Similarities Between Old and New

One of the things that I find interesting is the similarities we find in wording between the Old Testament and the New Testament.  Here is an example. 

Isaiah 19:1-2(NKJV)

1The burden against Egypt.      Behold, the Lord rides on a swift cloud,     And will come into Egypt;     The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence,     And the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst.

2    “I will set Egyptians against Egyptians;      Everyone will fight against his brother,     And everyone against his neighbor,     City against city, kingdom against kingdom.

Now compare that to this NT passage.

Matthew 10:34-36(NKJV)

34“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 

35For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 

36and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ £ 

I just think that this has to be more than just a coincidence.  For me personally this helps support the principle that God and Jesus are always in agreement.  Am I reading too much into it?  I don't know but that is what makes being in the Word daily so cool. 

Always learning, always questioning, always drawing closer to God!

By What Standard?

One of the issues I am collecting Scripture references on is the tension between God, just and merciful; the benefits of being a member of the family of God via the saving grace of Jesus Christ; and the Saintly Poor.

What I mean by the Saintly Poor is the belief that somehow the poor get a pass simply because they are poor.  Such as the poor will inherit the earth.  Really?  Even the poor who have outright rejected God?  Does that seem just to you?  You can see the tension of ideas that I am getting at.

Well here is a reference that I would put in the God, just and merciful category.

Isaiah 11:1-5(NKJV)

1    There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,      And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.

2    The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,     The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,     The Spirit of counsel and might,     The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

3    His delight is in the fear of the Lord,      And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,     Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;

4    But with righteousness He shall judge the poor,     And decide with equity for the meek of the earth;     He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,     And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.

5    Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins,     And faithfulness the belt of His waist.

What this says to me is that when you get down to it, the poor will be held to the same standards of righteousness and fairness as the rest of us.  No preferential treatment just because they are poor.  Good to know. 

And another piece falls into place!

One of the things I love about studying God's Word is how over time you notice different verses and how they relate to each other. 

As many of you know, one of my very favorite verses is Romans 5:3-5.

Romans 5:3-5(NKJV)

3And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 

4and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

5Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

"Glory in our tribulation".  I think a lot of people miss that part.  Attitude seems to be really important to God.  How we handle adversity especially.  I think one of the reason that it is so important is that it is an outward demonstration of our faith.

What was interesting with the verse I found today is that it gives us another clue as to why it is important.

Acts 14:21-23(NKJV)

21And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, 

22strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” 

23So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. 

What this indicates to me is that we are all going to have to go through some tribulations on our way to God's kingdom.  He wants us to handle it with a smile on our faces because lets face it, who wants a bunch of sourpusses in Heaven?  :)

"In mercy the throne will be established." What the heck does that mean?

Ran across this Scripture today and I think it is a good opportunity to discuss what some may see as a contradiction.

Isaiah 16:5(NKJV)

5    In mercy the throne will be established;     And One will sit on it in truth, in the tabernacle of David,     Judging and seeking justice and hastening righteousness.”

Let's look at the first line.  In mercy the throne will be established.  I think that there are many who think that mercy is automatic and that it automatically precludes judgment or punishment.   In my opinion, nothing could be further from the truth. 

Now I believe the throne being established refers to Jesus' kingdom here on earth.  Let's look at the rest of the passage.  It tells us that once the throne is established Jesus will be judging and seeking justice.

The judging part should come as no surprise.  We are told many times in Scripture that Jesus will come back to judge the living and the dead.

2 Timothy 4:1-2(NKJV)

1I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead £at His appearing and His kingdom: 

2Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 

But what about the justice part?  Well remember that Jesus and God are always in agreement.  Therefore some blood has to be shed for the sins committed for justice to be served.  That is God's rule. 

Now we all have a choice to make.  We can pay that price with our blood or with the blood of Jesus, it is our choice, but either way it requires a blood payment.

