • if you … it will happen


John 15:7-8 says, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so [d]prove to be My disciples.”

  • If you abide in Me, and
  • My words abide in you,
  • ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

Revelation 12:10-11 says, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.

  • Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come
  • And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and
  • they did not love their life even when faced with death.

Thus says the Lord.

Although, the things I listed below will not ‘save you’, they are some things we should consider doing while we expectantly await His Return to take us to our Eternal Home:

 

← Please proceed to the War Room 

 

 

 

 

NEXT:  PERFECTION – Chapter 31 – After All These Things.

PREVIOUS:  PERFECTION – Chapter 30 – Be Ready for His Coming – Pt. 1

Additional Resource: STAY FOCUSED

Click here for an excerpt of an audio message from Pastor Alistair Begg on staying focused on the main things:

PERFECTION – Chapter 30 – Be Ready for His Coming – Pt. 1

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6

READINESS

Matthew 24:1-2 says, “Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. And He (Jesus) said to them (His disciples),“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.”

Verse 3.  “As 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?” Verse 4.  “And Jesus answered and said to them (His disciples), “See to it that no one misleads you.”

NOTE: These words were spoken by Jesus to, and for, His disciples.

(Jesus answers all the key questions of being ready for His return. This is worth your time, if you intend to follow Him.)

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “BE READY”?

The Parable of the Fig Tree

Matthew 24:32.  “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; verse 33. so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Verse 34. “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Verse 35. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

Verse 36. “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Verse 37. “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.”

What Those Days Will Be Like?

  • Verse 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,
  • Verse 39. and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away;
  • so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Verse 40. “Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Verse 41. “Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.”

What Should You Do to be Ready for His Coming – The reason for Readiness 

(Compare these 4 parables for the answer)

  • Matthew 24:42. “Therefore, be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.
  • Verse 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.
  • Verse 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.”

Benefits of Readiness

  • Matthew 24, Verse 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? Verse 46. “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Verse 47. “Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.”

Consequences for Carelessness regarding His Coming

  • Verse 48. “But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ Verse 49. and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards;
  • Verse 50. the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know,
  • Verse 51. and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

 What Should You Do to be Ready for His Coming – The reason for Readiness

Parable of Ten Virgins

Matthew 25:1-46 says,  “Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

  • Verse 2. “Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. Verse 3. “For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, verse 4. but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps.
  • Verse 5. “Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. Verse 6. “But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet ’ Verse 7. “Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.
  • Verse 8. “The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ Verse 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.’

Benefits of Readiness

  • Verse 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.

Consequences for Carelessness regarding His Coming

  • Verse 11. “Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ Verse 12. “But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’
  • Verse 13. “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

What Should You Do to be Ready for His Coming – The reason for Readiness

Parable of the Talents

  • Matthew 25:14.  “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. Verse 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.
  • Verse 16. “Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. Verse 17. “In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. Verse 18. “But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

Benefits of Readiness

  • Verse 19. “Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Verse 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.’
  • Verse 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.’
  • Verse 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.’ Verse 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.’

Consequences for Carelessness regarding His Coming

  • Verse 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 Verse 25. ‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’
  • Verse 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 Verse 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. Verse 28. ‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’
  • Verse 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.
  • Verse 30. “Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

What Should You Do to be Ready for His Coming – The reason for Readiness

The Judgment

Matthew 25:31, “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.

  • Verse 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. Verse 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; Verse 36. naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’
  • Verse 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? Verse 38. ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? Verse 39. ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’

Benefits of Readiness

  • Verse 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, eventhe least of them, you did it to Me.’

Consequences for Carelessness regarding His Coming

  • Verse 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;
  • Verse 42. for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; Verse 43. I 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.’
  • Verse 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?’
  • Verse 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.’ Verse 46. “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Please take note of the consistency of these parables.  Each scenario tells of a coming judgment and either a reward for the faithful servant or the punishment of perishing for the unfaithful and unprepared servants.

This is not a matter to be argued, such as “once saved, always saved” or “they were never saved in the first place”.  This is a matter of being a prepared and of being a faithful servant or, of being a person who is unprepared and just “going through the motions” of Christianity.

The foregoing Words of Jesus, from Matthew, chapters 24 and 25, are written to His disciples, that is to Christians. So, if you are not a Christian, a disciple of Jesus, you probably don’t understand what He is saying, and most likely, consider all this as foolishness, as, God has told us that spiritual matters are Spiritually discerned and you must have the Spirit of God within you to understand.

