Archive for October, 2006

Ezekiel  24:10 – “Heap on the wood, kindle the fire; cook the meat well, mix in the spices, and let the bones be burned up.”

This is a prophetic message that still challenges us today.

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Deuteronomy 15:16-17 - “But if your servant says to you, “I do not want to leave you,” because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, then take an awl and push it through his ear lobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life.  Do the same for your maidservant.

This talks about servants or slaves in the Old Testament, but illustrates how we become the Lord’s servants today.  There is a similar passage (with a few more details) in Exodus 21:2-6.  Israelites had to release any Hebrew slaves or servants after seven years.  Even so, the servant could remain in the position permanently if he wanted to. The original languages of the Bible do not have differentiated terms for “slave” and “servant” as we do in English. continue

Deuteronomy 21:11-13 - “…if you notice among the captives a beautiful woman and are attracted to her, you may take her as your wife.  Bring her into your home and have her shave her head, trim her nails, and put aside the clothes she was wearing when captured.  After she has lived in your house and mourned her father and mother for a full month, then you may go to her and be her husband and she shall be your wife.“

This passage gives us a prophetic illustration of the salvation we have in Jesus Christ, that is, how the Spirit transforms our lives when we are born again.  It also shows the preparation of the Bride of Christ, the faithful church, for the Rapture.  Shaving the hair represents the complete change of mentality, attitudes, and opinions that must accompany our conversion experience and spiritual growth.  Trimming the nails refers to the “work of our hands,” as we devote our efforts to God’s Work instead of sinful things.  Clothes refer to our lifestyle, the testimony given by the way we live. continue

Jonah 1:6 – “…The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god!  Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish.“

Jonah was a prophet of the Lord in ancient Israel.  The Lord assigned him an unpleasant task: to go preach judgment on the great city of Nineveh, capital of the Assyria Empire.  At this time, the Assyrians (based in Nineveh) posed the single greatest threat to Israel’s national security and survival as a nation.  They were Israel’s enemies, and the people of Israel feared them.  Indeed, some years after this, the Assyrians invaded and destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel, carrying the people into exile, and leaving only the Southern Kingdom of Judah in the Promised Land.  Before this attack, however, God sent Jonah to preach to them.  Jonah was afraid and resisted this assignment – not only because Israelites naturally felt intimidated by Nineveh, but also because he did not want the people to have a chance to repent. (see Jonah 4:2).  He wanted God to judge them, and giving them a chance to repent could leave the opportunity for them to receive grace and forgiveness, at least for a season (this is, of course, exactly what happens at the end of the book of Jonah).

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…So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered, “but he is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”  - 1 Samuel 16:11 

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Titus 2:13 – “…while we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ…”

The faithful church today lives during an extraordinary time.  We see many Biblical prophecies fulfilled, and we see many of the signs that Jesus predicted would happen before his return – the formation of the state of Israel (Matthew 24:32), the frequency and increasing magnitude of earthquakes (Matthew 24:7), the devastation of sea life (Revelation 8:8-9), and more.

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2 Peter 3:9 – “…The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance…”

We live in the end of time.  Believers in past centuries looked forward to this time, and many wished it would come sooner.  The Bible, however, tells us of a series of signs or prophetic events that occur before the End.  All these signs have already happened.  The fulfillment has already come.   We are now waiting for the Lord to return any day.  There is nothing else left that must occur first or that must happen before He comes.  We are at the End.  The “promise” to which Peter refers is the promise that Jesus will come to Rapture the faithful church.

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Deuteronomy 20:5-8 - The officers shall say to the army: “Has anyone built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may dedicate it. Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it. Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her.” Then the officers shall add, “Is any man afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his brothers will not become disheartened too.” When the officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over it.

The Lord identified the following types of people who were excluded from battle in ancient Israel:

- Built a new house and has not dedicated it.

- Planted a vineyard and has not yet eaten of it.

- Betrothed to a woman and has not yet married her.

- Fearful and fainthearted.

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Philippians 2:20-21 – “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”

At the end of a chapter where Paul discusses the contrast between religion (rules and traditions) and the true Work of the Holy Spirit (Philippians 3), he contrasts the attitude or mindset of people in each category about where they belong. The false Christian has a “mind set on earthly things.”  They belong to this world, to the worldly system that goes its own way and ignores God’s revelation.

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“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” - Matthew 28:20

Matthew’s gospel closes with these comforting words.  Jesus is not just a historical figure, or someone who lived long ago and purchased our salvation.  He is alive today, and is active in his church and in our lives.  He is alive to lead us and guide us, to heal us and teach us, to provide for us and help us.

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