Blog
Thoughts
by Raymond A. Cutts
page 2
Marriage of the Lamb
Revelation 19:7-8 says “the marriage of the Lamb is
come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was
granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen: for the
fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.” The
question is, who is “the bride,” and what is “the
marriage?” This is a vast field for thought. Revelation
21:9-10 says “I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s
wife. And he … shewed me that great city, the holy
Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.” Therefore
in this instance the bride is the city [holy, new Jerusalem],
and the marriage is an event [the time of the city descending
from heaven to earth]. The city is astronomical in size,
21:6 says the “city lieth four square … twelve
thousand furlongs [each of three dimensions] … length
and the breadth and the height of it are equal;” thus
we see a cube shape with a square base with each of its
three dimensions 1378.4 miles. Also, the thickness of the
walls as stated in verse 17 “the wall thereof, an hundred
and forty and four cubits,” is about 220 feet thick.
However, Revelation 19:7 says of the bride “his wife
hath made herself ready,” thus personifying the city,
giving life and action to an inanimate object. For it says
further on this personification of the city in verse 8,
“she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white:
for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints;”
this shows that an uninhabited city would be a very dreary
place for God to dwell in. Also, it is said that the raiment
[righteousness of the saints] “to her was granted;”
she is granted children of God from all generations, many
times more populated than the old Jerusalem. So, as to the
“marriage of the Lamb,” also look at Ephesians
5:23 “For the husband is the head of the wife, even
as Christ is the head of the church;” illustrating
the marriage union between Christ and His people, showing
that the church is also “the bride” of Christ
in this figure used. In conclusion, in the “marriage
of the Lamb” the “bride” is both, the city
of New Jerusalem and the inhabitants of it.
Forever
and Ever Burning?
Revelation 19:3 says “her smoke rose up forever and
ever.” This is speaking of the false religious theories
making up the “great whore” of what is called
Babylon [Babylon, the site of the Tower of Babel and initiator
of the confusion of all things]. Over the centuries thousands
of sermons have been preached on the subject of a “forever
burning hell” as the way of getting people to repent
of sin and obey God. The Bible language does portray and
imply an eternity of suffering, but let us remember this
is borrowed language and we need to compare all verses of
Scripture to come to correct understanding on the subject.
Going back to the first and original text referring to the
subject of “forever burning hell fire” let us
look at Isaiah 34. Under the figure of Idumea and it’s
destruction, the texts say “dust thereof into brimstone”
and “the land thereof shall become burning pitch”
verse 9, “the smoke thereof shall go up forever”
verse 10. The language here must be limited, for Idumea
represents the desolation and depopulation of the earth
with purifying fire immediately prior to Christ’s second
coming, for the chapter opens in addressing the entire earth.
And now turning to Revelation 14:10-11 the same language
is used “tormented with fire and brimstone … and
the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever,”
this is the torment of the worshippers of the beast, his
image and final destruction of Babylon the Great [Mother
of Harlots]. These are end-time events just before Christ’s
coming to earth the second time. But, as to the fire burning
forever and ever we must look back to the original use in
Isaiah 34 and ask “is the fire still burning?”
The fire burns until all the fuel for it is expended, thus
bringing utter and final destruction; the smoke goes up
as long as there is anything remaining of the curse to burn.
Then, Satan is chained here on a vacant earth by the chain
of circumstances with nobody to tempt for 1000 years.
The
Golden Chain – Man By Christ To God
Christ’s humanity means everything to us, binding our
souls to God through Christ as our Mediator. This golden
chain and a thorough understanding of it, needs to be the
study of every Christian. The first link in this chain is
“the mystery of God, and of the Father and of Christ”
Colossians 2:2 but what kind of “mystery?” In
“The Vocabulary of the New Testament” by Moulton
and Milligan, quoting on “mystery” the same word
is used throughout the New Testament states the sense of
mystery is “not a thing which must be kept secret.
On the contrary, it is a secret God wills to make known…to
those who have ears.” So, as to the mystery of the
incarnation of Christ it is a subject God wants us to understand
properly, and it is the most marvelous thing which ever
took place on earth. John 1:14 says “the Word [Christ,
God the Son] was made flesh and dwelt among us;” He
was one of the self-existent persons of the God-head who
has existed from all eternity and Who lowered Himself into
another form - humanity. The transition is a fact, but unfathomable
for our minds, especially when we read in Luke 1:35 about
Mary, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the
power of the Highest shall overshadow thee.” This transition
was a painful process, as explained by Paul in Philippians
2:6-7 Christ “thought it not robbery to be equal with
God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him
the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.”