If you have any sense of the gravity of this message, you can turn to God now, and, confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Where Are We Now?

The date, at the time of this writing, is August 22, 2021. There is a convergence and concurrence of global events, as never been seen before, in alignment with Bible prophecy.  The branch of the olive tree has become tender and is putting forth its leaves, so, you know that summer is near; so, too, when you see all these things, recognize that Jesus is near, right at the door!

Where Do We Go From Here?

Our next responsibility is to gather in the God’s War Room. The Bible shows us that a Spiritual War that has been raging for millennia, first in the spiritual realm and then on earth. That war is intensifying and the final Judgments of God are soon to follow. After these judgments, Jesus and His armies of heaven will appear to defeat the Beast and the False Prophet. Until that final day, we, who are on earth, are commanded to join the battle.  This is critical.

Dear friends, please hear me. Jesus tells us this is not optional. You and I will either join Him in this final assualt on earth or we, by our attitudes and our actions, will be found out to be ‘hearers only, deceiving ourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing’. (see James 1:22-25)

Please join me now, in the War Room, for His instructions and our preparation for this greatest of all battles.

NEXT:  PERFECTION – Chapter 30 – Be Ready for His Coming – Pt. 2

PREVIOUS:  PERFECTION – Chapter 29 – Confronting Evil in our day

THE RISE OF THE SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST – The response toward a compromised church

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 3 Comments

(This is a short panorama of the sudden rise of the Church of Jesus Christ, followed by the fall of the errant, compromised and false church and the rise of the Antichrist in these latter days.

Do not despair at what you are about to read. This is all part of God’s Glorious “Plan of Perfection”. We have an important part to play and we must fulfill our role. The End is nearer than you think. Rejoice!).

God’s plan is unfolding exactly as He purposed; from The Creation, through the Garden of Eden and the Fall of Man to the Great Flood, the Tower of Babel, the Exodus from Egypt, the possessing of The Promised Land, the Destruction of the First Temple and the Jewish Captivity in Babylon, the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Destruction of the Second Temple, our steady march through time has been exactly as Bible prophecy has foretold.  We have entered an era leading to the destruction and, eventually, a rebirth of the heavens and the earth.

The Purpose of God’s Eternal Plan is “Perfection”.  He is maturing and perfecting His people into His image, ultimately to live in Perfect harmony with Him and with one another, in a New and Perfect heaven and earth.

“Because by a single offering He has made perfect for all time those who are being sanctified.” Hebrews 10:14

Each and every chapter, verse and word in the Bible, when viewed within this context of  God’s Eternal Plan of Perfection, begins to make perfect sense.

    THE JOURNEY TO PERFECTION – A Preview

The advent and rise of Christianity were sudden, dramatic and explosive despite being birthed in a crucible of severe, violent and bloody persecution. (Despite the risks, the early Church did not, shrink back to destruction, but followed Jesus in faith and practice for they had faith for the safekeeping of the soul. See Hebrews 10:39)

What was it about early Christianity that led so many to sacrifice everything, including their lives, in order to become a follower and a disciple of Jesus?

It was both a promise and a hope. A promise of forgiveness of one’s failed and sinful past. A hope of a future worth living, now, and an eternity with God in heaven. The promise and hope were played out in people’s lives through demonstrable love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit of God within you. (The early Church knew this and practiced it; the postmodern church seems to have forgotten.)

The Christian community was becoming known for its generosity, its humility and its commitment to a quiet and humble lifestyle of faith. The Christian community selflessly cared for one another and for others, giving and expecting little in return. (This was the way of life for the early church; the postmodern church has forgotten and has become self-serving in many ways.)

The greatest criticism of Jesus and His Church, (the Christian Community), was who they ministered to and kept company with the sick and the poor, the downtrodden, the oppressed and the outcast.  Jesus responded, saying “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.” (This was the model and the way of the early church; today, the practice of this teaching and example of Jesus is sporadic at best.)

Although the penalty for becoming a Christian in the early church was often a beating, stoning and death, the Church grew exponentially. The Church was a movement of God.

Then something tragic happened.

AD 313 The Church expanded into Rome, and it gained recognition. It grew in power and popularity. It obtained wealth, buildings, property and influence. It became an institution.