I know there will be many that ask "where is the mercy thing?".  Where is the mercy if I am still being judged?

The mercy is in the fact that God gives you the choice of believing in Jesus or not.  The mercy is in the fact that you get total control in deciding whether to pay the blood debt with your blood or with the blood of Jesus. 

Mercy has to be accepted just like salvation because in the end, salvation is the only mercy that counts.  For those who reject Jesus, they are rejecting God's mercy. 

It's not that mercy wasn't offered.  It is that many chose to reject that mercy.  Make sense?

Collateral Casualties - Are They Just?

 

One of the things I find the Bible helpful for is to provide moral clarity on situations.  This verse today does just that for me.

In war one of the things that happens is that sometimes "innocent" people get killed.  It's called collateral casualties.  There are many that think it is unjust that the "innocent" should die in that way.

Let's look at this situation from Acts.

Acts 12:5-10(NKJV)

5Peter was therefore kept in prison, but £constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. 

6And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. 

7Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. 

8Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” 

9So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 

10When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

OK, I think it is pretty clear that God made this happen.  Now let's look at the collateral casualties.

Acts 12:18-19(NKJV)

18Then, as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter. 

19But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there.

So we have some people who died specifically because of an action that God took.  Some would argue that these were just "innocent" soldiers obeying orders and doing their jobs.  Was it just that they should die as a result of God's action?

Now before we answer that question I would remind you that one of the characteristics of God is that He is a just God.  So if we say it wasn't just then aren't we accusing God of taking an unjust action?  And if so then aren't we accusing God of being a liar because He is the one who has said that He is a just God?   

So unless we believe we serve an unjust God then the only logical conclusion in my opinion is that it was just that they should die as a result of God's action. 

But how could that be just you might ask?  Again, these guards were just doing their jobs.  They were nice guys with families to support.  How in the world could it be just that they died as collateral casualties? 

While all of that may be true, the fact is that they were working for someone who was an enemy of God, Herod.  They worked for someone who was actively trying to stop the spread of the Gospel.  And what has the Bible said over and over about the enemies of God?  They will get crushed. 

So while it may be true that on an individual basis these guards may have been "good" people, it doesn't change the fact that they had chosen sides and they had not chosen God's side.  Therefore it was totally just. 

They made their bed and God made them lie in it, permanently! 

Bit of Bible Trivia

Found this bit of Bible trivia.

Acts 11:25-26(NKJV)

25Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. 

26And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

First identified as Christians in Antioch.  Do you know where Antioch is?  Kind of interesting when you think about it because Turkey is predominately Muslim. 

Here is a link if you are curious and would like to know more about Turkey.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey

Cruel, not a word normally associated with God by many!

I ran across this scripture today and it provoked what I think is an interesting question.

Isaiah 13:9(NKJV)

9    Behold, the day of the Lord comes,      Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger,     To lay the land desolate;     And He will destroy its sinners from it.

If we accept that "the day of the Lord" is referring to the second coming, then this says that Jesus himself has some really cruel stuff planned for somebody.  It also says pretty clearly that Jesus is really, really pissed off. 

That sure doesn't match with the view of a loving and forgiving Jesus does it?

Now let me give you the fuller context. 

Isaiah 13:6-16(NKJV)

6    Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand!      It will come as destruction from the Almighty.

7    Therefore all hands will be limp,     Every man’s heart will melt,

8    And they will be afraid.     Pangs and sorrows will take hold of them;     They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth;     They will be amazed at one another;     Their faces will be like flames.

9    Behold, the day of the Lord comes,      Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger,     To lay the land desolate;     And He will destroy its sinners from it.

10    For the stars of heaven and their constellations     Will not give their light;     The sun will be darkened in its going forth,     And the moon will not cause its light to shine.

11    “I will punish the world for its evil,      And the wicked for their iniquity;     I will halt the arrogance of the proud,     And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

12    I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold,     A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir.