“To make empty” is the definition for “no
reputation,” Christ did empty Himself in taking not
only humanity, but suffering, fallen humanity, degraded
and defiled by 4000 years of sin, the humanity of a slave
in bondage to sin, “the form of a servant.” He
reached down to man in the lowest form possible to be the
Redeemer of all humanity. Many theologians draw back at
this thought, and wonder, if Christ took this form of humanity
how could He not sin? But, in this form of humanity, He
did not sin, and showed us the way to salvation, by having
the Spirit dwelling within, to do His good will. Thus, man,
by Christ to God; the Golden Chain. By Christ living in
fallen human nature, He felt the strength of natural human
passions toward sin, but through the Spirit in Him, He overcame
sin.
The
Father Does It All
Jeremiah 8:5 “Why then is this people of Jerusalem
slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? And Jeremiah 6:16
“Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see,
and ask for the old paths, where is the way, and walk therein
and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We
will not walk therein.” Since the beginning of the
20th Century these texts have been fully played out by the
march of Protestantism back into the fold of the traditions
and dogmas of papal Rome. One example of this is the doctrine
of the Immaculate Conception and variations thereof. We
find God having difficultly in producing a righteous people
with obedience to His Law due to weakness of human nature;
and so sent His Son Jesus to live the life of a human in
the same human nature as those He came to redeem. As it
says in Romans 8:3 “what the law could not do, in that
it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in
the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin [margin: by a
sacrifice for sin], condemned sin in the flesh.” Christ,
our High Priest, is no superhuman that has no feeling of
human trials, He shared fully our temptations in the same
way you and I do, BUT he never sinned. This is related to
us in Hebrews 4:15 “we have not an high priest which
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but
was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
This is the mystery and marvel of God, God manifest in the
flesh. But we need to shake off the fallacies of papal dogmas
that we cling to. Think on this, if Christ did not take
the same human flesh with its weaknesses as those He came
to redeem, then in reality there was no reason for Him to
be made flesh at all. The only human flesh in this world
for Him to assume is sinful, fallen and degraded human flesh.
For, if Christ had some special human nature, it was not
of this world, and could in no way be tempted like you and
I. But, He did come like you and I and overcame sin and
the devil in our human nature; what a marvel and mystery
it is. His humanity was dependent upon divine power to overcome
sin the same as you and I; as said by Jesus in John 5:30
“I can of mine own self do nothing;” and also
in John 14:10 “The Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth
the works.”
Our
God in Duality
Zechariah 6:13 says “he [Christ] shall build the temple
… and he [Christ] shall bear the glory … and he
[Christ] shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel
of peace shall be between them both [Christ – God the
Son and God the Father];” literally in the Hebrew it
says “between the two of them.” Where in this
scenario is the Holy Spirit as part of the God-head? We
know that there is the Spirit, for it is God’s omnipresence.
In the New Testament the Spirit is the Third Person of the
God-head where we are told to baptize in the name of the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. However, in John 4:24 it says
“God is a Spirit,” but in the Greek text there
is no definite article “a,” so it should read
“God is Spirit.” Looking back at the opening text,
Zechariah mentions God as two persons – dualism; and
also Zechariah 13:7 “the man that is my fellow [Christ
– God the Son], saith the Lord of hosts [God the Father].”
Now looking at the beginning of the Bible, Genesis 1:1 “In
the beginning God [Hebrew - Elohim] created;” “El”
in Hebrew is “God;” “Elohim” is the
plural of “God,” but how many persons? Deuteronomy
6:4-15 houses what is called “The Shema of Israel”
which literally reads “Jehovah our Gods is one God,”
the words “our God” [Elohenu – is the masculine
plural]. Take note that it is masculine, no feminine indicated
for God. For reference see “Elements of Hebrew”
by Wm. R. Harper, page 144. The word “one” as
in “one God” is “echad” which expresses
the thought of - oneness in duality. This word “echad”
is the same word used in Genesis 2:24 Adam and Eve became
“one flesh” [oneness in duality]. The Spirit of
God has always been, but became a separate entity and individual
at the incarnation or birth of Jesus, because for Jesus
as God in human form, He lacked His omnipresence. For this
reason, after His crucifixion, death and resurrection, Christ
had His final forty days on earth with His disciples, after
which He said to them that the only way the Holy Spirit
could come was for Him to depart to heaven. The omnipresence
of Christ in the form of the Holy Spirit, the Third Person
of the God-head, was needed for the furtherance of the Gospel
to the “uttermost part of the earth” [Acts 1:8].