AD 380 The Church expanded into Europe. It was becoming a worldwide phenomenon. It grew in wealth, stature, power and influence. It had become a culture.

AD 1607 The Church reaches America.

AD 1681 The Church became corporate. It had become a business and incorporated. It became regulated by the government.

The Corporate Church grew. It needed money to support growth and expansion, which meant the Corporate Church needed more people.

AD 1777 The state of Virginia granted tax exemption to houses of worship.

AD 1894 The corporate church was granted tax exemptions by the Federal Government.

AD 1954 The Federal Government regulated what a church could and could not say in order to retain tax-exempt status.

The church continued to grow, and in order to attract more people the Corporate Church lowered its membership and doctrinal standards. More people became ‘members’ and gave more money to support more growth.

The Church corporation is complete with leaders, boards and membership and a business model.

Local churches compete against one another for members (customers). The church is selling itself in “three-line slogans”.

The Church members now have choices and have become religious consumers. Church people can shop around for the religious brand and standards that best suits them. (2 Timothy 3)

The Leadership (pastors and preachers) have become CEOs, disciples have become church leaders, growing their 501(c)(3) business models.

Record numbers of pastors quitting because of stress, burnout or are being fired by their congregations (some stats say 1500 – 1700 leave “the ministry” each month).

Church debt in America soars; church foreclosures soar.

AD 1968 The church ordains homosexuals as clergy.

AD 1972 The United church of Christ ordains homosexual clergy

AD 2010 The Lutheran church ordains homosexual clergy

AD 2012 The Presbyterian church ordains homosexual clergy

The Episcopal Church in the United States and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) have also allowed ordination of openly gay and lesbian candidates for ministry for some years.

Internationally, churches that have ordained openly lesbian or gay clergy include the Church of Scotland, the Church of England, the Church in Wales, the Church of Sweden, the Church of Norway, the Church of Denmark, the Church of Iceland, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, the Evangelical Church in Germany, the Methodist Church in Britain, the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, the United Protestant Church in Belgium, the Swiss Reformed Church, the United Protestant Church of France, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, Anglican Church in Canada, the Old Catholic Church, the Czechoslovak Hussite Church and the United Church of Christ in Japan.

AD 2020 The church is losing and has lost influence. The church in 2020 is losing members.

AD 2021 The church-at-large is teaching and living a different Gospel than that of the Apostles.

A new and revolutionary message known as the Gospel of Jesus Christ had been largely abandoned, and as Aristotle postulated, “nature (and the world) abhors a vacuum”.  This idiom is used to express the idea that empty or unfilled spaces are unnatural as they go against the laws of nature and physics and are soon filled. The same could be said to be true about human nature.

The teaching and practices of Jesus and the Bible were abandoned or replaced by self-serving methods of commerce, entertainment, comfort or exploitation people felt betrayed and they dropped out or rebelled. A void had been created.

Now, that void is being filled. Enter, Critical Race Theory. WOKE ideologies. The Emergent Church. Transgenderism. LGBQT ‘rights’. BLM. Gender Neutral ideologies. The ‘new Marxism’. Abortions-on-demand. Euthanasia of the elderly.

The popular cry from Christians in the postmodern 21st century is to “put prayer back in schools” or to “return to the Bible”.  But until we, Christians, forsake sin and return to the ways and attitudes of Jesus, no outward practice will bring us a saving relationship with God; we are saved only by God’s grace, through obedient faith in Jesus Christ.

THE AGE OF APOSTASY IS WELL UNDER WAY

Matthew 24:3, records, “And as Jesus 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?” 

Then, in Matthew 24:4, Jesus recounts to His disciples, the breaking of the first four Tribulation Seals which had begun in or around A.D. 30 and would continue to intensify and overlap with one another and the 5th tribulation seal, until the arrival of The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord (The 6th Tribulation Seal).

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

It is urgent that “The Church”, that is the members of Christ’s Body, you and I, must turn away from the apostate church and surrender ourselves as bondservants of Jesus, in His service, as did the early Church. The time is short.

Jesus continues in Matthew 24: 9, describing a great persecution of the church, the great apostasy and the rise of false prophets and the spirit of antichrist. “Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. Verse 10. And at that time many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. Verse 11. And many false prophets will rise up and mislead many people. Verse 12. And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will become cold”.

