SHOULD CHRISTIANS JOIN A MILITIA AND WHAT DO NON-GENDER RESTROOMS HAVE TO DO WITH IT?

Already having been enlisted in the greatest militia of the most powerful Kingdom that will ever be, we receive our orders, what God expects of us, directly from Jesus Christ, the Captain of the Lord's armies. Conduct yourself as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, Paul said to Timothy. That means not getting involved in civilian affairs, but there was more to it than that. Paul said that joining with others in suffering is also what good soldiers do. 

The weapons of our warfare are not carnal like those in the world, but they are powerful. At the command of the Angel of the Lord, Gideon destroyed the stronghold of Baal, the god of the Midianites as the word of God destroys strongholds of thought and belief systems. At the Old Testament historic and geographic location of Baal’s stronghold, Christ said, on this rock I will build my church. In doing so, Jesus announced before all heaven and earth the unequivocal victory of His Kingdom over all spiritual strongholds of all demonic occult powers in the earth. 

  
Jesus said the gates of hell would not prevail against Christ’s advancing reign. Soon after Jesus spoke those words, He led Peter, James, and John to the top of Mt. Hermon, where Christ's appearance became radiant, Elijah and Moses spoke to Jesus, a cloud enveloped them all, and God spoke: "This is my Son, whom I love, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him!" 

The geographical area where all this happened was none other than where Israel, under the leadership of Moses, defeated Og, the king of Bashan, one of the last of the Rephaim who survived the flood of Noah’s day. Mt. Hermon is also said to be the place where the sons of God (Gen. 6) came to earth and rebelled against God. The image of a divine counsel meeting accompanying the transfiguration of Christ directly contrasts to a counsel of the ungodly. It also demonstrated God coming to tabernacle among His people in transformational power in the lives of those who choose to listen to Christ. Those on the mount of transformation did not need Peter to build physical tabernacles as he desired, for the cloud of God’s glory tabernacled over them. 

Because of Christ’s sinless life, His death on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead, the enemy has lost his stronghold, his physical dominion upon the earth. Christ has defeated him and all the gods of the nations that led Israel into idolatry. They will never stand in our way. All who put their faith in Jesus Christ can rest in the fact that although in the world they may have tribulation, Christ has overcome the world. Whoever by faith enters into the bloodline of Christ is made pure, whole, and victorious.

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VICTORY THROUGH SUFFERING

Standing up for what is right may not be comfortable at times, yet obeying the Lord is a strategic military move that puts all who follow Christ into the camp of absolute victory. Obedience will cost us our lives in some way, shape, or form, but we are in good company with Christ, who gave His life for us, for it is in losing our life in Him that we truly find it. 

As the Angel of the Lord observed, spoke, and revealed Himself to Gideon while he was beating wheat in the wine press to hide it from foraging Midianites, Jesus Christ comes to us and invites us to Himself to separate us for His purpose and lead us from victory to victory.

Gideon, in obedience to God’s word threw down the altar of Baal. The Angel of Yahweh said to Gideon, "and thou hast built an altar to Jehovah thy God on the top of this stronghold, by the arrangement, and hast taken the second bullock, and caused to ascend a burnt-offering with the wood of the shrine which thou cuttest down.’” The kingdom of God destroys all other kingdoms and builds upon the rubble of the gods which once oppressed God’s people.

Joash, Gideon’s father, chose to stand with his son and asked those who came to kill Gideon (for destroying the altar of Baal) if Baal could not fight his own battles. The willingness of Joash to suffer with his son helped him go on to deliver Israel. God then clothed Gideon with His Spirit and Gideon sounded the trumpet. Victory is the sound of a trumpet.

God through Gideon displaced the gods of the nations. Christ, by His death on the cross, publicly humiliated and forever defeated every one of them, every throne, principality, and power of darkness, and Christ calls us to walk in that completed work.

When Israel turned from God they could not obtain victory, but when they cried out to Him, He raised up a leader and defeated their oppressors. Transformation for victory begins in the heart.

Paul, one of the New Testament writers, demonstrated the heart needed for victory. He understood the necessity of suffering for the benefit of others. He said he suffered so that the chosen ones would experience deliverance. Then he stated in 2 Timothy 2:12, "if we do endure together -- we shall also reign together; if we deny [him], he also shall deny us”. 