13    Therefore I will shake the heavens,     And the earth will move out of her place,     In the wrath of the Lord of hosts     And in the day of His fierce anger.

14    It shall be as the hunted gazelle,     And as a sheep that no man takes up;     Every man will turn to his own people,     And everyone will flee to his own land.

15    Everyone who is found will be thrust through,     And everyone who is captured will fall by the sword.

16    Their children also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;     Their houses will be plundered     And their wives ravished.

Wow!

You know what my first thought was?  What ever happened to love your enemies? 

Jesus has some pretty cruel stuff planned for His enemies.  Doesn't seem very loving does it?  And remember that God and Jesus are always in agreement so it isn't like Jesus went all rogue or anything. 

So how do we square this with love your enemies?  Try this and see if it makes sense.

The people who are going to feel the full wrath of Jesus are his enemies.  How do we know they are His enemies?  Jesus describes them as evil and wicked.  I think we can surmise that they have rejected Jesus in either word or deed at some point to earn enemy status.

So this isn't something that Jesus just unilaterally imposed on them.  They brought in on themselves.  It was their free will choice.  So where does the love come in?
 

I think it comes in by way of the fact that Jesus leaves the door open to them up to the very end for them to confess their sins, ask for Jesus' forgiveness, and invite Him into their lives as their personal Lord and Savior.  I think it demonstrates a tremendous amount of love to be willing to forgive and wipe the slate clean and not hold any of it against them.

If they choose not to take advantage of that love, well then they have earned all the "cruelty" that Jesus is about to lay on them! 

Would You Have the Faith To Do this?

God will sometimes ask us to do easy things and sometimes he asks us to do hard things.  And sometimes for just a few, God will actually ask u s to risk our lives for Him.  Here is a great example.

Acts 9:11-16(NKJV)

11So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. 

12And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”

13Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. 

14And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”

15But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 

16For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

You can't blame Ananias for his skepticism.  I think I would be asking God, "Dude, are you sure?"

But in the end it comes down one thing.  Faith.  Do you trust God or not?

Let's hope and pray that if any of us are ever put in that situation, we keep the faith and follow God, no matter the cost!

Is mercy without limits?

Interesting question isn't it?  Is mercy without limits?  As I was pondering that question I wondered, what exactly is mercy?  Is salvation mercy?  I don't think so.  Let me try to explain the difference as I see it off the top of my head.  Then we will look at a definition of mercy. 

Salvation is the final fulfillment of the law so I would say it isn't mercy although I could just as easily argue that it is.  What I mean by "salvation is the fulfillment of the law" is that the reason that Jesus had to die on the cross was that blood had to be shed for the forgiveness of sins as required by the law. 

So theoretically in the old days you could have confessed your sins, offered up the blood offering to have your sins forgiven, died right away before you could sin again, and you would be good to go.  Theoretically.  :)

Mercy on the other hand to me is God just flat out saying "I'm going to cut you a break and overlook that one."  Make sense?  So now let's look at a dictionary definition.

mercy

• n.noun
1. Compassionate treatment, especially of those under one's power; clemency.
2. A disposition to be kind and forgiving.
   a heart full of mercy.
3. Something for which to be thankful; a blessing.
   It was a mercy that no one was hurt.
4. Alleviation of distress; relief.
   Taking in the refugees was an act of mercy.

Pasted from <https://dictionary.search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0LEVz1m2glVuicAHnhXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzaXNhN3U0BGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDU01FOTA2XzEEc2VjA3Nj?p=mercy&fr=yfp-t-107>

OK, that was helpful.  Now what does the Bible define mercy as?  I did a search and found that the word mercy is used 269 times in the Bible.  Unfortunately I'll have to save that question for another time.  Therefore I need to do some more study to find out exactly what the Bible means by mercy.

However back to the original question.  Is mercy without limits?

Isaiah 9:13-17(NKJV)

13    For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them,      Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts.

