God Will Honor His Words

 God's Promise to Honor His Word

 Book of Psalms, Psalm 138

 This is the beginning of a group of Palms written by David, and they will remind us of some of the troubles that David went through.

We will also see that this prayer of David concerns the prophecy of the return of Jesus Christ.

 We should know that trouble will either bring out the best in us or the worst in us.

 Serious troubles in our lives can be used to test to see how we will respond. 

God does not cause our troubles, but He will use them to teach us from time to time.

None of us like serious troubles, but God says they are a part of our Christian growth.

 How does the Bible describe troubles?

 2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 

2Co 4:8  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 

2Co 4:9  Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

 What is God's remedy for trouble?

 Joh 14:1  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 

Joh 14:2  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 

Joh 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 

Joh 14:4  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

 Let us see these things that affected David.

 ****Psa 138:1  A Psalm of David. I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. 

 David is writing to the Lord God Jehovah as He always does.

 We cannot be saved unless we praise the Lord Jesus Christ with our whole heart!

We cannot be Christians unless we make a public profession of our faith as David describes in this Scripture.

 We must stand face to face with the might of the wickedness of this evil world.

 Eph_6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, "to stand".

 We know that it is Satan who controls the wickedness of this world, and those little gods are the gods that David is referring to.

 Satan continues to flash money in the face of those who believe Him, and we know that it is money that is the root of all evil.

 1Ti_6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

 Those who are lost and rich will seldom come to God, but those who have been saved, but leave the church because of some sum of money like an inheritance, we may be able to entice them with the truth of the Scriptures to come back to the Lord.

 The so-called gods of this world need to hear us continuously praising the Lord God Jehovah in their faces.

This is what riles them up when we speak the truth of God.

They cannot stand the truth.

 Only then will the power of Jehovah go before us in a show of strength.

 We must stand boldly in our own nation and other nations if we get the opportunity.

That opportunity we have today is our vote and we must vote according to Christian principles from the Word of God.

It is really quite simple! Take each candidate and put them in as a character in the Bible and see how they match up.

 We know that money is the root of all evil, but there are still the idol worshippers of Buddha, Mohamed, and the many other little gods of this world.

 *****Psa 138:2  I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. 

Psa 138:3  In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. 

 When David prayed, he would do his best to face toward Jerusalem.

 Even though the word temple is used here, the same Greek word "hekal" is used for temple and also used for tabernacle.

The object is still that David prayed toward Jerusalem.

 The Temple was not yet built, in fact, it was not built in David's time.

 For the Church, we have the Holy Spirit within us so we can pray anywhere.

 David lists five different reasons for worship:

 1) Because of the Lord's lovingkindness. (His unfailing covenant of love)

2) Because of the Lord's faithfulness and truth.

The Lord is always true to Himself.

The Lord is always true to His character.

The Lord is always true to His attributes.

The Lord never changes so we can trust Him to always do right.

All these things make the Lord absolutely trustworthy.

3) Because the Lord has exalted His Word above all things even Himself.

4) Because He answered David's prayers.

5) Because the Lord revived David's soul (strengthened him, encouraged him, and made David bold in the Word of God)

 When we are surrounded by trouble, we find it hard to praise the Lord.

 Sometimes this is because of shame, which is a sin, but also for fear of our lives.

 We must do our best to be truthful to the Holy Spirit who lives within us and remember the power of God.

 We are never to blame God for the circumstances that we face, we live in a wicked world whose god is Satan, and it is getting worse.

Most everyone you meet will say that our world is getting worse as far as the treatment of people.

 Just remember that God is with us at all times and God hears us when we cry out to Him!

 When we are around other gods, then it is a pretty good time to praise the Lord for, He is the Highest and we should praise Him.

Satan will take His bunch and flee rather than tangle with God because he knows his time is short.

 *****Psa 138:4  All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth. 

Psa 138:5  Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD.

 Many things will take place before the Lord sits upon the Throne of David!

 The two witnesses of the Book of Revelation Chapter 11 will appear and do the things described in that Chapter.

 The Antichrist will make war with those two witnesses and he will kill them, but they will not stay dead.

 Rev 11:9  And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 

Rev 11:10  And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. 

Rev 11:11  And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 

Rev 11:12  And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

 Then there will be a great earthquake, and I believe it will affect the entire world, but in Jerusalem, it will be terrible.

 Rev 11:13  And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. 

Rev 11:14  The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.

 Before the Lord Jesus sits upon the Throne of David all the Trumpet woes of the Book of Revelation will have taken place and we can be sure that those kings who are left will fall upon their knees before the Lord Jesus Christ as the Almighty God steps down from Heaven and steps upon this earth at the same place where He had left from on the Mount of Olives.

 Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. 

 This is the time when this world will hear the words of God directly from His mouth.

 This is when the answer to David's prayer will take place.

 The entire world will sing in the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ for Great is His Glory!

 *****Psa 138:6  Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off. 

 Before King Jesus does anything else He will rescue the poor and the helpless.

 This would probably be those who had refused to take the number of the beast.

 Rev_13:17  And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

 The Word of God says:

 Psa 57:15  For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. 

 To the Proud, the Lord says:

 Isa 2:10  Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty. Isa 2:11  The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. 

 David prayed earnestly for the rulers of the earth to believe the Lord.

 We should know that David prayed these things, but they would not take place in his day, but the Lord God Jehovah has stated when He will return to this Earth.

 Not in David's day and maybe not in our day but surely in the day of our children or grandchildren.

We will see that the disciples of the Lord wrote down exactly what the Lord Jesus said about these events to come.

 Mat_24:33  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

Mrk_13:29  So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.

Luk_21:31  So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.

 What things were these men talking about?

 Certainly, Christian persecution is on top of the list of things that will take place just before the return of the Lord Jesus.

Mar 13:9  But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. 

Today the Lord Jesus is on this earth in the bodies of believers, but soon He will return to Earth Himself, but many things will take place just before His return.

The entire world will hear only one Book of Truth when the Lord Jesus speaks with His own mouth the Words of God.

The saints of God will return with the Lord and there will be only one Gospel.

We can see that David prayed the same as we pray, that God's Kingdom to come to Earth.

Mat 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

This is what the Lord Jesus told us to pray. 

Many things will certainly take place before this day happens, but it will happen.

Php 2:9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 

Php 2:10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 

Php 2:11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

Jesus is coming back, and we can be sure of it!

*****Psa 138:7  Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. 

Psa 138:8  The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands. 

David reminds us of another Psalm:

Psa 23:4  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 

We see that David had more faith than most Christians today.

God wants us to have a good life, and He will see to it that we do if we would only trust Him!

It is easy to see that our world is falling apart which lets us know that we are getting closer to the Day of Christ.

God will not allow our troubles to overtake us if we snuggle up to Him in these last days.

If we would just remember that this is the Lord's fight, our job is to spread the Gospel until the day He takes us home.

Psa 60:4  Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah

That banner is our faith.

We must also remember why the Lord will save us; it is because the Lord loves us.

Psa_136:26  O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.

We may not understand everything but one thing we must know is, that all those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ, worship some other god who is a false god.

2Jn 1:9  Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 

2Jn 1:10  If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 

It is not a time to be against Jehovah God!

It is time to be busy with what the Lord gave us to do!

And above all never give up!

Amen

The Innocent on Trial Against Corruption

 Paul Stirs Up the Sanhedrin

Book of Acts Chapter 23

What is the Sanhedrin Council?