Jesus Himself learned obedience by the things He suffered, so by His death on the cross we could all be brought to the goal of fulfilling the purpose God has for us, to the call of Christ heavenward. Believers today are in the unique position of uniting the hearts of the fathers to the hearts of the children and the hearts of the children to the hearts of the fathers that together we should all be brought to the goal together. 

NON-GENDER BATHROOMS

Men and women rejecting the norms God has established in His word is not new. From the beginning, God defined parameters for His creation, delineating for fish the realm of the sea; birds, the air. He made the heavens and the earth, but humanity and divine beings chose to violate God’s established borders. In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve disobeyed the Lord and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They crossed the boundary God in His wisdom had established, so they could be like God knowing both good and evil instead of forever enjoying life on earth lived in God’s will.

In contrast to humanity wanting to be like God, the beings in Genesis 6 left their place in the heavens and came down to earth. They corrupted human flesh through the daughters of men. In the case of Genesis 3 and 6, disobedience transgressed the lines establish by God, and through it, darkness spread throughout the earth and brought God’s judgment upon the world and its inhabitants, except for those who walked with God and would find favor with Him.

The Old Testament picture then is of human need to be thoroughly cleansed in flesh and spirit to live fully in the light of God’s will and in full affirmation of God’s word for the establishment of a new heavens and new earth where only righteousness dwells. Through the will of Christ and His blood, the blood of a pure and holy sacrifice, all can now be delivered from defilement brought on by sin and live fully in the will and inheritance of Christ.

David in Psalm 16:5-6 describes what the deliverance from Sheol entails: "Adonai, my assigned portion, my cup: you safeguard my share. Pleasant places were measured out for me; I am content with my heritage." 

The Old Testament provided the background for the New Testament understanding of victory and inheritance. In Israel, the priest’s share was not land but rather Yahweh Himself. This is how King David could say Adonai was his portion and cup. This royal perspective on serving God applies also to believers today whom God has made a kingdom of priests.

God gave a heritage or land portion to each of the tribes of Israel in Canaan. That same inheritance spiritually extends to every believer in Christ. God used Israel to defeat their enemies and cleanse the land from the corrupting influence of foreign gods. Christ also always leads us in triumph.

God told His people that if they obeyed He would bless them in every way and He would drive out their enemies, but they had to be pure. Though God's blessing enlarges the territory of the obedient, the Lord paradoxically told the Jewish tribes not to move the boundaries of their neighbors because God had determined each land area. 

Even though today we can be blessed with land and material things, the portion allowed to each believer in Christ is primarily our holy relationship with God and judgment declared on our behalf. Out of our obedience through Christ to God we advance against the forces of darkness and expand the sweet savor of the knowledge of Christ without leaving the realm of Yahweh's blessing upon our lives.

With all that is going on in the world today to blur the lines between male and female, light and darkness, good and evil, right and wrong, believers in Messiah as good soldiers of Jesus Christ must not be entangled in civilian affairs. As enlisted men and women on the frontline with God’s army, we follow our commander and respond to His voice alone. As we obey our Savior the Messiah, His Kingdom prevails over all the earth and against every opposition.  

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WHAT'S THIS ABOUT A RAPTURE?

Many of us have heard the story about the woman who sliced off the ends of the ham before she put it in the oven. When asked why she cut each end, she answered because her mother always prepared it that way. Come to find out her mom's stove was too narrow, so she cut off either end of the ham so it would fit. The tradition had been passed from generation to generation without question but with no present basis in fact.

Though the story may not be completely factual, it accurately describes those who tenaciously cling to a certain view of when Christ will return simply because they have been taught a particular tradition.

Rather than allowing the whole Bible to contribute to our preparation for the second coming of Christ, some people focus only on certain Scriptures, doing their own kind of trimming, to make them that fit in their narrow pre, mid, or post tribulation oven. 

The church has gotten a free pass somehow to reduce viewing Christ’s return to a few key passages with no regard for others that God may wish to use now to prepare His people for that day.

What can be done?

Each of us can seek God to become one of the people to whom He will say on that day, well done good and faithful servant, welcome into the joy of your master.

Jesus warned us about deceit attempting to take our focus off what is most important in the last days.

In response to the disciples asking Jesus when the end of the age would be, Jesus said, "Don't be deceived.” He warned about deception from those coming in His name as a sign of the end of the age. Jesus also said, “Be ready”, whether He arrives in the evening, midnight, or when the rooster crows. We do not want to deny the Lord, hear the rooster crow, and be caught unaware.