We now worship God, one God in three persons, not a trinity
[a triune being – one God with three heads] but three
individuals with one name, one aim and purpose.
The
Magi Followed His Star
The Magi, the three wise men, as they are commonly called,
were actually Kings from the eastern area of the Roman Empire
There names were Melchior, Caspar [Gaspar] and Balthasar;
these distinguished visitors brought gifts fitting for a
King, gold, myrrh and frankincense, very costly indeed for
a poor family. These Kings were great philosophers, and
were great lights for the true God among the darkness of
heathenism, and practiced astronomy [the study of celestial
bodies], not astrology [divinations with regard to astronomy].
In their study they saw a mysterious light in the heavens
growing as it came closer to earth, it was not a planet
or star, but in truth it was the angels of the heavenly
host coming to earth to announce the birth of a King. Seeking
knowledge in the Hebrew Scripture they came upon the writings
of Balaam, a one time prophet of God, where in Numbers 24:17
he said “there shall come a star out of Jacob, a Scepter
shall rise out of Israel.” They followed the star and
it stopped for a time over Jerusalem. Entering the city
with questions in Matthew 2:2 “where is he that is
born king of the Jews…we have seen his star.”
Nobody, not even at the temple did anybody seem to have
any answers; but it aroused excitement. This excitement
roused King Herod to seek counsel and answers from his priests
as to the prophecies of the Messianic King [Matthew 2 tells
the story]. Herod privately entertains the Magi, wherein
Herod directs them to Bethlehem, as he had learned from
his priests. Verse 9 says “they departed; and, lo,
the star, which they saw in the east, went before them,”
to announce the Saviors’ birth to the shepherds [Luke
2 tells this story]. In verse 9 “the angel of the Lord
[Gabriel] came to them and the glory of Lord [the angelic
star] shone round about them,” and verse 11 “unto
you is born this day … a Savior, which is Christ the
Lord.” In verse 21 “when eight days were accomplished
for the circumcision … and the days of her purification
according to the law [according to Leviticus 12:2-4, her
purification period is 40 days] …they brought him to
Jerusalem,” where he was dedicated to the Lord and
this was witnessed by Simeon and the prophetess Anna; after
this Joseph, Mary and Jesus went on to Egypt. Matthew 2:13-14
Joseph is warned in a dream of Herod’s plot and told
to flee to Egypt, but has to wait for the 40 day purification,
then go to Egypt via Jerusalem for the dedication of Jesus.
The Magi were in Bethlehem with the shepherds at the birth
of Christ, not approximately two years later. Jesus was
taken to Jerusalem and on to Egypt immediately after Mary
had completed her purification period, forty days after
the birth, according to the law.
Willing
To Die For Others
In Deuteronomy 3:21-29 we find Moses at Mount Pisgah pleading
on behalf of Joshua. Moses knows that God has called for
his life and denied him entry into the Promised Land, saying
in verse 27 “thou shalt not go over this Jordan.”
Looking on all his experiences as leader of God’s people,
one wrong act marred a perfect record, and for this God
would not allow him to set foot in the Promised Land. Moses
confessed his sin and begged for pardon, and was assured
of it as we read in Luke 9:30-31 at the transfiguration
of Christ “behold there talked with him two men, which
were Moses and Elias [Elijah]: who appeared in glory.”
It is a solemn thought for us today, when we in spiritual
matters say “is God that particular, does this spiritual
point really matter?” God is the Author of the minute
and finite details, look into nature, His Tabernacle services
or His dealing with individuals such as Moses. Moses died
for the sake of his people Israel, but Christ died for the
sake of the entire world and all generation of it; however,
they both died fulfilling the same law of divine justice.
It is the same when a mother is willing to sacrifice her
life for that of her child, the same, but only in a different
measure. One of the greatest of the Presidents of the United
States of America, Abraham Lincoln, applied these same verses
of scripture to himself as willing to die for the freedom
of all his people. This he did just prior to his assassination
at the end of the Civil War. Paul Chiniquy, a very spiritual
man and a close friend of Lincoln, in his book “Fifty
Years in the Church of Rome,” brings out the details
of numerous assassination attempts on Lincoln’s life.