Moses originally created the Sanhedrin Court, in obedience to God.

Num 11:16  And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. 

The Sanhedrin was conceived mainly as a court of justice but things had changed because of corruption.

Jesus said:

Mat 5:22  But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 

This same council was used against the Lord Jesus:

Mat 26:59  Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; 

Mat 26:60  But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, 

The members of this council were called councilors.

Mar 15:43  Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. 

The Sanhedrin was abolished after the destruction of Jerusalem and no longer exists.

The existing High Priest was always the Head of this council.

In the time of Jesus Christ this Sanhedrin served only in Judea and had no authority over the Lord while He lived in Galilee.

After the time of Christ its orders were deemed binding to all orthodox Jews. 

Remember these were the Jews that followed that all religious opinion of men should be the standard and not necessarily the exact Word of God.

Jesus Christ was charged with blasphemy and insurrection by this court.

In the days of Rome, the Sanhedrin contained a mixture of Pharisee and Sadducees and Paul used this to his advantage.

When Paul was brought before this council by the Chief Captain of the Roman soldiers in Jerusalem, it was not for him to be judged by them, but this Roman Captain wanted to know what Paul was charged with.

Any ruling of the Sanhedrin had no bearing on Roman law!

The Apostle Paul was not only a Jew, but he was also a citizen of Rome by birth.

Act 22:29  Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him. 

Act 22:30  On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them. 

The Chief Captain had thoughts of scourging Paul trying to gain the truth from Paul by torture, but since Paul was a citizen of Rome it was illegal to scourge him.

So Paul addressed the Sanhedrin council knowing the High Priest was his true enemy.

*****Act 23:1  And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. 

Act 23:2  And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. 

Act 23:3  Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? 

Act 23:4  And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest? 

Act 23:5  Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people. 

Act 23:6  But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question. 

Paul stared down at this council for it no longer represented the truth of God and therefore they were unable to serve justice.

Paul told this council that his life was now pleasing to God because he had excepted the Gospel truth of the Lord Jesus Christ, unlike them who rejected the truth.

Because Paul accepted the "authority of the Scriptures" Paul was labeled a blasphemer and the High Priests had Paul slapped.

None of us like to be slapped, but to a Jew it was truly demeaning.

For a Jew to strike another Jew was also a violation of Jewish Law.

Paul realized that he had rebuked the High Priest and he immediately repented, and apologized, because this also was against the Mosaic Law.

As for this council, Paul offered nothing but stares, as he was condemned by those who were hypocrites and reprobates.

Tit 1:16  They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. 

We must not forget the promise of the Lord, so the Holy Spirit was guiding Paul every step of the way.

Mat 10:18  And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 

Mat 10:19  But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. 

Mat 10:20  For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. 

The Holy Spirit also reminded Paul of just what type of men were on this council, Pharisee, and Sadducee.

The Pharisees believed in the Spiritual world and the resurrection.

The Sadducee did not believe in the Spiritual world, nor did they believe in the resurrection.

Paul conceived a plan with the Holy Spirit to pit them against each other.

Paul said the reason he had been arrested was because he believed the same as these Pharisees on these issues.

*****Act 23:7  And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided. 

Act 23:8  For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both. 

Act 23:9  And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees' part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God. 

We see that the hatred of these two groups for one another overcame any issues they had with the Apostle Paul.

We see that the promise of the Lord Jesus Christ had held true as always, and these two parties began clamoring and arguing amongst themselves.

Paul said in his speech from the stairs that Jesus, whom they knew to be dead, was alive, and that this same Jesus had spoken to him from Heaven and also in a vision.

There is a truth that we sometimes ignore.

1) When a sinner accepts the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ, there is an immediate elevation of the moral sense. We become new creatures!

2) When the Lord Jesus Christ comes near to the mind of anyone and He is rejected then, the last state of the rejecter is worse than the first. Those who reject the truth of Christ Jesus and quench Holy Ghost convictions, sink lower than those who never heard the name of Jesus Christ.

The Sadducees were religious but also liberal politicians of in the days of Jesus Christ.

They were wealthy, aristocratic, and the governing class of leaders in Israel. Not much different from those who govern our own nation today.

The Chief Priest of the Sanhedrin was normally a Sadducee during this time period.

The Sadducee ruled Israel on behalf of the Roman Government!

Act 4:1  And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, 

Act 4:2  Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 

Act 5:17  Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation, 

Act 5:18  And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.

The Sadducees were secular and worldly minded.

They were independent thinkers.

They were heavily entrenched in the priesthood in the days of Jesus Christ.

They regularly collaborated with the Roman government in order to protect their positions, in power and in wealth.

They denied the supernatural.

They denied the resurrection of the saints.

They denied miracles.

They denied life after death.

They denied angels and also evil spirits.

To them, there was no Heaven and no Hell.

To them, there was no existence other than life on this earth.

To them, when someone died, they just cease to exist.

To them, there was no such thing as rewards or punishment in the afterlife.

To them, there was no such thing as eternal life! (Matthew 22:23-33)

We can see the world if full of modern day Sadducees.

It is no wonder that they were "sad you see".

The Pharisee on the other hand were strict religionists.

These men dedicated themselves to practicing Jewish law in the strictest sense.

They felt that if they kept every little detail of the Mosaic laws and customs and taught others to do the same, they could save the Jewish religion and keep it from dying out.

They were the orthodox of their day.

They were strict literalists. They expanded the Jewish Law into thousands of little rules and regulations which we know of as the oral laws.

They were extremely zealous in these beliefs.

There were never many Pharisees because their strictness and their demands were too hard for common people.

They were earnest, dedicated, zealous, self-denying, and moral.

They were self-righteous and hypocritical. They lacked any sense of sin.

They were bitterly opposed to the Sadducees, hating, and despising them. They felt that the Sadducees were traitors to their own nation, and they were.

They were the main opponents of the Lord Jesus Christ and denounced Him. Their attacks on the Lord Jesus Christ were savage.

Why? 

1) Because Jesus did not attend any of their rabbinical schools nor a member of their sect.

2) Because Jesus attacked their rules and regulations which had been added to God's law.

Paul had been a Pharisee before he met Jesus Christ and was saved by the "Grace" of God.

These two groups of men allowed their hatred of each other get out of hand so, the Chief Captain had to put an end to this judgment of Paul.

*****Act 23:10  And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle.

Act 23:11  And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.  

The dungeon of Antonio Fortress became the one place of safety in Jerusalem for the Apostle Paul, led there by the Holy Spirit.

The Sanhedrin council had no authority over this case of the Apostle Paul and the Chief Captain had not submitted this case to them.

This case was in the hands of the Roman authorities, and it would remain that way.

We can certainly believe that Paul would have had no hope for justice had this case been given to the Sanhedrin and this Roman Captain knew this was true.

The command of the High Priest made sure this was true from the beginning.

In truth, this Sanhedrin Council was more guilty of blaspheming God that Paul was.

The fact that the Pharisees believed in the resurrection and Paul's defense was the fact that the Lord Jesus had certainly raised from that death, was proof that some of the beliefs of the Pharisees were true but not much more.

This doctrine of the Resurrection was the foundation of Paul's arguments for the truth of Christianity.

It is the "Gospel" this "Good News" of Jesus Christ that forms the truth of Christianity.

1Co 15:1  Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 

1Co 15:2  By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 

1Co 15:3  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 

1Co 15:4  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

The Lord Jesus informed Paul:

1) The Lord said to Paul "be of good courage".