"Don't let anyone deceive you" is the definitive word of Jesus on the matter. If people expect Him before, in the middle, or after a particular event, He is under no obligation to conform reality to their expectations. 

God conforms reality to the paradigm of Christ’s Lordship not to the opinions of any church. 

The question is not, when do we expect Him to come, but what now does He expect us to be doing? 

If holding fast to a particular view makes us feel secure, our trust is misplaced. Security comes with walking with God doing His will, or what the Bible calls being awake, the one way not to be caught off guard by His appearing, whenever it happens. 

These days, some people are questioning what some churches dogmatically teach about the return of Christ. This is a good thing because viewing the second coming any of the three traditional ways is inadequate.

For example, Jesus in Revelation 2 uses the word tribulation three times in connection to believers. Some endured tribulation and were commended for it (v9). Others would experience tribulation to become faithful (v10). Still others would be cast into great tribulation because of being unrepentant (v22). The person believing the Lord will come take him or her off the earth before things get too bad is missing the point entirely. The challenge is to be brought to the goal and demonstrate Christ's reign through living faithfully, which Peter says hastens the day of the Lord.

That’s right. The Lord can come sooner based on how His people are living (2 Peter 3:11-12). That fact, in and of itself complicates any theory that predicts a time for Christ’s return.

Taking the position that believers will go through the tribulation is also problematic. In Revelation 3 Jesus said to the faithful that He would keep them "from the hour of the trial that is about to come upon all the world, to try those dwelling upon the earth” (v10). Jesus said as well that He has provided an open door into heaven for "those who didst keep my word” (v8). 

It is time for new wineskins for new wine. We should no longer attempt to cut off both ends of the old wine pouch to get the old wine into the oven. Sorry for the mixed metaphor. The point is that the new wine of what God says in Scripture must shape the new skin, our lives lived in light of His word, which He uses to prepare us for His return.

A person may suggest it is good enough to hold to one of the three views mentioned above and we do not need to question their validity. The problem is that each tradition is proving inadequate, so we should be willing to let go of them, not the belief in the rapture of course but straightjacketed views of it, if they do not strengthen believers to do God’s will from a pure heart. 

The Lord wants to give us eyes to see our being caught up with him in a different light than the typical three approaches can accommodate. The inadequacy of each view leads me to believe that it is necessary to let go of religious opinions that stand in the way of our becoming the faithful servants God desires us to be. No religious system will withstand the test of fire, and if we hold on to them instead of Christ, we too will be burned. 

We must base our lives on God’s word and not the opinions of man, but is that possible when it comes to our view of the return of Jesus from heaven?

Yes it is if we start with what Christians have in common and are open to the implications of what the whole of Scripture teaches about Christ coming to earth a second time.

To start, here are some points of agreement. Christians of all denominations from Roman Catholic to Evangelical charismatics believe Christ will return in power and glory, and He tells us, Be ready. Christ’s return is closer than ever, and when He comes in glory we will all be changed.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

While shared beliefs about Christ’s return unite Christians, the pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, and post-tribulation rapture beliefs unnecessarily pit believers from the three different persuasions against each other. Entrenching ourselves in one of the three camps is problematic because the positions promote infighting. 

The views do not unite but rather divide and lead to speculation. Paul warned Timothy what happens when people focus on the wrong things. Paul told him, "Have them stop devoting their attention to myths and never-ending genealogies; theses divert people to speculating instead of doing God's work, which requires trust. The purpose of this order is to promote love from a clean heart, from a good conscience and from sincere trust. Some, by aiming amiss, have wandered off into fruitless discussion."

It is not a coincidence that Jesus in Revelation 3 tells the church to become watching because the works God had for them had yet to be fulfilled. They looked alive but were dead. If they did not get back to keeping what Jesus said, He would come as a thief and they would not know when He was coming. Do you want to be ready when Jesus returns whenever that may be? 

Overcome and become watchful.

We must not be led astray into dead ends of fruitless debate. Instead, we need to be strengthened with trust and a pure heart to do God’s will. Any teaching of Christ’s return that does not cause us to serve Christ in purity and sincere faith misses the mark. Purification is intimately related to Christ’s coming as John makes clear here in 1 John 3:

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Our being the sons of God came about from love of His first appearing, and the hope of our becoming what we shall be is wrapped up just as intimately with Christ's second coming, with purity of heart and service here on earth essential to our hope of being like the Lord and seeing Him as He is. 