Remember, Christ willingly died that others that they, and
we may live here and in eternity.
Was
Christ Exempt?
Hebrews 4:15 says of Jesus, “have we not an high priest
[Jesus Christ] which cannot be touched with the feeling
of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as
we are, yet without sin.” In Christ’s human nature
was He created any different from any other child of Adam,
or was He created exempt from normal temptations to sin?
The text above says No! He was tempted like you and I “in
all points;” “all” means no exceptions. Jesus
said of Himself, in His human nature, that just like you
and I, of ourselves we can do nothing, being born in a sinful,
fallen human nature, as He said in John 5:19 and 30 “the
Son can do nothing of himself,” and “I can of
mine own self do nothing.” As a man Christ could be
tempted to sin, but only through the Holy Spirit working
in Him could he work the works of God, and as said in Hebrews
4:15 live as a man “without sin.” Christ also
had to learn obedience to God as any other child; as it
says in Hebrews 5:8 “Though he were a Son, yet learned
he obedience by the things which he suffered.” Ask
yourself the question, if Christ was exempt and could in
no way sin as a human, why did He have to learn obedience
and why did Satan even bother trying to tempt Him to sin?
Christ is our Savior, but He lived the life of a man as
our example to follow. So, when we look at Christ’s
birth or His human nature, to imagine Him taking the human
nature of Adam before the Fall in Eden, or on the other
hand, taking the dogma of an immaculate conception puts
Christ totally out of the realm of our humanity and exempts
Him from temptation to sin. Believing either of these theories
gives you and me an excuse to sin in breaking God’s
Commandments; also to look on Christ as our example to live
by within the scope of these theories, is just ludicrous
and absurd. This type of teaching is very dangerous to our
salvation and is a doctrine of our enemy Satan, taught to
lead us astray from God’s Word. Just as the Holy Spirit
dwelt in Christ making Him able to live a perfect, spotless
life in sinful human flesh, so we, by faith in Christ and
His Spirit in us can do the same and follow His example.
This is why it says in Colossians 1:27 “Christ in you
the hope of glory.”
War
Between the Bible and Atheism
Revelation 11:1-13 spans the period of time of the war between
the Bible and Atheism, the time period given is spoken of
in verses 2 and 3 in two different ways, first “forty
two months” and secondly “a thousand and threescore
days.” Take the day for a year principle of prophecy
and the Jewish month of 30 days, makes 42 months and equals
1260 days/years; and the period spoken of is 538 A.D. [the
year of supreme Papal power] to 1798 A.D. [the year the
Pope was taken captive by the French Army and died in captivity,
a temporary ending to the Papal power]. Now, in verses 3,
4 and 10 it talks of “two witnesses,” “two
olive trees,” “two candle sticks” and “two
prophets;” all these sets of two refer to the witness,
light and messages of the Old and New Testaments, God’s
Word. In verse 3 we are told that the Word of God, His two
witnesses, prophesy in “sackcloth and ashes” for
this1260 years period; “sackcloth and ashes” denoting
the agony and misery in which the Word of God was taken
[church traditions in many cases suppressed and contradicted
the Bible nullifying its witness]. The culmination of the
time period is that of the French Revolutionary era [Nov.
1793 A.D. – Jun. 1797 A.D.]. This is a period of 3
½ years as spoken of twice in verses 9 and 11. The
city called “Sodom and Egypt” in verse 8, both
referred to because of the great amount of fornication and
licentiousness practiced, points to Paris, France at the
height of the Revolution, parading the harlot on a throne
through its streets as “the Goddess of Reason”
[a replica of it brought from France to the U.S.A. as “the
Statue of Liberty”]. During this time in France, the
Bible was outlawed and the churches were closed to worship,
and the cry in the streets of Paris was “Crush the
Wretch” meaning Christ. Of a truth this was the other
place, as said in verse 9 “where our Lord was crucified;”
it was the darkest period in French history without the
light of God’s two witnesses. The spirit of Atheism,
“the beast … of the bottomless pit” as said
in verse 7 was in reality poured out upon this nation with
a vengeance in this war between the Bible and Atheism. Top
Ye
are gods!