The point is that God will finish what He had started: The Perfecting of His Church, through purging, cleansing and purifying by way of the first half of the 7 yeare tribulation period (beginning with the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal.

Then comes judgment of all the earth, beginning with the 7th Trumpet Judgement. We need to be ready and understand what God is doing in these last days leading up to the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal and the rapture of the Church.

Read Daniel 12:5-12,“Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the stream and the other on that bank of the stream.  And someone said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “How long will it be until the end of these wonders?”  And I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time (12 months), times (12 months), and half a time, (six months, or a total of 42 months = 3.5 years; the first half the 7 year tribulation period); and as soon as they finish smashing the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed. But as for me, I heard but did not understand; so I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?”  And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words will be kept secret and sealed up until the end time. Many will be purged, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand. And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is the one who is patient and attains to the 1,335 days! But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will rest and rise for  allotted portion at the end of the age.” These are of Daniel’s 70 Weeks.

NOTES:  For clarification, please first read Daniel 9:27, “And he will confirm a covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come the one who makes desolate, until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, gushes forth on the one who makes desolate.”

The “seventy weeks” prophecy is one of the most significant and detailed Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. It is found in Daniel 9. The chapter begins with Daniel praying for Israel, acknowledging the nation’s sins against God and asking for God’s mercy. As Daniel prayed, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and gave him a vision of Israel’s future.

The Divisions of the 70 Weeks

In verse 24, Gabriel says, “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city.” Almost all commentators agree that the seventy “sevens” should be understood as seventy “weeks” of years, in other words, a period of 490 years. These verses provide a sort of “clock” that gives an idea of when the Messiah would come and some of the events that would accompany His appearance.

The prophecy goes on to divide the 490 years into three smaller units: one of 49 years, one of 434 years, and one 7 years. The final “week” of 7 years is further divided in half. Verse 25 says, “From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’” Seven “sevens” is 49 years, and sixty-two “sevens” is another 434 years:

49 years + 434 years = 483 years.

The Final Week of the 70 Weeks

Of the 70 “sevens,” 69 have been fulfilled in history. This leaves one more “seven” yet to be fulfilled. Most scholars believe that we are now living in a huge gap between the 69th week and the 70th week. The prophetic clock has been paused, as it were. The final “seven” of Daniel is what we usually call the tribulation period.

Daniel’s prophecy reveals some of the actions of the Antichrist, the “ruler who will come.” Verse 27 says, “He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’” However, “in the middle of the ‘seven,’ . . . he will set up an abomination that causes desolation” in the temple. Jesus warned of this event in Matthew 24:15. After the Antichrist breaks the covenant with Israel, a time of “great tribulation” begins (Matthew 24:21, NKJV).

From this we can find the answer to the question in Daniel 12, “How long will it be until the end of these wonders?” In the middle of the ‘one week’ which is equal to 3.5 years, the wonders of purging, cleansing and refining of His Church is completed, the abmonination of desolation will take place, and the begins the second 3.5 years of the Tribulation period when God will pour out His Wrath, cast Satan, the Beast and those not found in the Lamb’s book of life, into the eternal lake of fire.

The breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal will usher in the final 7 years of the Great Tribulation, also known as Daniel’s 70th Week. (See Matthew 24:21, “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again.

And Matthew 24:29-31, tells us, “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. 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. And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET BLAST, and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

It will be at the end of the Age that Jesus will have defeated the the Antichrist and the beast and cast them into the eternal lake of fire. God, then will create a new heaven and a new earth.  The walls will be jasper; and the city will be pure gold, like clear glass. The foundation stones of the city wall will be decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone will be jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. And the twelve gates will be twelve pearls; each one of the gates will be a single pearl. And the street of the city will be pure gold, like transparent glass.

There will be no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city will have no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God will illuminate it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21:18-27).

Rather than pointing out the state of the church in this postmodern age, I am appealing to you to come out of the church lethargy that is so prevelant, and enter the ministry God has given you; discover and employ the Spiritual Gifts given you by the Holy Spirit.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

PERFECTION – Chapter 29 – Confronting Evil in our day

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 6 Comments

Kings 18:40, tells us that “Elijah said to the people of Israel, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” So, they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slaughtered them there.”