Wasn’t Enoch’s close relationship with God the reason he was taken to heaven? Enoch walked with God and was no more because God took him. Hebrews 11 said that Enoch received the testimony from God that he was pleasing to Him before God translated Enoch to heaven. Pleasing God prepares us for the day we shall see Jesus.  

God brought Elijah to heaven while the prophet was walking and talking with Elisha. God led Elijah from divine appointment to divine appointment on the day of his departure up until the time the chariots of God came, separated the two men, and carried Elijah into heaven. Elijah did not know beforehand when that would happen, but he was faithful up until the fullness of time. 

Noah escaped destruction because he found favor with God. He was faithful. He habitually walked with the Lord. This is how he could heed the divine warning concerning the things not yet seen. We cannot see when Christ shall come, but we, too, need to heed God’s warning of what is to come, so we can be ready to be taken at the time of His arrival.

Noah’s posterity is faithful obedience to fulfill God’s purpose. Even Noah did not know when the flood would come until God said, “Come in thou and all thy house…” seven days before the rains came.

WHAT REALLY MATTERS

Sitting around the pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, and post-tribulation campfires complicates matters.

It may be that there are so many Scriptures about Christ’s second coming that it is too easy to pick and choose those that bolster one position while ignoring others that either contradict that position or add important considerations that when ignored lead to error and expose the position to valid criticism.

All Scriptures shedding light on Christ’s return should be highly valued as precious tiles in the heavenly mosaic of Christ's return. We can trust God will use them to lead us into the truth of Christ’s return, although we understand them only cryptically and do not yet see how all the pieces fit into the glorious will of God. 

Human cleverness has never been able to reveal the timing of Christ's second coming just as no one could have predicted the exact circumstances of His first appearance.

Out of respect for the King of Kings, we should allow all Scriptures to speak for themselves and lead us to conclusions instead of forcing Scripture to conform to our perspective.

Rising up from our comfortable seats in our respective camps, we should stamp out the fire of our assertions about matters God has hidden and He alone understands. 

Leaving behind the things we do not know, we can choose to obey what God says. We can walk in loving relationship with Jesus into the full dawning of His Day and our being revealed with Him in glory at His return.

ONE NATION UNDER THE TRUE AND LIVING GOD

Every day in classrooms throughout the United States, students recite the words “one nation under God” as part of the pledge of allegiance, but the truth is this: a nation under God is a holy people, which means the Lord has set them “apart from the other peoples” to be and become His (see Leviticus 20:26). 

In some way, the people of God are different from all the nations of the world. This is absolutely clear. King David saw them worthy of honor, and he said all God’s pleasure is in them (Psalm 16:3). David understood that his and our allotment was unique, unlike the allocation of the seventy nations listed in the Table of Nations of Genesis 10.  

To Pharaoh of Egypt, God called Israel His firstborn son, and He has given the power to become sons of God to Israel's seed, those who put their faith in Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah, the one people who are distinct from all other nations. Called the holy people, the “ones protected by the Lord" (NET version), or the redeemed of the Lord, these are also the sought after and the city not abandoned.

All the nations and their rulers who lead the rebellious against God come under His wrath but not the true sons of Jacob who serve God through Christ and are called by His name. This remnant, received as sons (Hebrews 12), walks faithfully with God to advance the reign of the true and everlasting King and to bring the elders to the goal.

As a matter of fact, Christ’s obedience to die on the cross and His resurrection from the dead opened the way to raise us out from under the rule of the gods of the air, so we can hear God’s voice and walk with Him as Enoch did. Jesus defeated the powers of darkness on our behalf, triumphing over them through the cross.

The Angel of Yahweh leads His own in victory as He led Israel out of Egypt, and as He led Joshua to defeat Jericho. The day will come when people will no longer refer to the Lord who led His people out of Egypt but rather the Lord who led His people out of exile from the nations.

As Daniel 7:27 states, “Then the kingdom, the rulership and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. Their kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will serve and obey them." Believers have no obligation to any spiritual rule except the rule of Christ who is exalted above all authority and power. Principalities no longer have any authority over us because we are raised with Christ far above all forces of wickedness. 

