Posts filed under ‘israel’
Ecclesiastes and Vanity of Life, Part 2
It seems that people (represented by “the eye”) ignore this “monotony” by constantly striving for something more. Solomon is starting to point out how unsettled people are in general. He seems to think that we are unsettled because we are unable or unwilling to reconcile ourselves with the ebb and flow of life that God has given us. We are never happy with what God has given us to enjoy. That is seen with Adam and Eve who, though living in a perfect environment, still longed for the “grass” on the other side of the fence. Imagine if Adam and Eve had simply been content with their “lot in life.” Imagine how different things would be for us today, now.
Continue Reading January 26, 2016 at 8:26 AM Leave a comment
Ecclesiastes and Vanity of Life, Part 1
After his brief introduction with verse 1, Solomon gets right to the heart of the matter and does so with vehemence. He wants people (including you and me) to understand that his overarching view of life is that all is futile. While this might make people think that Solomon is completely depressed or at least bereft of any positive view of life, as we continue through the book we realize that this is only true in one sense. It seems clear that Solomon has chosen his open words very carefully. He seeks your attention and craves your indulgence. This is a man who is desperate to teach the truths he has learned. Are you willing to listen?
Israelites Went In and Out of Fellowship Constantly
Much like the Prodigal Son who deliberately chose to leave his father’s presence to live a life of sin (Luke 15) and had to deal with the consequences of his actions, Christians today make decisions all the time that directly impact whether or not we are and/or remain in fellowship with God. Just as Achan chose to disobey God and take what God warned he should not have taken (to enrich himself), the consequences of his actions resulted in death for Achan, his family, and animals. I don’t take this to mean that Achan lost salvation (if he actually had it). But it is clear that God was much quicker to judge those who fell out of fellowship with Him during the Old Testament times than He does during these times.
Continue Reading January 16, 2016 at 8:35 AM Leave a comment
Can Authentic Christians Deny Jesus? Part 3
But the very important question that we must answer is how do we abide in Christ? How do we live our lives in such a way that causes us to continue abiding in Christ? First, we need to understand that when we read the term abide in Christ, it is almost always referring to being and remaining in fellowship with God. What keeps us from fellowship with God? Only one thing: sinful behavior. Sure, we can break that down into many areas and lots of examples, but in the end, it is all sin. Any and every sin will break off our fellowship with God. When we sin deliberately, we cease to fellowship with God.
Continue Reading January 12, 2016 at 8:09 PM Leave a comment
Christ, Our Fellowship, Part 17
When Moses met with God on the mountain, there was certainly a “to do” list of sorts and part of that included giving the Ten Commandments. Other parts included providing all the parameters for the building of the tabernacle, which eventually became the Temple under Solomon. Still other areas included all aspects of the Law, including the ceremonial aspects of the Law that dealt with daily living in Israel. But Moses also simply enjoyed God’s presence and who wouldn’t? It was through this “face-to-face” that Moses began to learn about and got to know the Pre-incarnate Jesus. It was based on these experiences with Jesus that Moses grew in knowledge of the Lord, how He wanted things done, and how He expected Moses to live before Him.
Christ, Our Righteousness, Part 19
Remember, this time of judgment is not regarding our salvation, which is safe and secure. That cannot be removed from us. We’re talking about our actions, words, and intentions, for which we are accountable. How would God be able to provide us with any rewards if He doesn’t judge those things? I guess what I can hope for when the time comes for me to stand before Him is that there will be a marked difference in my life as I grow toward Him. I’m hoping that as time progresses toward the end of my life, I will be a good student, a good soldier for Jesus, one who boasts in the Lord and willingly submits to Him in all things. I’m hoping my times of sin will be fewer and further between and my actual intentions for the actions and words that flow from me will stem from a heart that is more molded in His image and character. We can only hope this will be the case for all of us, but certainly, much of that is up to us and our desires for God in the first place.
Christ, Our Righteousness, Part 17
Did Jesus set up a corner stand with the banner stating “Free Samples of Eternal Life!” and then encouraged people to simply “try” them? If they didn’t like them, they would always reject it, right? But if a person actually becomes truly born again or born from above (John 3), wherein that person is sealed with the Holy Spirit and made partakers with Christ in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 1:3; 4:30), how can that be taken away? How can they legally reject it? It seems as though this and other portions of Scripture we’ve highlighted are pointing to the fact that the only thing about being a Christian that a Christian can ultimately reject is whether or not that Christian makes and keeps Jesus LORD over their life daily. By stating this, I am not stating that so-called Lordship Salvation has merit. I’m simply stating that each and every Christian must come to terms with the fact that we need to submit ourselves to God in Christ daily. This is the fellowship aspect of being a Christian that rests with us. But even there, Jesus appears to have made it easier because He says He will help us.
Sons of the Kingdom Will Be Thrown Out
Those Jews who reject Jesus are rejecting His redemptive work on their behalf (and ultimately, they are rejecting salvation), because they wrongly believe they are “safe” because they have Abraham as their “father.” It is not Abraham who saves them. In fact, it is clear that Abraham also needed saving and God only counted Abraham as “righteous” because of the faith he exhibited in God (Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6; Hebrews 11:8-12). That salvation that came to Abraham was not automatically passed down to Jews through Isaac and Jacob. Only the culture of being Jewish was passed, not the salvation.
Continue Reading December 3, 2015 at 9:53 AM Leave a comment
Moving Toward Peace and Safety Ultimately Means Destruction, Part 4
We cannot stop what is coming. Most importantly, we are not called to attempt to stop it. Our calling is to be involved in the Great Commission (Matthew 28). I honestly believe as the time continues to draw near for these events to occur, people will become more afraid. They will be searching for answers. The last thing they need is for so-called Christians to tell them that as “patriots,” we must fight for our rights and stand against the government. That’s absurd. What people will need is what they’ve always needed. To hear the gospel of Jesus, the gospel that has the power to save them not only from what is coming in this temporal plane, but also to save them in the eternal realm.
Moving Toward Peace and Safety Ultimately Means Destruction, Part 3
I believe the Antichrist will step up following Gog’s failed attempt to attack and conquer Israel (Jerusalem) because it will be a time when Israel will unfortunately see itself as vulnerable to world powers. Antichrist however, realizing that God gave them the victory, will rush into take advantage of their doubts. In essence, the world will be in shock and just how supernaturally Gog and his troops were defeated. It is clear from Ezekiel 38-39 that Israel does not lift a finger to help itself. The world will be stunned, but Antichrist will take full advantage of the situation. Instead of cowering because of God’s great victory, Antichrist will rush in and seemingly come alongside Israel, helping them believe that he (Antichrist) is the guy who can make sure that no one even tries to attack Israel for the next seven years (cf. Daniel 9:27). Unfortunately, Israel’s leaders will gladly agree to this, proving to God that they have no faith in Him.
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