1 Samuel 15:1-3, tells us, “Then Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; now therefore, listen to the words of the Lord. This is what the Lord of armies says: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, in that he obstructed him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt.  Now go and strike Amalek and completely destroy everything that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

However, Matthew 5:39-42, tells us of a very different approach, “But I, (Jesus), say to you, do not show opposition against an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

The difference between how God instructed His people to confront evil before the advent of Christ, is stark. We see the men and women of God, in the Old Testament, stand up to evil and when called upon to do so, they would physically destroy every last vestige of evil, including men, women, children, animals and properties.

Jesus, on the other hand, called on His followers to love their enemies and to do good to those who persecuted them.

Why this sudden shift when it comes to dealing with evil and with evil people? Here are three reasons for this shift in paradigm.

(#1). Jesus makes a distinction between sin and the sinner, or evil and the one perpetrating evil. God sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus, to save the world, not to condemn the world. But Jesus came to show us the way to defeat the evil one, and He will destroy every last vestige of evil.

(#2). We have new weapons for this warfare. Spiritual weapons, which are much more powerful than man made weapons. Because we are carnal creatures, we love to take matters into our own hands. But the physical world is the final manifestation of the Spiritual world. We must believe and know the battle is to be fought and won in the Spiritual realm, first. Then, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.

(#3). The shift is away from the temporal or the physical manifestation of evil, and onto the source and root cause of evil which is being fought in the heavens or the spiritual world, so it would not manifest in the physical world.

We are clearly taught, in Matthew 5:38 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ verse 39. But I say to you, do not show opposition against an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also. Verse 40, And if anyone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak also. Verse 41. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Verse 42. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

Verse 43. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ verse 44. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, verse 45, so that you may prove yourselves to be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Verse 46. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors, do they not do the same? Verse 47. And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Even the Gentiles, do they not do the same? Verse 48. Therefore, you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

If you entangle yourself in a physical struggle with evil, you must know that Jesus warned, in Mark 9:29, that there are times when “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”

Don’t be confused. We are still called to resist the devil, (James 4:7), and to destroy all manner of evil, (2 Corinthians 10:3-6) ”For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage battle according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.” (Also see, Ephesians 6:10-17).

Just like the first disciples and Apostles, we are to lift the name and person of Christ, in how we live and what we say. We are to present the Living Word and call all people to Christ.

At the same time, we are to confront evil wherever it is found and to pull down the strongholds of evil, silence the ignorance of the foolish, take captive every thought through the spoken Word of God.

Having done all this, we are to continue to stand strong, trusting in the Lord, and He will exact His righteous justice and vengeance toward the unrepentant and the wicked.

Although there may be times when God will call upon you as His instrument of judgment, be very cautious. Anything more that we may do on our part is an assumption that we can replace God by taking matters into our own hands.

WHAT THIS WOULD LOOK LIKE? 

It was for this reason that Jesus came into the world:

  1. TO TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH

John 18:37 “Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.”  

  1. TO BRING A SWORD

Matthew 10:34, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. Verse 35, For I came to TURN A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; verse 36, and A PERSON’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.”

  1. TO FULFILL THE LAW

Matthew 5:17 “Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.”  

  1. TO CALL SINNERS

Mark 2:17 “And hearing this, Jesus *said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” 

  1. TO SAVE THE WORLD

John 12:47 “If anyone hears My teachings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.”

  1. TO CAST FIRE & BRING DIVISION UPON THE EARTH

Luke 12:49 “I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! Verse 50,  But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! Verse 51, Do you think that I came to provide peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather to create division; “

The Point here, is that as followers and disciples of Jesus, the attitude, methods and ways of Jesus are to be our calling, our attitude and our methods and ways, also.

 “WHAT HE REALLY MEANT?”

Jesus has told us, in John 14:12, “Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father. Verse 13. And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Verse 14. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

I have heard so many preachers, bible teachers and detractors alike, try to justify or explain away these Words of Jesus because they just cannot fathom the gentle and sweet ‘dashboard Jesus’ saying such things as we find in the verses cited.  These same confused preachers really get tied in a knot over John 14:12.  They will begin their commentary of teaching it with, “what this really means is…”.

Jesus said what He meant and meant exactly what He said.  He is our model for our counter cultural resistance to the growing global threat of Communist-Marxist-Globalism, And we need to get on with it.

