Spiritual Warfare

Nearly 2,000 Years of Coming Quickly?

Ken

Jesus said, “I come quickly [Greek, tachu, soon, suddenly]” (Revelation 3:11; 22:7, 12, 20 KJV). What part of nearly 2,000 years sounds quick? If He meant to keep us in a constant state of readiness, then He chose His words wisely. Did Paul think he might be alive, when Jesus returned? “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” (1Thessalonians 4:17). Yes, he seemed to include himself in that last statement of “we which are alive and remain” (4:17). But, don’t the words, “I come quickly,” lose their impact over the passing years? Not if you consider that “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2Peter 3:8). Isn’t that difficult language to use around small children? Only if they haven’t been growing. “But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). We have been warned not to fall asleep, as if we would miss something, otherwise. 

“1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. 8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. 11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do” (1Thessalonians 5:1-11).

Father, make us to be ready. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Doctrine of the Imminent Return of Jesus Christ

Ken

If I had a theory that human history would be only 7,000 years, would that immediately qualify as entry to the Flat Earth Club? Until we can be persuaded by Scripture, a theory is only a theory, not doctrinal fact. And, we have no obligation to believe anything, unless necessity forces a choice. “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel” (1Corinthians 9:16 KJV). On the other hand, before Jesus ascended back into Heaven, He promised to return, but more important, He promised we would be present with Him. If that was only a promise of being indwelt by the Holy Spirit, He would not need to depart to prepare a heavenly place. “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” (John 14:3). He was promising at any moment to return to us, fetch us, and bring us to be at that heavenly place with Him. He said, “Surely I come quickly” (Revelation 22:20); and, we were further instructed “to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come” (1Thessalonians 1:10). Coming quickly, while we are waiting qualifies for an Imminent Coming. “Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching” (Luke 12:37). 

You can see that a Pre-Tribulational Rapture fits nicely with the Doctrine of the Imminent Return of Jesus Christ. 

  1. The Lord draws near, standing before the door. “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the Judge standeth before the door” (James 5:7-9). 
  2. Wake up. “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Romans 13:11).
  3. Throw off. “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light” (Romans 13:12).
  4. Put on. “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Romans 13:14).

Father, may we be a blessed servant found watching to “be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21:36). Help us to keep our garments clean. Lord Jesus, return quickly. Amen. 

Unto Us A Child Is Born

Ken

Christmas is a special time of caring because God set the example. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6 KJV). Jesus is that child born in a Bethlehem manger, God’s One and Only Son. He came the First Time as a lowly Savior, but He will return the Second Time as conquering king and judge to rule an earthly, millenial kingdom. The actions of the Messiah are wonderful and marvelous. His words are that of a counselor. Christ Jesus is The Mighty God to the consternation of His enemies. He is one with the Father. And, to our great joy, He is our Prince of Peace. Hallelujah! “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). Father, all praise to You for sending us Your Son. Forever thank you! May the gladness You put in our heart translate into the caring we give one another. You are the founder of the feast and reason for this season. We gratefully praise You! In Jesus’ name, amen.

First Coming Is Incomplete Without The Second Coming

Ken

“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Hebrews 9:28 KJV). Our salvation is complete, when we shall come into His presence at His Second Coming, for we shall lose our present corrupted bodies of flesh and become like Him. “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” (1John 3:2). We are saved from the penalty of sin (eternal death), the effects of sin (physical suffering), and the power of sinning (necessity to commit sin). 

All will confess to being saved from eternal death, since the “gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). 

According to our faith, some will lay hold of physical healing in the atonement, i.e., “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5 cp. Matthew 8:16-17). 

But, possibly the most overlooked benefit in the Atonement is the Gift Within the Gift — the giving of the Holy Spirit. We are saved from the necessity to sin by the inspiration of the Indwelling Holy Spirit to cause us to obey Him. “And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27 cp. Acts 2:38). 

We certainly will have all of these fulfilled by the time we stand in His presence at His Second Coming. “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).