The Bible says in Psalm 82:6 “I have said, Ye are gods;
and all of you are children of the Most High;” this
same thought Jesus brought forth in John 10:34. The text
says we are to be “children of the Most High,”
adopted into the heavenly family; and it also says we are
to be “gods,” but not “Gods.” Thus,
we are to partake of the divine nature within our human
nature, which, in reality is simply conversion, by accepting
God’s Spirit [the Holy Spirit] we are born again, re-created
by God. This is what Nicodemus found so hard to understand,
how being born anew meant having divinity uniting with humanity
thus perfecting the character of man. When Jesus lived on
earth, His humanity was united with divinity; His human
nature had the indwelling of the divine nature through the
Holy Spirit. So, when in John 14:30 He said “the prince
of this world [Satan] cometh, and hath nothing in Me,”
His automatic reaction to temptation to sin was never yielded
to or even given the slightest thought. This is how it is
to be with us, by having the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Living as a human, Christ condemned sin in human flesh by
the Holy Spirit working within Him; Romans 8:3 says “God
sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and
for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” Moses, as a human
being, was a type of Christ, in that He was the intercessor
between God and Israel. And, so much so, that after Moses
had met with God, he had to veil his face, because after
being in God’s presence he had taken unto himself so
much of the divine nature that he had become clothed with
the brightness of heaven, but the people could not endure
to look upon him; Exodus 34:29 says of Moses “the skin
of his face shone.” So it is for us, the closer we
come to God, the clearer our understanding of God and His
Law, and conformity to His image in partaking of His divine
nature in our human nature; and in the end beings “gods.”
As we are promised in 2 Peter 1:3-4 “his divine power
hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and
godliness … that by these ye might be partakers of
the divine nature;” [“if thou art a member of
His body, then thou art full of the divine nature”
– D’Aubigne book 12, ch. 2]
Awake,
- Stay Awake!
Ministers and people wake up! The cry in Isaiah 58:1 is
verily needed today, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up
thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgressions
and …sins.” God is waiting for His people to wake
up to the solemn responsibilities of God’s closing
work to be done. There are few Christians who have the needed
heart to heart closeness with God. Conversion is the grace
of Jesus, when He wakes up one of His children [conversion]
– it is a miracle of God called grace! It is imperative
for that child of God not to fall asleep again [fall back
into sin]! Falling into sin is to be in spiritual darkness.
Isaiah 5:20 tells us “Woe unto them that call evil
good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light
for darkness.” (See also John 3:20, Proverbs 4:19)
When it is dark we cannot see to follow Jesus “withersoever
He goeth” (Revelation 14:4). We are in blindness to
our wretched spiritual condition and we do not ask God for
healing because we do not realize our spiritual need. We
are in the same condition as the Laodiceans in Revelation
3:14-22 thinking ourselves to be spiritually “rich
and increased with goods, and in need of nothing.”
1 John 1:5 says “God is light, and in Him is no darkness
at all” and John 8:12 says “I am the light of
the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness.”
When Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane, He desired for
His disciples to be awake with Him. That night, the sins
of the world were placed upon Him; He felt the agony of
a sinful condition set upon His shoulders causing a separation
from His Father. He prayed that this cup [the world’s
sins] should pass from His lips, but instead said to His
Father in Matthew 26:39 “nevertheless, not as I will,
but as thou wilt.” He was experiencing the heaviness
of sin and its darkening effects. His disciples could not
stay awake even though our Lord aroused them twice. Jesus
desired for them to pray for grace to stay awake and avoid
being tempted into sin’s darkening clutches. Today,
Jesus still desires us to stay awake (spiritually) and pray.
The “time of trouble” spoken of in Daniel 12:1,
the troublesome time for God’s people just prior to
Christ’s return, will be due in part with His children
struggling to stay awake amidst the strong delusions that
keep the whole world in darkness as said in Matthew 24:24
“false Christs, false prophets…shew great signs
and wonders.”
Christian
Standards, Pharisaic?
The most neglected doctrinal area within Christianity is
that of the Christian standards of living and obedience
to God. Reluctance to write or vocalize on this subject
is due to two reasons: first, is the fear of offending the
greater majority of Christians who live and act far below
God’s standard; and secondly, the fear of being labeled
as legalistic, judgmental and lacking love for your fellow
man. Satan revels in exploiting this area, presenting those
who stand up for truth as fanatics, and causing the church
to forego any discussion on the subject of Christian standards
as improper or extremist. In the book of Romans we see that
Paul had an ongoing problem in this area, especially coming
from a Judaic training background as a Pharisee, where strict
legalism on all the different laws was of prime importance.