2) The Lord assured Paul that his witness in Jerusalem was of God by the Holy Spirit.

3) The Lord assured Paul that he would bear witness of Him in Rome.

The Lord will always stand by our side if we stand by His side!

The Lord will always encourage us and see us through these things.

The Holy Spirit will always give us the things to say in these situations!

Isa 50:9  Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up. 

Isa 50:10  Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God. 

There are always those who are not satisfied with the way things are going.

*****Act 23:12  And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 

Act 23:13  And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy. 

In America today there are many groups such as Antifa, the BLM, and other Soros backed groups, who are devoted to the destruction of our way of life in any means possible, causing harm to individuals and property. 

We could say they conspire together to accomplish these things.

This group of Jews conspired to murder the Apostle Paul, and they actually made a vow to see that it was done and there were more than forty who made this vow.

We already know that Paul was going to Rome according to the Lord Jesus Christ and nothing, not even the best made plan, could stop what God had said would take place!

We should understand about Jewish vows. 

There was always possible for a way to escape if they failed to keep a vow.

The Talmud, the Oral Law, which did not always truly explain the written law of Moses, allowed for an escape of such vows.

One passage from the Talmud reads: "He that hath made a vow not to eat anything, woe to him if he eats, and woe to him if he do not eat. If he eat, he sinneth against his vow; if he does not eat he sinneth against his life. What must such a man do in this case? Let him go to the wise men, and they will lose his vow".

We should note that God does not release us from vows we make unto Him even though He will forgive our sin.

We should understand that since that day on the Damascus Road, the Apostle Paul had been under the providence of God and led by the Holy Spirit.

Paul was safe in the arms of God!

Paul would certainly bear witness of the Lord Jesus Christ in Rome, and nothing in this world could stop this!

God set in motion many human events to take Paul to Rome and in doing so, we as believers can see the hand of God in Paul’s life and it awakens us to the fact that same hand of God participates in each of our lives if we cling to the Lord Jesus Christ.

These men deceived themselves if they thought they could change the things that God had put in place.

We see this same type of foolishness in our world today in the many conspiracies that confront us today.

If our climate is changing, then it is because God is allowing it to change.

Matthew 24 describes to us the many things of our changing world and those are the things we need to be keeping up with.

Paul had appeared before the Sanhedrin court and these men could not stay focused because of the hatred they had for each other.

This was the Jew’s opportunity to paint Paul worthy of death, and they had failed miserably.

Paul would remain in the custody of Rome.

Any attempt to kill Paul would fail because Paul was really in the custody of Jehovah God.

It amazes me how people can deceive themselves in their sinful and wicked deeds, thinking they can overrule what God has said will take place.

If the world does not like the message of God and do not want to hear it, then it is in their best interest to leave the Church alone.

These forty or more men bound themselves under a curse before God. 

The Jewish elders might relieve them of the curse, but God would not.

They had devoted themselves to God under false belief to not eat or drink until they had killed Paul.

They thought that this would be pleasing to God. 

No where in the Scriptures does it read that these types of things are pleasing to God!

Paul was God's chosen vessel!

Paul was not evil, but preached the truth of God!

We should understand that no sin is pleasing to God no matter the reason we conjure up in our minds!

Those who think this way are living in deception!

Many in the Church have gone against the truth of God's Word and a preacher who preached the whole council of God, thinking they are right, simply because they listen to the world and ignore the Word of God.

Even modern-day science does not overrule the truth of the Word of God!

These types of people have stifled many a church and brought many of them to destruction.

Tit 1:16  They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. 

We are not to judge another church, but when these things take place, it is the Word of God that judges them!

These forty or so men conspired which means, they dragged other innocent men into their destruction.

Mat 18:6  But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. 

Mat 18:7  Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! 

They then went to the elders and got them involved and many of those elders were ready to get on board with them in their evilness.

We live in a world today where many a church leader have been deceived into joining in the wickedness of abortion, and the gay lifestyle, along with the transgender movement we see today.

They need to actually read that Bible they say that guides them!

We must get the world out of the Church!

The Church cannot fail, but many a lost person will fail to meet the glory of God because of these things.

This wicked and evil plan would be found out before it could take place.

*****Act 23:14  And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul. 

Act 23:15  Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you to morrow, as though ye would enquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him. 

Act 23:16  And when Paul's sister's son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul.

The enemies of the Apostle Paul would not be satisfied until the Apostle was no longer upon this earth.

The law said "thou shall not kill" but these Jews had intended to kill Paul.

They were like wild beasts as they thirsted for blood.

Reminds us of all those shootings going on in our nation as these shooters thirst for the blood of the innocent.

They bound themselves under a curse upon themselves.

There were more than forty of these who would murder an innocent man who only spoke the Word of God.

They were cunning, they knew they could not reach Paul without the help of the Sanhedrin.

This should tell us just how immoral the elders and the rulers of Israel were at this time.

They never gave a thought to the providence of God!

They had forgotten the advice of the teacher Gamaliel.

Act 5:38  And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: 

Act 5:39  But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God. 

How does God react to these things?

1) God keeps it simple!

We do not know much of Paul's family. We know a little about Paul's mother and his grandmother.

Here we see that he also had a sister, and she had a son who cared enough for Paul to come to visit with him.

God does not ever need to use mighty things to accomplish great things!

2) The way God works is always unexpected!

Little did these conspirators expect their plan to be defeated by an obscure young man.

3) It was natural.

It was natural for this young man to give this information to his uncle.

It was natural for Paul to send his nephew to the Chief Captain.

It was natural for this Chief Captain being a man of honor, to act as he did.

God does not have to exhort to big mighty things to do the things He does so well!

Paul would have a safe journey to Caesarea.

God would raise five hundred soldiers to protect him from forty murderers.

Paul would go before a Roman judge, being innocent of all charges of these Jews.

Psa 34:19  Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. 

God uses simple methods to expose the works of darkness!

As the children of God we should take great comfort knowing that our Lord God will never forsake us, and He will walk with us every step of the way until we finally reach our true home in Heaven.

Amen

Sharing Your Testimony

 Paul Shares His Testimony

Book of Acts Chapter 22

How important is our testimony?

Our testimony should reveal to others the truth of what God has done in our lives.

The opportunity to testify about the Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation that comes only by Him, often happens in unexpected places and under a variety of circumstances.

We should take a look at our own testimony and refine it to keep it short and to the point, keeping it full of the truth of our own lives.

We must always be prepared to give our testimony because we will be asked, "how is your life different today because you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior"?

We should lead a noticeably different lifestyle than we had prior to the meeting the Lord and our testimony should include this change!

How we came to trust the Lord as our Savior is important to mention.

What difference Jesus has made in our lives is important to mention.

God will use our testimony if we allow Him to do so!

In our lesson today, the Apostle Paul had come to this place where God caused him to give his testimony to strangers.

Even before a riotous mob is a good time to give our testimony!

We will see that Paul's defense of his character became his offence as he witnessed to the things the Lord Jesus had done for him.

*****Act 22:1  Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you. 

Act 22:2  (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,) 

Here we have an innocent man, the Apostle Paul, who could not be heard because of the noise of this mob finally get a chance to defend himself before being carried off by these Roman guards.

We should know that these Roman Soldiers main job was to protect the Temple and the grounds of the Temple.