Father, only You can give us full deliverance, but as always, it is according to our faith. You saved us not just to deliver us from eternal pain or physical suffering, but to gain for Yourself a people devoted to Your obedience by Your Spirit. May we embrace this truth and overcome the wicked one by faith. Lord Jesus, return quickly. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Grow or Die

Ken

Why are we commanded to “grow [Greek, auxanete, grow, increase, an imperative] in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2Peter 3:18 KJV)? If we are not spiritually growing, then we are spiritually dying. Casual Christianity is deadly. If those who introduce someone to the Lord Jesus Christ do not assume the role of parent, then the infant will die. “But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 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” (Matthew 13:20-21). The Holy Spirit is the provocateur, and He will perform the work. “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). However, we need to assume human, parental responsibility, where we can, if we can, to ensure the welfare of the Newborn Christian. “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1Corinthians 11:1). Waiting for Christ to return is an act of living the life of Christ until He comes for us, not laziness or indolence. “And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat” (2Thessalonians 3:5, 10 KJV). Lord, cause us to continually seek to grow in our understanding and confidence in You. Make us careful to promote the faith of newborn disciples by encouraging their reading of Your Word, praying, fellowshipping, and assembling with brothers and sisters at church. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen. 

Taking God At His Word

Ken

“God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19 KJV). It is a shame, when we cannot appreciate the figurative language of poetry or the similitudes of Christ’s teachings. Though we should not always take our Lord’s meaning as literal, we must always take Him at His word. He means what He says! This should be the correct understanding of the Literal Interpretation of Scripture. “And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God” (Revelation 19:15). Return quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.

What Does Your Witness Say?

Ken

The UnitedHealthcare shooter got exactly what he wanted [attention], according to The Verge; but, are we any more thoughtful about our witness for the Lord? Is the Lord our reward? Are the dreams of the everyday Christian full of Christ? Do we carry in our wallet the aspirations of every day goodness? Do we need affirmation from anyone other than our Lord? “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:21 KJV). Father, make us a faithful witness of You. Grant us wisdom to be true to You. May others be benefitted, but may we be faithful to You regardless. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Power Belongeth Unto God

Ken

A quote is attributed to a famous banker, “Permit me to issue and control the money of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws!” What saith the Scripture? “God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God” (Psalm 62:11 KJV). A story is told of the prophet Elisha that he was a man, who had power with God. Where are our Elishas? 

“8 Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. 9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. 10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice. 11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel? 12 And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. 13 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. 14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. 15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 19 And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria. 20 And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? 22 And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. 23 And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel” (2Kings 6:8-23).

Wonderful Works of God

Ken

“Oh that men would praise the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men” (Psalm 107:15 KJV). God has created us and preserved us from death. Only bitterness would cause us to “curse God, and die” (Job 2:9). Only pride would prevent us from saying, “By the grace of God I am what I am” (1Corinthians 15:10). There are a multitude of daily events, where we are preserved from harm in our travels, or from ill by those, who continually seek to “break through and steal” (Matthew 6:19) from us. God’s restraining hand must be praised, even when we took precautions. Walk humbly. To do otherwise is not to walk in the Spirit. “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1Thessalonians 5:18). This is not a mindless repetition, but a heartfelt appreciation of what we understand of God’s wonderful actions toward us. For everything that we can see, there must be untold numbers of things which cannot be seen. “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen” (John 21:25). Father, thank You for what You have done in creation, giving Your Law, establishing Your name in this earth, giving us Your Word, sending us Your Son, giving us Your Spirit, fulfilling Your Word, and concluding Your prophecies. Give us the inspiration of Your Spirit to conduct ourselves as Your children until You come to get us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen. 

Spirit Inspires Obedience

Ken

“For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2Peter 1:21 KJV). We normally think of the inspiration of Scripture as concerning God’s Infallible Book the Bible, which is correct, but, we do not think of ordinary Christians to be inspired by the Spirit of God to do something as straightforward as obedience. Truth be told, obedience has always been possible from the Beginning, but Jehovah planned for a day, when obedience would become more likely than prophets faithfully recording what we now know as Scripture. Ezekiel foretold of a NT time, when God’s Spirit would dwell within His people for the express purpose of inspiring them to obey Him. Notice, the Holy Spirit does not force obedience or we would no longer have a free will. He only inspires or encourages obedience, so that God would have in us the intimate relationship of obedience for which we were created. “And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27). How do we know such an auspicious event ever occurred? Listen to Peter’s first sermon inaugurating the Church at Pentecost. “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). Confusion has made Miraculous Manifestations, Spiritual Gifts, or God’s Spirit As Proof of Ownership, as the purpose of God giving us His Spirit. But, simple obedience is the underlying purpose for giving us His Spirit. For, when His Spirit abides within us, “it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13). Once this reality sets into the consciousness of the Church, no longer will we be so incredulous that obedience — not sinfulness — should be the norm of the Church. LORD, haste that day! Amen.