The Pharisaic idea of “being in the world but not of
the world” is right, but they took it to the extreme
of keeping God’s truth to themselves; we are to be
pilgrims, living examples of the Christian standards on
earth. Also, with regard to the laws of God, strictness
is important, but only to the point where we understand
that it is Christ working in us that avails us of obedience
to God and nothing we do of ourselves. Obedience and righteousness
are the automatic fruits of a soul converted to Christ,
but remember it is a day to day growth. The perils within
the church today are the same faced by the Apostles - traditions,
philosophy, higher criticism, all of which destroy faith
in Scripture making God’s Word into a lamp without
oil and leading down forbidden paths into confusion. God
says in Psalms 19:8 and 15:5 “The statutes of the Lord
are right,” and “he that doeth these things shall
never be moved.” So, when pondering these man-made
theories and falsely adopted church traditions, bring to
mind what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:11 “Other foundation
can no man lay than that is laid.” God set the standards,
and Christ came to work in us to keep up His standards;
all we need to do is constantly ask “what would Jesus
do?” Top
Sound
the Trumpet!
In the book of Revelation we find series of sevens - “seven
churches” [Revelation 2 and 3] symbolically referring
to the seven stages in historical order [some overlapping];
then of “seven seals” [Revelation 6, 7 and 8],
with the breaking of each seal, also following stages through
Christian history; and finally another set of historical
happenings through the Christian era in the form of “seven
trumpets.” In prophecy a “trumpet” is a symbol
of war or battle; so the “seven trumpets” of Revelation
8, 9 and 11 are the history of battles during the Christian
era. The prophetic symbol of the “trumpet” as
war is shown throughout the Bible. Jeremiah 4:19 “Thou
hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm
of war;” 1 Corinthians 14:8 “For if the trumpet
give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the
battle;” Ezekiel 7:14 “They have blown the trumpet,
even to make all ready; but none goeth to the battle;”
and Joel 2:1 “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound
an alarm in my holy mountain.” The Papacy grew out
of apostasy from true Christianity, then it was fostered
by the Roman Empire [an empire that spanned the then known
world] by creating a union of church and state [a church
having political might of state power], and the state at
that time had become an imperial despotism. How much spiritual
freedom does any person have living in this condition? The
fall of the Roman Empire and the end of the Papacy is all
portrayed under the history of the “seven trumpets.”
The first four trumpets portray historically the succession
of mighty tides of armies from the north, Alaric, Genseric,
Attila and Odoacer. The fifth trumpet shows the might of
Mohamed in the Islamic Invasions; and the sixth trumpet
the battles under the four Sultanates of the Ottoman Empire.
The “seventh trumpet” is the final battle of God
Almighty, Armageddon. Bible history is an awe inspiring
subject when tied in with secular history, and then you
see the workings of God through all time. Remember “history”
is really “His story.”
Perfection
and Holy Flesh
Jesus says to us all, in Matthew 5:48 “Be ye perfect,
even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
The thought of perfection, living a sinless life, holiness
or holy flesh, has been a battle of wits for centuries with
theologians, so much so that some have carried it to utter
extremes on both ends of the spectrum. Acknowledgement of
Christ as your personal Savoir, accepting Him into your
heart to recreate you into His image is conversion to Christianity,
and the first step is baptism as the outward sign to the
world that you are a different person with an inward transformation
of your thinking. In all of this, Christ is the one within
us working our thinking and actions, to do His good will.
But, this does not mean that we cannot be tempted and fall
backward, we still have the power to choose which way to
go; this is why Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:31 “I
die daily,” because being in a saved condition is a
daily, moment by moment battle of choices. Holiness and
holy flesh came into controversy around Hebrews 10:5 “A
body hast thou prepared Me.” One end of the spectrum
intimates from this text, that Christ had holy flesh and
could not sin. The only human flesh in history that felt
no sin was that of Adam and Eve before they fell into sin.
The nature of Adam changed completely when he was expelled
from Eden and could no longer eat from the “tree of
life” which gave immortality. Adopting this position
of understanding contradicts what Paul stated earlier in
Hebrew 2:14-17 “he took not the nature of angels; but
took on him the seed of Abraham [Abraham is long after Adam].
Wherefore, in all things it behooved him to be made like
unto his brethren [not his brother Adam, but “brethren”
indicating it must be after the time of Adam]. How we view
the human nature of Christ affects every facet of our Christian
walk. For how can it be said in Hebrews 4:15 “He was
in all points tempted like as we are,” and why would
Satan take his time to tempt Christ in the wilderness if
Christ could in no way sin? This shows us that in His human
nature He is like you and I. It is a deep subject with deep
questions, but you must know where you stand on this vital
point.