Antonio Fortress was located on the northwest corner and connected to the wall of the Temple, and someone would always be on guard to see what was going on at the Temple.

It was King Herod who had caused this to happen. This was Herod's Temple, (the second Temple) in many views because he had spent so much money to rebuild this Temple into a showcase in Israel.

Disturbances in the Temple were sometimes dealt with harshly.

Paul was an innocent man of the things he was accused.

Paul was trying to appease the elders of the church in Jerusalem by compromising his own beliefs and it was not working out very well for him.

Notice it was not the local Jews who had stirred up this people, it was some trouble makers from out of town.

Paul loved this people.

Paul spoke in the local language which this crowd was not expecting, and these Roman soldiers would not understand much of what he said.

It is a fact that Paul would have been murdered had it not been for the work of these soldiers and this crowd could have easily overcome these few soldiers that came to put an end to this riotous mob.

The Apostle Paul was willing to face death, if it would be cause for some these Jews to be saved.

What did Paul have to say?

*****Act 22:3  I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. 

Act 22:4  And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. 

 In Paul's testimony he began with what he used to be.

We all as Christians have a life that we used to be. 

"We are no longer used to be s"!

It had now been about twenty-five years since Paul, at that time called by the name Saul, met the Lord Jesus Christ upon the Damascus Road.

There may have been a few that recognized Paul from those early days, but most of them would not have known anything about the Apostle Paul, past, or at that present time.

Paul wanted them to know that he was a Jew and Jerusalem had been his home for many years.

Paul wanted them to know he was just as much a Jew as any of them were.

Paul was born in Tarsus but he was raised in Jerusalem. His mother, and his grandmother were Jews, which made him a Jew.

Paul had come to Jerusalem at a very young age because his mother and his grandmother knew it was at Jerusalem where the best  schools were located.

Act 26:4  My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;

Paul was educated on the strictest laws of the Jews and became a Pharisee.

 Act 26:5  Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. 

Paul was now being judged by certain trouble-making Jews, because he believed all the Word of God. 

Those same laws taught of the coming Messiah, which Paul believed had already come as the Lord Jesus Christ as promised by Jehovah.

Act 26:6  And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: 

Paul had always been zealous in keeping of the Law and had never forsaken it!

Paul claimed he had never forsaken the practice and the customs of the Mosaic Law and he had not.

Paul claimed he was as much a practicing Jew as those who accused him.

Paul even shared that part of his life which was hostile to the Church.

Many of those present knew this to be true of the Jewish High priests and the elders of Jerusalem, who had also been a part of the persecution of the Church.

*****Act 22:5  As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.

The High Priests knew these things to be true! 

Remember how the position of the High Priest had remained in one family since before the days of Jesus and was still in that family, none of them being the descendants of Aaron. 

The High Priest was no more than a politician who remained friendly to Rome.

Those elders were all members of the Sanhedrin court and they could have acknowledged that what Paul was saying was the truth, but they refused to do so.

Act 9:1  And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 

Act 9:2  And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. 

Paul explained that with his religious training and zealous devotion, only a radical, supernatural event could have altered him to what he was on that day, a child of God.

Some of same mob that was ready to stone Paul was now ready to embrace him.

Paul describes his meeting with the Lord Jesus Christ adding to his testimony.

*****Act 22:6  And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. 

Act 22:7  And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 

Act 22:8  And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. 

There is only One who can save and He is the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ!

The Lord Jesus will get personal with us if we allow Him to.

The Lord Jesus will always seek us out to save us!

The reason that the "noon" time is mentioned is because it seems the sun is always brightest at noon time.

Yet, the Lord Jesus Christ will outshine the sun.

2Pe_1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

The Lord Jesus Christ is the "Day Star"!

The Lord Jesus Christ is a Nazarene not because of some pledge that was made, but because for a while He made Nazareth His home.

Joh_1:46  And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

Joh 1:47  Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! 

Joh 1:48  Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. 

Joh 1:49  Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

Paul said he was overwhelmed by the things that were taking place around him that day, and he fell to the ground and it was then that he heard the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ, the "Voice" of God.

The Lord Jesus has always been the "Voice" of God!

Notice how the Lord Jesus addressed Paul by name.

Notice that all sin is against our Savior. He is the One who commands us to live righteously.

In fact, this is what the Mosaic Laws were all about, God's directions for living righteously. Our School Master.

Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 

Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 

Paul was not sure until that Heavenly Voice said "why persecutest thou me"?

Try to explain these things to the Lord and you will find that you cannot!

Why do we treat our Creator like we do?

In today's world God is rejected.

Climate Change is all about rebelling against God.

God has said we will have all four of the seasons until He returns.

There were many witnesses to this event the only thing they did not understand was the "Voice" of God.

They heard the "Voice" but they could not understand what was being said.

This world has not changed much since that day.

God is speaking through His many voices and His many Scriptures, but the world knows He is speaking but they have chosen to close their ears to understanding.

Eph 5:14  Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. 

Eph 5:15  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 

Eph 5:16  Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 

*****Act 22:9  And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. 

Act 22:10  And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.

Act 22:11  And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.  

We know that the Lord Jesus addresses each of us personally, so it is not unusual for those around Paul not to hear what was said.

We know that the Holy Spirit had been working on Paul since the day that Stephen was murdered.

Paul had not cast a single stone, but he had held the coats of those that did.

We also know that when God saves us He does not remove us from our surroundings, He just gives us a new purpose and a new hope.

This is why it is called "faith"! We must trust God's plan for us!

We have to make our own trip to a spiritual Damascus.

Paul had to finish his trip to Damascus to know God's plan for him.

Paul had spent three years opposing Christianity and he would spend the rest of his life promoting Christianity.

We should not have to spend the rest of our days defending our actions while serving the Lord with all our heart.

Those traveling with Paul could not know the truth of what was happening.

All they saw was something they could not explain.

Paul continued on to Damascus, led there because he could not see for the Glory of that Light called Jesus.

God had already explained these things to a man named Ananias, who had a fear of Paul because of Paul's reputation.

Paul had seen these things in a vision because he could not see with his eyes.

Act 9:12  And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. 

Act 9:13  Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: 

Act 9:14  And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. 

Act 9:15  But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 

Act 9:16  For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. 

So Paul went to Damascus.

Paul was a chosen vessel to bear the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and some of those people would be Gentiles in many nations.

Some those people would be kings and those in the governments of many nations. 

Some of those people would be the children of Israel who had been scattered in many nations because they had rebelled against Jehovah God.

Act 26:16  But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; 

Act 26:17  Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, 

Act 26:18  To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. 

The Lord Jesus had made a remarkable promise to His Apostles when He forewarned them of some things they would encounter when serving Him.

Serving the Lord will not always be easy.

God told His Apostles that when they were delivered up to councils, and rulers, and kings, for His sake, to take no thought of what they should speak, but that the Holy Spirit would speak at that time.

Mar 13:9  But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. 

Mar 13:10  And the gospel must first be published among all nations. 

Mar 13:11  But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. 

This too is a sign proving we are in the last days!

Paul may have been the beginning of these things as he stood on the stairs leading to the castle of Herod at Antonio’s Fortress.

A Jewish mob even caused fear in these Roman soldiers who were greatly outnumbered.

They would be throwing dirt up into the air and ripping their clothing, surely acting like true heathens.

We could say Paul was lucky to have escaped them if we did not recognize the providence of God in all situations.

Paul was now a prisoner in the hands of heathen masters in the very unhappy country of Israel.