The time of the rulers of this world is coming to an end. Christ is taking His place as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. His alone is the everlasting Kingdom and to His reign, there is no end, only new beginnings. 

In Revelation, the apostle John saw people from every tongue, every tribe, and every nation along with the angels, creatures, and elders in heaven surrounding the victorious throne of God and of the Lamb.

The day is coming when all people called by the name of Jesus and who call upon His name will stand firmly as one nation in honor of the one true and everlasting God. 

THOUGHTS ON ROMANS 10 AND ISAIAH 52

Christ is the end of law for everyone who is believing.

Hallelujah, we no longer need to set up our own righteousness, for doing so makes it impossible to submit to God's righteousness. Seeking God according to knowledge means submitting first to the will of Jesus,  and His changing our heart is the only way that can happen. Christ is the end of law and the entrance to freedom.

Moses said that those who trust in the law must live in them. From this, all kinds of problems arise, for the next step is either to seek someone either to bring Christ down from heaven or up from the abyss. 

Instead, the saying of faith is inside us, inside our hearts and in our mouths to confess Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead. And with that belief and confession, says the word of God, we are saved.

And believing on Him makes all of us unashamed. God is rich toward all, both Jews and Gentiles, who call upon Him.

Romans also says that blessed are the feet of them that bring good tidings of salvation. Paul was quoting from Isaiah 52. 

From Isaiah 52:

The Lord shall arise! He has made Jerusalem know His salvation. No unrighteous enter in.

This is the promise of the Lord from Isaiah 52:6: 

Therefore my people will know my name; therefore on that day they will know that I, the one speaking — here I am!"

And how do we know who is speaking? It is evident through the victory He established.

The good tidings to Zion is, Yahweh is King! This is the announcement of a new reality, the salvation of God's chosen people and complete victory on their behalf. 

The call to victory is the call to flee, to be clean, but not to flee in haste. The Lord goes before us and after us. He leads us out.

The nations are speechless, for they have never been told what they see. Jesus Himself is raised up and honored, and the nation will be startled at Him, as they were appalled at His disfigurement at the cross. 

Jesus, the true servant of God, will succeed. We can rest assured in His presence. 

TO ALL CHRISTIANS EVERYWHERE

When Jesus Messiah appeared the first time, who missed Him?

The answer is anyone who was not prepared to receive Him as He was, anyone whose own thinking could not fathom the Messiah appearing the way God chose it to happen. His way did not register with them. It was off their radar. Rather than responding to God’s plan and signposts, they entrenched themselves in misconceptions and became captive to false assumptions. Unwilling to question their perspective, their minds led them astray.

They were looking for someone who would fit with their ideas from Scripture. Why should it be any different for the coming of Jesus from heaven a second time?

 

People who have preconceived ideas about how and when the second coming will take place run the same risk as the Jewish majority of the first century who were unprepared for Messiah. 

The problem occurs at the worldview level. John the baptist said Jesus coming from above speaks from above. For us who claim to know Him, we better be listening in the right direction. We will not get the true picture from anyone else except from Him who is the Truth. We must allow Him to transform our paradigm. 

New View for New Realities

The details in the Bible about Christ’s return are intentionally cryptic as are the details in the Old Testament about the Messianic ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. This fact requires that we learn to hear God’s voice and obey what He says to us today, so we can be ready. Thinking we are good they way we are, we already know what we need to know, or worse, that we do not need to obey what He says because He no longer speaks, is like a deaf blind person stating hearing and sight really aren't necessary. We must admit to ourselves and to our Creator the desperate need for His words of life. 

Christ Himself warned people about the disposition toward complacency and wrong thinking. He said to the Jews, don’t think to yourself you have Abraham as your father. He also said not to say in our hearts that He will be coming later not now. Believers in Jesus Messiah need to wrestle with the implications of these warnings, not discount them. Disconnect from Scripture indicates our need to draw near to God with all our heart to hear God’s thoughts in that area, where we cannot now hear God’s word. Not listening or hardening our hearts leads us away from Him.

No one should say the return of Christ will happen this certain or that certain way. No one knows for sure, and God’s will has never and will never conform to human understanding of it. Otherwise, humanity would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Here is an example. The Christian understanding of sanctification can be a stumbling block if we use that belief to excuse ourselves from conforming to the will of Jesus because in our mind we know God already sees us as holy. God never ordained people to use doctrine to avoid accountability to God’s word, prevent us from making Him our all in all, and hinder us from entering into the place of being tabernacled over by God Himself, who is our protector.