14    Therefore the Lord will cut off head and tail from Israel,     Palm branch and bulrush in one day.

15    The elder and honorable, he is the head;     The prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.

16    For the leaders of this people cause them to err,     And those who are led by them are destroyed.

17    Therefore the Lord will have no joy in their young men,     Nor have mercy on their fatherless and widows;     For everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer,     And every mouth speaks folly.      For all this His anger is not turned away,     But His hand is stretched out still.

In this verse the Bible specifically tells us that in this situation here are a couple of groups (the fatherless and the widows) that God has singled out and said that He will not have mercy on.  From that I think it is safe to conclude that there are limits to mercy. 

Of course one of the benefits of accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior as many of us have done is that you don't have to depend on God's mercy, you get God's promise instead.

Which would you rather gamble eternal life on, mercy or a promise?  I'll take God's promise any day.  How do you get God's promise? 

Simple!  Ask Jesus to come into your life and lead you.  Have a conversation with Jesus.  "Dear Jesus…."

Delegation - It's Biblical

It never ceases to amaze me how much wisdom there is in the Bible.  Wisdom for all situations and all walks of life.

Years ago I was blessed to be able to mentor with a very successful person in my field.  As he looked at my business one of the things he said is "you have to stop washing windows".  What he was telling me was that I needed to delegate.

Now you might think that sounds like advice that would come from some modern business management book but look at this.

Acts 6:1-6(NKJV)

1Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists,£ because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. 

2Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. 

3Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 

4but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

5And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, 

6whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.

God gave us all different strengths and weaknesses.  What are these verses telling us?  Concentrate on doing the things we are good at and find others to do the things we are weak at but they are good at.
 

Sounds like delegating to me!  :)

I think Jesus is way more complex than many people want to believe.

Why would I say that?  Take a look.

We are all familiar with the beginning of this verse.  "For unto us a child is born".  We hear it every Christmas correct?  Now lets look at the names that  verse 6 gives us for Jesus. 

Isaiah 9:6-7(NKJV)

6    For unto us a Child is born,      Unto us a Son is given;     And the government will be upon His shoulder.     And His name will be called     Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,     Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

I think the one that is used most often from this group is Prince of Peace.  I think this is part of where the whole Kumbaya Jesus thing comes from.  Jesus is the "Prince of Peace" so He couldn’t really ever want to send someone to hell.  That wouldn't be very peaceful and loving would it?

 Now let's juxtapose the Prince of Peace with these words right out of Jesus' mouth.
 

Matthew 10:34-36(NKJV)

34“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 

35For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 

36and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ £ 

Did the "Prince of Peace" really just say "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth."?  He sure did.  That doesn't sound very peaceful does it?

As I said, Jesus is way more complex than many want to believe.  Is that a contradiction?  I don't believe it is if you take the Bible in it's entirety.

Now let's look at verse 7 which tells us some of the reasons why Jesus is here.

7    Of the increase of His government and peace     There will be no end,     Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,     To order it and establish it with judgment and justice     From that time forward, even forever.     The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

To establish it with judgement and justice.  That is correct.  Remember that God is a God of justice.  That means a price has to be paid for the breaking of the law.  Jesus doesn't eliminate that requirement.  Jesus just gives you a choice on how that price of justice is paid.

Why was it important that Jesus die on the cross for us?  Because blood had to be shed to pay the price.  God did not waive that requirement.   

So here is the big question.  Whose blood would you rather pay that price with; your own or Jesus' blood? 

How do you choose Jesus' blood?  Really simple.  Just accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.  What the heck does that mean?  It means ask Jesus to come into your life and lead you.  Take the time to study Scripture and build a relationship with Jesus.

Its easy.  Just have a conversation with Jesus.  "Dear Jesus…."

Don't offer it if you don't mean it!

Love this story.  I'll share a thought at the end.

Acts 5:1-11(NKJV)

1But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. 