Paul, not a very big man, was loaded down with the chains of this world, yet he asked for a moment to speak to this unruly mob.

Surely the Holy Spirit was leading Paul to speak and he began this speech by giving his own testimony.

This is how important it is for us to have our testimony prepared for the day or the days it will become necessary.

Paul apologized for the persecution he had caused to the Church.

Paul had nothing to hide for his actions and he did not try to. These things were well known by many in this crowd he was speaking to.

Paul could have stopped with these things, but Paul had also made a promise to his Redeemer.

The church at Jerusalem needed to know that the Gospel would be preached to Gentiles throughout this world and that the Jews and the Gentile were to become one in Christ Jesus.

Paul spoke in simplicity, because the message of the Gospel is a simple message, but what could be seen is that Paul now had a great zeal for the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation of all men in every nation.

We sometimes forget that we are all in this thing together and it is the Gospel of Jesus Christ that unites all Christians.

What we witness in our nation today is the fact, there is a close connection between ignorance and violence.

Those in power today try to rule without righteousness!

Paul was a true Jew, and he loved his Jewish heritage, but it would be the fact that he was also a Roman that would benefit him the most for him now.

The conflict we see in America today is not between Christianity and political power, but it is between the truth of Christianity and false religion.

Corrupt so-called Christianity must be swept out of the way so the truth of the Gospel can take its stand and continue to stand until the Lord returns.

It is the Gospel that must reach all around the world to each individual, before the Lord can return because this is what the Lord has said.

Amen

The Lord Jesus Christ Will Still Return

 The Second Coming of the King

Book of Matthew Chapter 24

The most anticipated day in all of Christianity is the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We know the Lord will return in two stages.

1) The Lord will return first to get His Church out of this world before the Tribulation years, the time of Jacob's Trouble.

1Th 4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 

1Th 4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 

1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 

1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 

1Th 4:18  Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 

He will meet His Church in the clouds!

Jer 30:7  Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. 

Jer 30:8  For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him: 

Jer 30:9  But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them. 

Jer 30:10  Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid. 

Jer 30:11  For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished. 

The Tribulation years are a time of Jacob's Trouble not a time of trouble for the Church.

All the persecution of the church will take place during the Church Age, the Age we are now in.

2) The Lord will return to end the time of Jacob's Trouble by claiming the throne of David where He will rule this world for 1000 years.

Rev 20:1  And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 

Rev 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 

Rev 20:3  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. 

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 

Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. 

The Lord Jesus is still coming, and it may not be very much longer!

Many things will take place in this time period of when the Lord Jesus ascended back to Heaven and when He will return!

The Book of Matthew teaches us many of these things by the Lord Himself.

*****Mat 24:1  And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

This Second Temple was a marvelous structure that King Herod had been restoring for more than 40 years.

*****Mat 24:2  And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 

There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that this prophecy was fulfilled just as the Lord Jesus had said.

Josephus a Jewish historian testified of this destruction by Titus in 70 AD.

Josephus wrote that passersby would have supposed that the place of the Temple had never been inhabited if they did not know the truth.

Titus, the Roman general, ordered the very foundations of it to be dug up; after which the ground on which it stood was ploughed up by Turnus Rufus and planted.

As beautiful as this Temple was, it was the actions of the priests that changed the function of God's House.

It is not the outward appearance of any Church that makes it truly acceptable, it is what is happening within.

The disciples were aroused to ask questions:

1) When would this Temple be destroyed.

2) When would the Lord return.

What should we then believe? We should expect a literal fulfillment of these words of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We must also understand that Our Lord Jesus is preparing these disciples for His departure!

*****Mat 24:3  And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? 

Mat 24:4  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 

Just how will the Lord answer these questions, let us listen to what our Savior says.

The very first thing we see is that there will be great deceptions told to God's people.

The very first sign would be the rise of false prophets!

If we cannot see the truth of this statement, then we are totally blind!

We should also see what is described as the ending of an Age.

We know the Church Age is coming to an end and another sign is that falling away.

2Th 2:1  Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 

2Th 2:2  That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 

There is a great falling away from the Church because of all the false prophets in the pulpits and in the secular world.

*****Mat 24:5  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 

Most all the world is aware that the Lord Jesus has said He would return, and He will.

Many do not understand that Our Savior and Redeemer will return in two stages.

These 12 men with the Lord understood that all these things might happen all at one time, and this is not what the Lord Jesus was teaching them.

Many today think these things have already taken place and this also is not what our Lord Jesus was teaching.

The Church has been around long enough for most all the world to know that by the teaching of the true Church, the only way to Heaven is through and by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 

Joh 14:7  If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 

All those people and all those nations know that the Bible says they are doomed to Hell whether they believe it or not.

Psa 9:7  But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment. 

Psa 9:8  And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness. 

Much of the Church is hated for these reasons.

Most all politicians use these things for their own glory, some the righteousness, and most against what we know is the truth.

In reality lies and liars dominate the language of this world today!

Another reality is that we should be very careful when we are quoting the prophecies of the end times.

The Lord says take heed less we are deceived.

*****Mat 24:5  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 

There will be false Christs and there will be false prophets.

We see and we have seen both of these, and we will continue to do so.

These represent not only those who say they are the Christ, but also those who claim to be Christians and are not.

If this was not true then, our Lord Jesus would not have said these words and He has said them before He said all these other things.

The Lord said there would be many, not just a few.

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 

2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 

2Co 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. 

These false Christ have existed since the beginning of the Church and are multiplying today.

1Jn 2:18  Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. 

Yet, there are many more signs.

*****Mat 24:6  And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 

The Lord said for sure there would be many wars and many more rumors of wars. These things must come to pass. 

Saying these things meant these things would happen over a long period of time, but the end of which these disciples asked is not yet.

The thing we must remember the most is, that the fulfillment of the Scriptures requires a long time for its completion. 

We need only look at the time that has already past yet, many prophecies have reached their fulfillment and many more will do so in the time that remains.

If the Lord returned for His Church today, we know there would be more than a thousand years that would remain for complete Biblical fulfillment.

The Lord Jesus could actually return for His Church today! There is nothing yet to be fulfilled before the "Rapture of the Church".

Most all remaining prophecies concern the promises made to the Children of Israel.

The only thing lacking to be fulfilled is the patience of the Lord!

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

We must never assume that all these things have all already taken place.

I believe if we look at all the things happening in our world today, it would be obvious that time is running out in the Church Age.

Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 

Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. 

Rom 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 

Rom 8:25  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. 

Nations will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom.

*****Mat 24:7  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 

Today our nation is more divided than it has ever been, and it is intentional by factions in our own government. 

It is the same in other nations who have given in to the status quo and political correctness.

Today famines are not mentioned enough though they still exist because of so-called extreme weather, the heavy rains that trouble nations who have built too close to waterways for centuries, crying because they have something else to blame the flooding on.

Nations, cities, states, and homeowners and resort areas have always built too close to our waterways and the Lord says there will be flooding but not like the world wide flood in the days of Noah.

Jer 47:2  Thus saith the LORD; Behold, waters rise up out of the north, and shall be an overflowing flood, and shall overflow the land, and all that is therein; the city, and them that dwell therein: then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl.

Amo 8:8  Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.

Nah 1:7  The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. 

Nah 1:8  But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies. 

Maybe flooding has increased in some places.

Maybe famines have increased in some places.

Maybe earthquakes have increased and in places where they should not be happening.