Finally, a personal story:  I was asked to testify as a character witness for my neighbors, who were going through a divorce. When the attorney arrived, he began by giving me instructions on what to say on behalf of the wife. After he finished with his instructions, he asked if I had any questions. I said I had one question. He nodded for me to continue.

I asked him, “If you were to die today, do you have any assurance of where your soul would go?”

The attorney rolled his eyes and said, derisively, “I’m not going to answer that!”

I responded with, “Then, I will not proceed.”

Feeling trapped, he said, “Okay. I have no idea. I think I am a good person, so I hope I would go to heaven. How’s that?”, he finished

I went on to explain how he could know for certain, by God’s grace and through faith in Christ Jesus. I asked him if he would like to pray. He declined. I encouraged him to consider what we had talked about, I thanked him for his consideration and proceeded to the deposition.

There was a judge, two attorneys, my friends, and a court reporter present. I was sworn in and asked to give a testimony about my friend and neighbor.  I started with, “First, I want you to know that both my neighbors are good people. But I am here on behalf of the wife, so I will testify to her good character.

“I also want you to know that the One who ordained the sanctity of marriage, that is God, and He hates divorce and what divorce does to people and the children of those people. So, I am certain that God would be unhappy with these proceedings.

“Furthermore, I want you to know that God loves both of my neighbors and would want nothing less than reconciliation and healing for them. And, in fact, God loves every one of you in this room today, and I would encourage you to come to know Him personally.”  I then gave my friend an endorsement.

The judge sighed heavily and said, “Do you realize we have to read that entire account in open court?!”

I answered, “No, sir, I did not. But I am pleased to hear it.” With that, the proceedings were complete.

I have always wondered if any wanted me metaphorically dead, sort like with Stephen, or if any might have gotten saved at some point, like with Paul?  Only God knows.

Regardless of the challenge or the potential outcome, God and the Bible tell us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood. Our struggle is against the rulers the powers, the world forces of this darkness and the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

We, therefore, are to take up the full armor of God, so that we will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done that, we are to stand firm.

We are to stand firm, having belted our waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having strapped on our feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all this, we are to take up the shield of faith to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Additionally, we are to put on the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The point is best made in 2 Timothy 4:2, when the Bible says, “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction.”

Let’s take up our place and fulfill our calling, confronting evil wherever it is found and pulling down the strongholds of evil, silencing the ignorance of the foolish, take captive every thought through the spoken Word of God, knowing that the Word of God will accomplish the very thing He sent it out to do and will not return void!

NEXT:  PERFECTION – Chapter 30 – Be Ready for His Coming – Pt. 1

PREVIOUS:  PERFECTION – Chapter 28 – The 6th Tribulation Seal

PERFECTION – Chapter 28 – The 6th Tribulation Seal

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

– The Opening of the 6th Tribulation Seal –

It is the beginning of the 7 years of “The Great Tribulation”.

Matthew 24 distinguishes between the tribulation period, a.k.a., ‘the beginning of sorrows’ or ‘times of distress’, and ‘the Great Tribulation’, also known as “THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE DAY OF THE LORD“.

Revelation 7:13  “Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” verse 14.  “I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

WHAT AM I TO BE DOING?

1 Peter 4:7, tells us, “The end of all things is near; therefore,

(a)  Be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.

(b)  verse 8.  “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.

(c)  verse 9.  “Be hospitable to one another without complaint. Verse 10.  “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

(d) verse 11.  “Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

(e) Ephesians 6:10.  “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.

(f) verse 11.  “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Verse 12.  “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

(g) verse 13.  “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

(h) verse 14.  “Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, verse 15, “and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; verse 16,  “in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Verse 17. “And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

(i) Verse 18.  “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

(j) Matthew 10:7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

(k)  verse 8.  ““Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.

(l) verse 19.  “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,

(m) baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

(n) verse 20,  “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

I have tried to make this simple and clear:  we are at the end, the precipice of THE LAST DAYS.  Denominational bias and clutter have clouded these matters.  Although still obscured by denominationalism, it is becoming plain. And now many well-known and credible Bible scholars, Bible teachers and pastors are shaking off the heavy cloak of denominationalism and coming to this revealed Truth of the God’s Word.

NEXT:  PERFECTION – Chapter 29 – Confronting Evil in this Day and Time.

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