2And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 

3But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? 

4While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”

5Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. 

6And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him.

7Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 

8And Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?” She said, “Yes, for so much.”

9Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 

10Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. 

11So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.

Ever hear the phase, God loves a cheerful giver?  Well this story is about just the opposite.  A stingy uncommitted giver.

I believe the sin in this story was not that he kept some of the proceeds for himself.  As Peter says, it was his property to do with as he pleased.
 

I believe the sin here was lying and trying to deceive God.  I firmly believe that if Ananias had said right up front "God, when I sell this property I'm giving you 75% and I am going to keep 25% for this or that"; God would have been totally OK with that.

Does that make sense?

The moral of the story is, give to God freely but don't promise more than you are truly willing to give.  Because if you don't come through later I believe that God takes a dim view of that. 

Now will you lose your salvation?  Of course not.  But remember how your rewards in Heaven are contingent on what you do for God here on earth?  I believe this is the kind of thing that affects your rewards in Heaven. 

Does this describe the world today?

As I move into the books of prophesy I run across all sorts of great short little verses.  He

Isaiah 5:20(NKJV)

20    Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;      Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;     Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Doesn't that just seem to describe the world today? 

It's amazing to read things that were written thousands of years ago and see them coming true.  It can also be somewhat disconcerting to people although I'm not sure why.

As a Christian, I already know that I am on the winning side.  So for me it is more like getting an advance copy of the script and then watching it unfold in real time. 

Kinda cool!

Did God Let It Happen or Did God Cause It?

One of the things I have heard said by Christians is that God doesn't cause bad things to happen to people.  While God may let them happen, He doesn't actively cause bad things to happen to His people. 

I've often wondered about that.  The theory being that God is a loving and merciful God so he would never do that to His people.  To me this is just an extension of the belief in Kumbaya Jesus. 

Take a look at this Scripture and then I'll explain what I mean.

Isaiah 6:8-12(NKJV)

8Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:      “Whom shall I send,     And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

9And He said, “Go, and tell this people:      ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;     Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

10    “Make the heart of this people dull,      And their ears heavy,     And shut their eyes;     Lest they see with their eyes,     And hear with their ears,     And understand with their heart,     And return and be healed.”

11Then I said, “Lord, how long?” And He answered:      “Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant,     The houses are without a man,     The land is utterly desolate,

12    The Lord has removed men far away,     And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.

Now let me set the stage.  Isaiah the prophet was alive and prophesying before and during the exile and captivity of Israel.  Now the people of Israel had been rebelling for quite a while. 
 

It looks like God had simply had enough.  To me it seems pretty clear that God actively took action against Israel.  God actively closed their ears, minds, and hearts so that the Israelites couldn't even repent and be spared.  It appears to me that God had made up His mind and the fate of Israel was sealed.

So back to the question.  How could a loving and merciful God do that?  Fair question but before I answer that question let me pose one of my own.

Are love and mercy God's only characteristics or are there others?  Obviously there are others aren't there?  So why limit the view of these circumstances to these two characteristics?  By doing so I believe we miss the greater richness of who God is.

But let's go a little deeper.  Does God doing this mean and/or prove that He loves them any less? 

What is one of the other characteristics of God?  He is God the Father correct?  And what are one of the responsibilities of a father?  It is to discipline and correct isn't it?  Now when you discipline your kids, does that mean that you love them any less?  Of course it doesn't and neither does God disciplining His people mean He loves them any less.

How about mercy?  I would simply ask, no mater how much you love someone, are there no limits to mercy?  I would suggest that if there are no limits on mercy then mercy looses its meaning.  It is no longer mercy.

One of the other characteristics of God is that He is a just God.  While He gave them 100s of years of opportunity to repent, eventually even God can reach the end of His patience.  Then it is time to administer the punishment.  That is justice.

Remember, these are people who had rejected God's ways.  These were not people following God with all their hearts, minds, and souls.  In that case the punishment is just.  
 