Maybe buildings are collapsing for no reason.

Maybe pestilences (plagues) are increasing around the world as we have seen with Covid-19.

Oh, guess what, this is just what the Lord has said, and if you investigate, you will see the decisions that governments make every day are at fault and they had rather destroy history rather than preserve history and learn from their mistakes.

All these things that the world is so concerned about are only the beginning of the sorrows that are still in the future!

*****Mat 24:8  All these are the beginning of sorrows. 

We should clearly understand that none of these things had anything to do with the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem by Titus in 70AD.

The Jews brought that on themselves.

Mat 27:23  And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. 

Mat 27:24  When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. 

Mat 27:25  Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. 

When the Lord is rejected, He will leave and take His hand of protection with Him!

These are not things that the Church will see except for that statement of the Lord made right here. 

The Church will see the beginning of sorrows as we see them today!

It only gets worse!

2Ti 3:13  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

All these things we can see happening in our world today and at my age I have seen these things get worse.

This is why history is being erased.

Oh, did I say persecution was going to increase.

*****Mat 24:9  Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 

What is persecution? Persecution is  when Christians are forbidden to seek the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, by the use of force!

This is the main job the Lord Jesus gave us to do!

Mat 28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 

Mat 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 

Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. 

The other job of the Body of Christ is to make disciples who are obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ, and they then go forth with the "Gospel".

In America, it is hard to say we are persecuted when we see the persecution of the Body of Christ in many nations, but we can state in fact the even in America persecution has increased dramatically.

It really does not make sense as Christians are some of the best citizens of every nation by that same Word of God.

The one thing all Christians are to stand against is sin and that sin is based on that same Word of God.

So by this, we know that all governments in this world promote sin and refuse to stop promoting sin.

Who can figure that one out!

Most all sinners, all those without the love of Christ, promote murder, promote theft, promote immorality, and promote the defiance of authority.

Most all nations survive by taxes and Christians pay their taxes as demanded yet, all these involved in sin for the most part refuse to pay their taxes and become a burden upon those governments.

Most all Christians respect the authority of the government, yet most all sinners reject the authority of the government.

Yet, it is the Christian that is persecuted, and the sinner is praised by the government where no amount of sin is considered to be punishable.

The sinner who has not given their life to Christ and been Born Again by the "Grace" of God, remains a sinner who is sold out to the Devil!

These are also the Words of Jesus Christ:

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 

Joh 8:45  And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. 

Those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ are persecuted, just because they agree with the Lord Jesus Christ!

Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. 

This world opposes believers!

Gal 5:19  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 

Gal 5:20  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 

Gal 5:21  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 

Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 

Gal 5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 

Gal 5:24  And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 

The world opposes the message of a Holy God, and will deliver up His disciples to be afflicted and many of them will just be murdered to keep them silent.

The world has become the greatest murderer that think they go unpunished, but this same Holy God says this is not true because the world will be held accountable!

So what is the greatest cause of death in our world? The governments of this world!

Hatred has finally found its true place in the world we live in now, and this is a sign that the end is very near!

*****Mat 24:10  And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 

We can ask ourselves just what is apostasy?

Apostasy is the forsaking and the renouncing of the things you say you believe.

How did the Lord Jesus put it?

Mat 13:20  But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 

Mat 13:21  Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. 

We have seen far too many so-called Christians, duck and run when they find out they have to take a stand on the Word of God to be a true Christian!

Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

Though every generation has some apostacy now, near the end, we have seen a great falling away from the truth of God!

1Ti 4:1  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 

1Ti 4:2  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 

What is another great sign we are in the last days?

2Ti 3:1  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 

2Ti 3:2  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 

2Ti 3:3  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 

2Ti 3:4  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 

2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 

2Ti 3:6  For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 

2Ti 3:7  Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 

The truth of God cannot be denied!

The false prophets have come out of the closet, and they speak boldly because they are allowed to!

*****Mat 24:11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 

Mat 24:12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 

What do we see?

We see false leaders offering false hope!

There is no hope for this world!

The Lord has already determined to destroy this world in the end, but He will first save it from those who are determined to destroy this world themselves.

This is true because this to is written in what we Christians call the Bible.

Every false prophet will have his or her own message about how to save the world.

There have always been some false prophets, but now they have taken over the pulpits of many denominations and some of all denominations, and the world has jumped inside the Church and the Church is sinking to new lows abandoning the truth of God.

This my friends is another sign of the end times that we are facing!

We should never say the end times for God's people for this wrong, but the end times for the world as it now exist is what we are seeing.

1Ti 6:3  If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; 

1Ti 6:4  He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 

1Ti 6:5  Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. 

We must understand that only the genuine believer knows how to pray and talk with God!

By this, we will get the help we need to live through these difficult circumstances that we are facing, and we will be facing until the Lord Jesus completes our "Redemption"!

We are redeemed, the Lord just has not taken us home yet!

Until we leave this world we will see and are seeing hatred dominate in this world!

Love has grown cold by the actions of sin that has no feelings.

Sin is a destructive flame that burns until all it all has been consumed!

The Christian on the other hand is to fan the flames of truth and be brighter, in fact hotter.

Again a sign of the end times.

Rev 3:14  And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 

Rev 3:15  I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 

Rev 3:16  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 

We cannot be lukewarm and say we love the Lord Jesus!

*****Mat 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 

Mat 24:14  And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. 

Maybe what we lack the most as Christians today is, endurance!

It may not can be said in many places on this earth, but in America we Christians have not been tested.

This may be why there is such a falling away from the Church.

This Covid-19 has closed the doors of many places of worship.

We have allowed the government to step in and violate our own constitution and the Democratic Party would do away with our Constitution if they get the opportunity.

Our freedoms are being eroded!

Our nation is headed toward Socialism or better said Communism like a freight train running out of track.

We had better learn to endure these things and remain steadfast with the Lord Jesus!

With today's technology there remains very few places that have not been reached with the "Gospel".

Those very few places that civilization has not touched, will be touched and they too will suffer the destruction of sin, but maybe they first can be reached with the truth of God, but if not, they will still have no excuse because we need only look around and we can know that only a wise Creator could have made all the things in this Cosmos.

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 

Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 

Rom 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 

Its far better to know the Lord Jesus Christ that it is reject Him!

The greatest of all sin is to be ignorant of the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is He who will return first to take His Church home and then eradicate sin from this world by extreme force!

Amen

Trials and Tribulations

Enduring Persecution

1 Peter Chapter 4:12-19

Persecution is pain and or affliction, deliberately designed to cause harm to others, especially to Christians.

Today according to the Open Doors Ministry there are eleven Christians per day killed just because they have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as there Savior, there are many more injured in one way or another

This ministry follows the top 50 nations for persecution with North Korea being the number 1 nation for Christian persecution.

The persecution of Christian women is also growing at a rapid pace, but even more of this persecution of women is hidden, because of the culture of male domination in many countries.

There is even an increase in government control over Christian activities, without hindering religions such as Muslim, Hinduism, and other religions.

In fact, if you claim Jesus Christ, you are then put on a hit list in many of these nations.

What happens?

In 2018 there was believed to be 215 Million Christians in these 50 worse nations for persecution.

In 2019 there is already an estimate of 245 Million Christians in these same countries.

It looks like they would be better off, just to leave the Christians alone!

We may not understand why God allows so much persecution of His people, but it cannot be denied that the Church grows during persecution.

One of the biggest reasons for this is that people begin to see that there must be some truth to the "Gospel" of Jesus Christ.