The truth is that Jesus rewards overcoming and walking in obedience by clothing us in white, tabernacling over us, and protecting us. Sanctification is about obedience as God’s unique chosen person. Becoming faithful prepares us and aligns us with the purpose God has for us to accomplish leading up to and advancing Christ’s return, whenever it may be. We can know if we are responding rightly because rather than getting further away from God, Jesus makes the path to His return clearer and brighter.

If Christians don’t learn anything else from the way Christ came the first time, manifesting Himself as Savior when He lived on earth, we should learn that God's will unfolds in perfect harmony and in perfect contrast to what is going on in real life. He is not found in ivory towers or glass houses but appears in the nitty gritty of life to transform it and us.

God chooses imperfect people to speak to. He reveals His will in each life as needed to uniquely prepare us to faithfully live for Him. He has never given anyone the blueprint for His Son’s return, but He has given us Jesus and His word, so that we can know God and be prepared for that Day when the Son of God is revealed from heaven in glory and we are revealed together with Him.  

WHEN LIFE IS NOT WHAT WE EXPECT

How many of us are living our dream life? 

A 2014 study from the Charles III University of Madrid https://goo.gl/pxpOsD discovered that only 6 percent of adults work in careers they envisioned as a child.

What about the rest of us who never fulfilled those ambitions? Is hope lost?

THE PLACE OF SAFETY

Some may imagine that if only they pursued their dream, they would be experiencing a more satisfied life than they have now. Some whose lives have been detoured by unforeseen circumstances may think that they missed their opportunity for fulfillment. But is that true?

Are people, through poor choices, forever stranded on the side of the road, relegated to the position of spectator to the better lives of others? 

In contrast to that thinking, Zechariah 11 teaches well-being as God’s gift for honoring Him. Governments and armies, careers and money are all unable to provide deep-seated peace, the Shalom of Yahweh. Satisfaction does not even stem from personal ambition but descends from a completely unexpected direction. 

Nations and peoples are ruled by unseen forces, and our relationship to those forces defines life experience.

God protects His own through the covenant that the Lord has made with the kings of the earth not to harm His people. This is done because of His people honoring Jesus, who is the Torah, the Tree of Life. 

People bring harm upon themselves because of a broken covenant. Unfaithfulness to Yahweh, the holy Creator, allows destruction to come in where the covenant is nullified. This is what Zechariah warned Israel about and what brought about the destruction of the second temple in Jerusalem. It caused Judas to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, and it will also ultimately bring down every earthly reign. Those spoken of in Zechariah 11 who did God’s will understood this.

The wise spoken of in Daniel understand it. God surrounds His own with His hand of protection. No one, no power in heaven or on earth, can take us out of the hand of the Lord. 

Assurance and satisfaction in life is still possible today. It comes through knowing the victory Christ has provided through His death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. 

The well-being that is from above far exceeds any earthly dream because ideal life accompanies relationship with the unseen King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Allegiance to Christ brings fulfillment only our Creator can provide in life and for eternity. 

Click here to read a related post.

GENTLE OR STRONG WORDS

In the recounting of an event, it is best to go out of the way not to use a negative word. On the other hand, Jesus said directly, hypocrites you are a brood of vipers. 

When I spoke of the place I lodged in Oregon, where I visited recently, I said I would not say it was sleazy but rather that I was not sure if the woman at the front desk had all her teeth or not. 

She was nice. 

This is the fulfillment of the Torah portion this week about the words we use. 

Use positive words so you will not be defiled nor defile others.

This is the beginning of the new heavens and earth. It all starts with language. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God and the Word was with God. Jesus is the Word and the way we speak elevates life into the heavens. 

To say when God said in Genesis, "Let us make man in our image.." means we are involved in creation is a misreading of the text.

Man was not there with God when He created not only man but the universe. There was a divine counsel, yet God alone created man. This is clear because Scripture says unequivocally that God made man.

God works powerfully in the affairs of men and chooses to include His divine counsel in the process, yet God alone is the One who gets it done.

 
It is wonderful grace that enables any of us like Isaiah to say, Here am I, I will go, and it is the power of God that bears the fruit of the age to come.  

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