The
Characters of Enoch and Elijah
What the human race might become, is most beautifully portrayed
in the lives of Enoch and Elijah. Both lived perfectly righteous
lives by faith in God and His promises, so much so that
God translated these men directly to heaven without them
experiencing death. The story of Enoch is told in Genesis
5, and in verse 24 it says “Enoch walked with God:
and he was not; for God took him.” The story of Elijah
is found in 2 Kings 2, and in verse 11 “there appeared
a chariot of fire … and Elijah went up by a whirlwind
into heaven.” These men were so totally in tune with
God that they stood untainted in the midst of the moral
pollution around them. “Predestination” is a very
elusive word, and this is what God wants for the entire
human race, and Paul uses this term in Romans 8:28-29 “to
them who are called according to his purpose. For whom he
did fore-know, he also did predestinate to be conformed
to the image of his Son.” But, what does “predestine”
mean? – To appoint or settle beforehand, impose a direction
or tendency to follow; in other words God foresaw each generation
of men, and always had the purpose of salvation in mind
for them. Just as said in 1 Timothy 2:4 God’s will
is to “have all men be saved, and to come unto the
knowledge of the truth.” However, salvation is free
to all, but man was created with the freedom of choice,
and not all will choose God’s path as stated in Matthew
22:14 “many are called, but few are chosen.” Therefore,
divine predestination or foreknowledge in no way supersedes
man’s liberty or free will. Like Enoch and Elijah,
if we are to reflect the image of God fully, we must heed
what is said in Colossians 3:2, 10 and 16, first, “set
your affection on things above, not on things on earth;”
then “put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge
after the image of him that created him;” finally,
“let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all
wisdom” [this says nothing of “church traditions”
which in some cases contradict Scripture]. Top
Christian
Virtues – Active and Passive
1 Timothy 6:11-12 is one place that Christian virtues are
brought forward, “thou, O man of God … follow
after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
Fight the good fight of faith … and hast professed
a good profession before many witnesses.” In this list
are both active and passive virtues, but as Christians,
most of the emphasis is usually placed on the passive, such
as patience and meekness, and not the active areas of these
virtues. Spiritually, we must have a moral backbone, and
integrity that cannot be flattered, bribed or coerced in
any way; in other words the courage of a hero in God’s
service. Revelation 14:5, talking about the 144,000, Christian
heroes, the ones left standing through the final time of
trouble, it says “in their mouth was no guile [no guilt
of sin]: for they are without fault.” And, this state
of perfection is only acquired by having Christ dwelling
in you as said in Jude 24 “Him [Christ] that is able
to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before
the presence of his glory.” “Meekness,” one
of the Christian virtues is commonly misunderstood, in looking
at Moses, in Numbers 12:3 it says “Now the man Moses
was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face
of the earth.” However, meekness does not infer weakness,
for Moses possessed tremendous spiritual strength of integrity
that he could not be shaken from following Godly principles
or be lead into compromises of any kind. Many today would
call him a straight-laced Christian. This is the problem
today, looking at reproof, condemning wrongs in compromise;
most professing Christians look to those leaders as possessing
Christian piety, whereas, of those whom will not yield their
integrity, standing boldly in defense of spiritual righteousness,
they are condemned as Christians who lack the spirit of
piety. Standing in defense of the honor of God and purity
of His truths and Law is very lonely indeed, not easy, and
it is a daily struggle filled with many trials. Aaron, the
brother of Moses, thought Moses was too strict and unyielding
to the people’s wishes. This same type of active virtue
– meekness - is needed in today’s Christian walk.
The
Wind of Popularity
John the Baptist was never shaken or blown by the wind of
popular opinions, and when a deputation was sent from the
leadership of the church questioning his motives, he answered
as said in John 1:23 “I am the voice of one crying
in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as
said the prophet Esaias [Isaiah].” The task given to
John by God was not an easy one; he was going directly against
the popular opinion of his church leaders. This is the same
as it has always been throughout history for God’s
true followers; they were never in the majority, and always
fighting against popular theories or traditions of the church.
Jesus asked the multitude a very penetrating question regarding
John the Baptist, in Matthew 11:8-15 “What went ye
out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken in the wind?”