We live in a world that thinks they can stop God by getting rid of His believers, and His followers. What a foolish world!

If the entire world wants to wipe out a certain group of people, then the world must be very afraid that those people would change this world into a better place, by removing the causes of sin in this world.

What does the Holy Ghost say?

1Co 2:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

1Co 2:6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

1Co 2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

The world stands in fear of the Christian and just as the world did to Christ, the world wants to get rid of the truth of God, which is impossible!

Why does God still allow the persecution of His children?

1Co 1:19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

1Co 1:20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

1Co 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

God loves this lost world enough to try to save all those who reject Him!

The world can try to stop God, but the world is seeking to do the impossible which only God can do!

Let's begin where we left off last week:

*****1Pe 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

Many say and many believe that God will test our faith to see if we are real, but how can that be true when God knows at every moment what we are going to do.

God does not test our faith He does place things before us so we can know ourselves that we are real.

God tests us, so we can know ourselves!

If the entire world was easily converted to Christianity many would wonder if there was truly a God.

It must remain our choice to humble ourselves to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

It must remain our choice to believe what God says or reject what God says.

Why would we expect to live a life with no problems when no one can do so?

God placed a curse upon this world because of the innocent blood of Abel that is spilled, and innocent blood is still spilled every day. This is not going to change until all evil has been removed from this world!

Gen 4:10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.

Gen 4:11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;

People are not even astounded by murder any more and murder and rape and such crimes are accepted as just part of the societies of today.

Even the murder of innocent babies in the womb, is seen as a right rather than as an atrocity.

If you live the Christian life, why in the world would you think you will not be hated, when you are the opposite of what is seen as normal!

We are wrong to think we will not suffer in this world!

Joh 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

Joh 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

The message of God is love!

The message of this world is hatred!

These two things will never agree with each other and hatred breeds violence!

This world has been in a revolt to love for so long, that to love is even considered to be a hate crime!

To do things in the right way is considered to be a hate crime.

In fact, to read the Word of God out loudly in the ears of others is considered to be a hate crime.

In fact, to own a Bible in many nations is considered to own material that is detrimental to national safety.

For Christians to believe God will put an end to all persecution, is not accepting what the Word of God teaches.

God will put an end to our personal persecution when He takes us home and all persecution of the Church on the day of the Rapture of the Church.

Don't be fooled by those who say there will be no "Rapture" just keep walking the Christian way these people will one day see just how foolish they have been.

It is a sad thing, but there are no unbelievers in Hell today, there are just those who beg the Lord to send someone to witness to their families so that they will get an opportunity to know the Lord in a personal relationship.

Luk 16:19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

Luk 16:20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

Luk 16:21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

Luk 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

Luk 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Luk 16:24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

Luk 16:25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

Luk 16:26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

Luk 16:27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:

Luk 16:28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

Luk 16:29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

Luk 16:30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

Luk 16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

God does not teach us these things just because it happened one time. In fact i can assure you that every soul in Hell is begging the Lord to send a witness to their families which God has already promised to do!

Persecution does certainly measure our faith!

Suffering from persecution is real and it does teach us how strong or how weak our faith is.

Persecution proves to us that we must depend on God for all things, even our length of life.

The death of a Christian by persecution does not stop their ability to witness, because to die for Christ is our greatest witnessing tool.

Persecution gives us strength and causes endurance, but it also opens doors that would have remained shut to the Word of God.

Something that is so hated must possess some reality!

This is what attracts others to the Christian way of life!

Isaiah said here I am Lord use me:

Isa 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

Isa 6:6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:

Isa 6:7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

Isa 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

Isa 6:9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

When we are to be used of the Lord, who are we to dictate where He will send us, how we will be treated, or if we will suffer persecution.

The truth is, we are invincible until we have completed the work the Lord has given us to do but we will still suffer persecution!

Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

We take persecution as a terrible thing and it is, but in fact we should celebrate the fact that someone thinks we look like Jesus Christ!

*****1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

There is no one who loves to be persecuted by others! There is no one in their right mind that loves pain!

Our Scripture reads, we can rejoice because someone sees us as the disciples of Christ, and the more we resemble Christ, the more we should rejoice.

In doing so, we become attractive to those who would persecute Christians only because we have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

We must not ever forget, Jesus did absolutely no wrong and He only lovingly pointed out to those who were listening to the leaven of the Pharisees that they should not do so.

We have no business listening to false doctrine, especially from those who would try to benefit from us!

Jesus obeyed the Laws of Moses, all 613 laws!

Jesus obeyed the Commandments of God, all the Scriptures!

Jesus obeyed all the laws of the different governments in Judea, and Samaria and all the surrounding region!

Jesus obeyed the Roman laws in His area.

Most of all Jesus obeyed His Father, our Heavenly Father!

Jesus did not obey the false doctrine of the Pharisees.

Jesus did not obey the false doctrine of the Sadducee.

Jesus did not obey the false doctrine of the Essene.

Jesus did not obey the false doctrine of the Herodians.

Jesus did obey the Doctrine of God, the Triune God!

All these others rejected the truth of the Old Testament Scriptures in one way or another!

Jesus Christ suffered because of these things, in fact He suffered even unto His death because He would not give in to any of these things because they are of the world!

Again we do not rejoice because of suffering, we rejoice because the world sees us as the true disciples of Jesus Christ, and not the fakes that are used of the world that are false examples.

Jesus Christ proclaimed righteousness, which means He admonished to the world to live by God's standards and not the things that rule in our world, which come from lust and pride, which things are of the Devil!

1Jn_2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

When we can deny these things of the world and live for the truth of God the world will see us as its enemies!

So many have gone on before us who have suffered for the same things and they are already with the Lord. We can celebrate with them now knowing that we will join them one day!

2Th 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

2Th 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

2Th 1:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

2Th 1:10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

2Th 1:11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:

2Th 1:12 That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

You know the Holy Spirit who lives within us, smiles when others see Christ living in us!

*****1Pe 4:14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

Reproaches and cruel mockings, have always been a part of Christian suffering, but those things mainly come from those who are ignorant of the Word of God, but are enticed by those who truly hate the Lord.

As Christians, we have the Spirit of Christ living within us and have this little taste of glory while we live for Christ.

This can never be taken away from us! We can only allow this little taste of glory to fade away or grow so dim that we are not even seen as God's children.

This is much worse that suffering for Christ any day!

The Lord suffered for me and each of you who believe, it is an honor that I should suffer some for Him!

Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

Rev 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

If we will spend the days the Lord has given to us going about the work of the Lord, He has given to us, even when we are gone and in Heaven with the Lord, that work that is left behind will continue to work for the Lord, even when we are gone.

This can be in our example.

This can be in any writings we have done by the Scriptures.

Most important it can be done by those who have been led to the Lord because of what we have done, especially our own children and grandchildren.

We have come too far to give up now even if we are still a baby Christian!

It is all these things that make us aware of the presence of God who lives within us.

When you can feel Him, then you know Him and if you know Him, then you will love Him and be obedient to what He says, no matter what is going on in the world around you!

But if we suffer for being a part of the sin of this world, then we will grieve the Holy Spirit who lives within us!

*****1Pe 4:15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.

God simply says we will not suffer for being true Christians unless He has allowed it, to help spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This suffering is in His control.