So for me at least, I am comfortable in the belief that yes, sometimes God Himself will come down on His people!

Wow, talk about tough love. God Sure Knows How To Do It!

We've all heard the term tough love.  Here is a great example of God using tough love.

Isaiah 5:24-30(NKJV)

24    Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble,      And the flame consumes the chaff,     So their root will be as rottenness,     And their blossom will ascend like dust;     Because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts,     And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

25    Therefore the anger of the Lord is aroused against His people;     He has stretched out His hand against them     And stricken them,     And the hills trembled.     Their carcasses were as refuse in the midst of the streets.      For all this His anger is not turned away,     But His hand is stretched out still.

OK so the people have rejected God and God isn't too pleased about it.  It says that God has stretched out His hand against them and stricken them.  Notice that this isn't a passive reaction.  This is a deliberate disciplinary action taken by God.  (Again is doesn't quite fit the idea of Kumbaya Jesus does it?)

The reason I point that out is that there are those who believe that while God may let bad things happen to His people, God won't take action directly against His people. 

I believe the above Scripture proves that isn't true.  But watch this.  God takes it a step further.

 26    He will lift up a banner to the nations from afar,      And will whistle to them from the end of the earth;     Surely they shall come with speed, swiftly.

Who will lift up the banner?  God.

27    No one will be weary or stumble among them,     No one will slumber or sleep;     Nor will the belt on their loins be loosed,     Nor the strap of their sandals be broken;

28    Whose arrows are sharp,     And all their bows bent;     Their horses’ hooves will seem like flint,     And their wheels like a whirlwind.

29    Their roaring will be like a lion,     They will roar like young lions;     Yes, they will roar     And lay hold of the prey;     They will carry it away safely,     And no one will deliver.

30    In that day they will roar against them     Like the roaring of the sea.     And if one looks to the land,     Behold, darkness and sorrow;      And the light is darkened by the clouds.

Think about what that is saying.  God actually sic'ed the bad guys on His people.  He held up a banner and whistled and called them from the ends of the earth!

Wow, talk about tough love!

Man and His Justifications! :)

Take a look at this phrase.

Acts 1:12-13(NKJV)

12Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey. 

13And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. 

Ever wonder what the heck a Sabbath Day's journey is?  I did so I looked it up.

What I found is a great example of how man likes to take what is in the Bible and then rationalize changes to it.  We all seem to do it to one extent or another.  Things that to us seem outdated, inconvenient,  or things that simply just get in the way of life. 

Let's start here.

Exodus 16:29(NKJV)

29See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” 

Seems pretty clear doesn't it?  But how many of us would want to have to abide by that?  First off how do you even go to church?  The Scripture says stay home.

So you start by making an exception that God meant to say "except to go to church".  Well you know we pass that nice little deli on the way home.  Since it is on the way is it OK to stop in for a late breakfast?  :)
 

"Over the centuries the authorities within the rabbinical circles of Judaism found ways, from examining the miniscule details of the law, to increase the distance that an Israelite may travel on the Sabbath day. In ancient times they determined that one may travel on the Sabbath from within the city boundaries and this distance was fixed at 2,000 cubits. They based this on Joshua 3:4-5:"

Pasted from <http://www.bible-history.com/backd2/sabbath.html>

So man found a way to stretch it from don't leave home, to well just to church and back, to well you can go up to 2,000 cubits from within the cities boundaries.  Then that changed to 2,000 cubits from the cities edge.  And eventually that got rationalized out to 8,000 cubits. 

So what is my point?  To be honest I'm not sure.  On the one hand it seems quite hypocritical to me that we pick and chose to a certain extent.  On the other hand there are things in there that I am glad that we ignore or rationalize away today.

Hopefully I'll understand it all better someday.  If not then just one more thing to ask God about someday.

Come on God, how come I have to do it?