Shaken by every wind of doctrine; no, he made straight the
way to God, and it rocked the church to its foundations
which made him very unpopular in high church circles, but
popular with God. Some may dismiss this thought of John
the Baptist [Elijah to come again as stated in Matthew 8:14]
as just a note in history, and not relevant to our day.
But, look what is said in Malachi 4:5 “Behold, I will
send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great
and dreadful day of the Lord.” The Elijah message,
which John the Baptist gave, is to shine forth from his
followers in this last period of earth’s history, which
is today’s message. Our message today is to be just
as pointed and direct as was shown by John the Baptist and
Elijah; a message to stand in the straight and narrow way
of the Lord, and not be shaken by the winds of popular theories,
doctrines and traditions of the churches. John the Baptist’s
message was not smooth, for he saw the people deceived by
the priests, totally self-satisfied in this deception and
asleep to the sins it brought, he came to startle them back
to Godly reality. It is the same today, nothing has changed,
and God is calling you and me to stand as modern-day John
the Baptists.
“I
Die Daily”
In 1 Corinthians 15:31 Paul said “I protest by your
rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.”
To Paul, an ex Pharisee, and now a follower of Christ, he
knew his salvation or being saved was a daily, moment by
moment, experience. The Jewish nation proudly pronounced
that “Abraham is our father” [John 8:39] believing
that because they were born as children of Abraham according
to the flesh and strict followers of God’s laws they
were assured of the Kingdom of God. Self-complacency was
their attitude, and John the Baptist cautioned them of hardening
of their hearts, when he warned them in Matthew 3:9 “think
not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father:
for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to
raise up children unto Abraham.” Jesus also warned
the Jews of this same thinking in John 8:39 when He said
“If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the
works of Abraham.” This attitude was a primary problem
for the early church, for, could the followers of Christ
look on themselves as mere off-shoots of Judaism, but still
Jews at heart? Paul in his journeys specifically sought
out the leaders of the synagogues to discuss this particular
subject; his discourses in Romans bring this forward many
times. Christians who believe the theory of “once saved,
always saved” are walking the same thin line as the
Jews with the same self-complacent attitude. That is why
Paul, a former Pharisee in Judaism, a strict student of
the laws of the Jews, when converted to Christianity found
it so difficult in his walk with Christ; salvation was a
daily battle with him. And then, do we not likewise reverence
and hold in awe church organizations and leadership as did
the Jews with regard to the temple and priesthood? Why continue
in Laodecean complacency, looking at your spiritual condition
and saying “I am rich …and have need of nothing”
Revelation 3:17, and proudly acting as once saved always
saved. Paul, he died daily, and says in Philippians 2:12
we are to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling;”
having no room for a self-satisfied complacent attitude.
Our trust dare not be in our “temples” and priesthood,
but only in the Living God!
Replenished
From The East
A prophecy God gave to Isaiah which will never be fulfilled
is presented in Isaiah 2:1-9. Most prophecies are conditional
upon circumstances of the people, God usually say “if”
you do this then I will do that, the conditional word for
His professed followers is “if.” The condemning
verse is verse 6 where Isaiah points out the reason for
the fall of Israel is “because they be replenished
[spiritually] from the east.” Looking at this as it
should be, spiritually, “the east” is represented
as the great power of Isaiah’s day, Babylon, the great
seat of false religion. This is brought forward to us heavily
throughout the entire book of Revelation. But, this is also
an end-time prophecy as verse 2 says “it shall come
to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s
house shall be established in the top of the mountains …
and all nations shall flow unto it.” This is what God
wanted for Israel, His chosen people, to be a light to all
nations in converting the world; but they failed in looking
for spiritual replenishment from the false religions of
the East, instead of faithfully following God. The ultimate
end of Israel came with the rejection of their Messiah,
Jesus Christ; and the establishment Christianity through
the gospel to the Gentiles. But, this identical problem
shown here in Isaiah is the same for Christianity today;
“replenishment from the East,” false pagan rituals
accepted, adopted and given Christian names, then labeled
“church traditions” for the people to blindly
follow. Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 1:9 “there is
no new thing under the sun,” all has been attempted
in the past and historical knowledge shows these to be vain
glories. Also, in Ecclesiastes 1:2 of this he says “vanity
of vanities; all is vanity.” Then, read what Jesus
said of all these false religious rites adopted as church
traditions and the practice of them, in Matthew 15:9 “in
vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments
of men.” I personally do not want my worship of God
to be all in vain, how about you?
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