1) Who is a murderer? This is a person who deliberately takes the life of another person. We normally think of this as those evil men and women who use guns, or knives or other such things to take the lives of other people which should be a law in all nations of this world, but it is not.

It’s OK for people in some nations to kill Christians without suffering for it.

It’s OK in most every nation to murder babies in the womb and even some states in our own nation, right up to the day they are born.

Yes this is murder, it is not some female right!!!!!!

The one murder that is ignored even by the Church is that it is murder for some men behind the pulpits to deliberately lead those who hear them, in a path away from God. It is these who will suffer by the hands of God the most.

When we suffer for being a murderer, God will not come to our aid, even if we become "Born Again" after we have committed this crime.

We will still suffer the penalties of this crime, but Hell will not be in that future!

2) Who is a thief? To take even the smallest item from someone else is to be a thief! It does not matter if they will ever miss it!

To be a thief is to fall into the trap of covetousness. Covetousness is an inordinate desire for worldly possessions. This also means we are not satisfied with the things that God has provided telling God He does not know what He is doing.

We are also a thief if we take away the confidence of a baby Christian. It is this we will suffer from the Lord the most, but the world does not see this as being worthy of punishment.

3) Who is that evildoer? This is everyone who goes against the Word of God!

One of the most important witnessing tools we have, is the purity we have in Jesus Christ! The purity we have in obedience to the Word of God!

To lose this great tool, will also cause us to suffer at the hands of God, but the world will only laugh because think we are all a bunch of hypocrites!

4) Who is that busybody? This is a person who interferes in the concerns of others.

2Th 3:11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.

There are those today who will not let one day go by without practicing this art they cherish the most!

These busybodies will gather some tidbit of information, just to broadcast it at the right place at the right time just to discredit someone.

These are those who are meddlesome in the affairs of others.

Notice to the Lord, this gossiper, this busybody, is placed in the same paragraph as a murderer!

What does God say the cause of this thing is?

1Ti 5:13 And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.

They have nothing better to do than cause other people problems!

When we go against the laws of man we will suffer by the laws of man!

If we go against the laws of God, we will suffer at the hands of God!

If we suffer just for being a Christian, we have a God who takes these things very serious!

*****1Pe 4:16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

We should understand that since the day the Church began the Church has been persecuted.

1) The Word of God has not ceased to cause division since the day the Church began!

Luk_12:51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

To be honest, the forces of darkness will never cease in their attempt to stop the truth!

Most of the world looks at the Word of God as the source of division when in reality it is the lies that are told by those rulers of darkness!

This is the importance of knowing the Word of God!

Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

2) The Word of God has not ceased to reach out to those who will just listen to the truth!

Isa_55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

God has never been afraid to speak to this world because He "so loves" those that are in it.

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The Word of God causes division but only because we are not accustomed to the truth because the world is full of lies.

1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

1Jn 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

1Jn 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

Evil will cling to its lies, for as long as it possibly can! Even until the return of Jesus Christ when Jesus will put an end to the rebellion against a Holy God!

Rev_22:3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

We as Christians need only keep one thing in mind, "it is we who are on the winning side"!

If we suffer for the cause of Jesus Christ, the true Messiah, then we have proven our love for the Lord God our Creator!

We must understand God is judging the Church right now!

*****1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

1Pe 4:18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

Peter did not say the time was coming. He did say the time is come. This time until the Lord returns in the clouds is the time God is judging His Church. This judgment will conclude at the "Judgment Seat" of Christ where there will be rewards and of course a loss of rewards.

2Co_5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

You see God will first visit the Church in justice and mercy, because the Church has already been justified!

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Rom 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

We are no longer the enemies of God!

Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Rom 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

So knowing these things, just what will be the outcome of those who reject the Gospel?

It is this group of people who remain after the "Rapture of the Church", who will see the wrath of God because they to have already been judged!

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The wrath of God will seem even mild in the beginning with those who are guilty will feel like they have escaped, but God's wrath will grow and grow, until it's severity will mean a horrible death here and eternal death in the "Burning Lake of Fire" because even Hell cannot hold all those who have rejected the truth of God!

Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

Rev 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

God has taken the time to explain these things to us, we must just take the time to read, study, and be a witness to the truth of God!

It is the Church the home of the righteous and had God not sent His Son, to come down and take the flesh of the Lord Jesus Christ then there would be no one saved.

All that was before that was the Laws of Moses, 613 laws that separated God's people from the world.

It was and is impossible to be obedient to all those laws though some are still trying today.

So yes, we are scarcely saved, many of us may even bear the scent of smoke from Hell.

You see no one would be saved without the "Amazing Grace of God"!

We must accept this perfect "Grace" of God through His Son and those who reject this truth have no idea what they are asking the Lord to do.

It certainly goes against the wishes of Jehovah God to send anyone to eternal misery, so God put His plan in place that allows them to send themselves because they will not accept the truth.

This is the biggest reason the Lord has not returned yet to get His Church!

2Pe_3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

The Apostle Peter, by the Holy Spirit, has laid all these things out so we can understand them.

Remember Peter is writing to the Church just so we can know the importance of telling the world about the "Gospel of Jesus Christ" in the hope that we will get off our rears and get busy about the work of the Lord.

We must all agree that it is worth suffering if we can just get that child, that grandchild, that wife, that husband, that friend, that neighbor, to see the most marvelous plan ever conceived to save a mighty people from eternal misery, without God!

If we are going to Heaven to walk the streets of Gold, why would we not want all our family to be with us!

We can only do these things that God has given us to do, but in the end that person must make that choice themselves!

But to those who suffer because they have accepted the truth and wish only to tell others this truth, also keep themselves from getting drawn back into the lies, of this world.

God will do exactly what He says, whenever God decides to do it!

*****1Pe 4:19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

Sometimes we forget that once we have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and repented of our sinful life, we have then placed our souls in God's hands for safe keeping.

The Lord Jesus had these words:

Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

Joh 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

That phrase "the will of God" simply means that "God does what God does anytime God wants to do it"!

Dan 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

God's plan moves along at God's pace (Praise the Lord) and nothing in this world can change even one point of God's actions!

Prayer is used to affect our lives and the lives of others, but prayer cannot affect the will of God for this world!

God has always determined the course of human history!

Dan 2:21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

Dan 2:22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.

Dan 2:31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.

Dan 2:32 This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,

Dan 2:33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.

Dan 2:34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.

Dan 2:35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

Dan 2:36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.

Dan 2:37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.

Dan 2:38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.

Dan 2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.

Dan 2:40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

Dan 2:41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.

Dan 2:42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

Dan 2:43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

Dan 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

Dan 2:45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

God intended for the earth to be inhabited and He did not intend for man to try to dictate which groups of men were to survive!

Isa 45:18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.

Before the first bit of material was formed, our Heavenly Father already had a salvation plan put together.

Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

The truth is, the world should stand in awe of such a plan that has been in place for maybe 6000 years.

Millions and billions of years do not exist in God's plan! Evolution does not exist in God's plan! There is no such thing as part creation and part evolution in God's plan!

To go beyond the Scriptures to some imaginary creation plan is foolishness!

We can entrust our lives to the Almighty God!

We should rejoice in the wonder of our salvation!

We can rest in peace knowing we have been given the truth of life!

We must know even through God's love, God's holds people accountable for their sin!

God's plan puts to shame any thoughts of mankind that go against the revealed will of God!

Psa_59:8 But thou, O LORD, shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision.

There is nothing in this world that catches God by surprise!

Amen

Let's pray!