You ever feel like that?  God, how come the other guy always has it easier than me? 

Don’t you just love and hate Jesus answer at the same time?

John 21:20-22(NKJV)

20Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” 

21Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?”

22Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”

Hate it from the standpoint of it sounds an awful lot like "because I said so" which I always hated hearing my parents say to me.

Love it because Jesus is a strong leader.  He's not about to debate the issue.  He's not worried about hurting someone's feelings or affecting their self image.

Jesus is a strong leader.  He simply says "Who is following who here?  You are following me.  Dude, learn your place! "

I'm OK with that.  I think that sometimes one of the hardest things to do is to be obedient to Christ.  Part of that obedience I think is being willing to say "OK, I'll do whatever you ask.".   

God knows what He is doing.  He has given each and every one of us specifically chosen talents and abilities.  I think He is in the best position to determine how to best use those abilities. 

So next time you feel a bit of a pity party coming on just remember that God chose you specifically for that assignment.  Resistance is futile.  God knows what He is doing.  Relax and enjoy the ride!

ChrIslam - Do We Serve The Same God?

I ran across this Scripture today and it fit nicely with an issue that I'm not sure many are aware of.  Take a look and then I will explain.

Isaiah 2:5-6(NKJV)

5    O house of Jacob, come and let us walk      In the light of the Lord.

6    For You have forsaken Your people, the house of Jacob,      Because they are filled with eastern ways;     They are soothsayers like the Philistines,     And they are pleased with the children of foreigners.

There is a movement out there being led by what many would consider to be main stream pastors that is trying to find common ground with Islam.  That in and of itself isn't a bad thing.

What is an extremely bad thing however is how they are misleading people in my opinion.  You see the basis of the movement is that "after all, we both serve the same God".

How many of you out there think that is true?  I believe that is flat out wrong according to Scripture and is the exact kind of thing that Isaiah was warning about.  Allow me to explain and see if you agree.

Let's start with the Bible.  God tells us through the Bible that Jesus is the Son of God and that to receive eternal life you must believe that Jesus was the Son of God, that He was crucified and raised from the dead, and that he ascended into Heaven where He sits at the right hand of God.  The Bible makes very clear that the only way to a saving relationship with God is through belief in Jesus Christ.  Those who reject Jesus have declared themselves enemies of God.    (I can provide Scripture references for this but I think it is pretty standard stuff.)

So now lets look at Islam.  What do they say about Jesus?  While they believe that Jesus was a great prophet, they deny that He is God's Son.  They deny that He was crucified and raised from the dead and they deny that He ascended into Heaven where He sits at the right hand of God.

So if Scripture tells us that those who reject the diety of Jesus have declared themselves enemies of God and Muslims have jejected that diety, how in the world can someone claim that we serve the same God.  That is just totally illogical.

They in fact believe that Muhammad was a greater prophet than Jesus.  Take a look at this genealogy chart. 

In addition, belief in Jesus is voluntary.  Belief in Islam isn't.  It is required and they kill people for renouncing their religion. 

So there are some of the differences.  Now let me ask a couple of questions. 

Is God some sort of sadistic freak?  Would a loving God take two groups and teach them different things and then pit them against each other and watch them kill each other, just for His amusement? 

How can someone teach that we serve the "same God" when the beliefs of the two religions are so diametrically opposed.  It is totally illogical and Scripturally wrong in my opinion.
 

And as I said before, it is exactly what I believe Isaiah 2:6 is referring to.  As another example I would refer you to how King Solomon got in trouble in his later years.  As he married more and more women he allowed them to set up alters to their gods.  Our God was not pleased with this.  

Isaiah 2:17 tells us what the conclusion to this sort of thinking will be.  I think those who are promoting ChrIslam may have some explaining to do.

Isaiah 2:17(NKJV)

17    The loftiness of man shall be bowed down,     And the haughtiness of men shall be brought low;     The Lord alone will be exalted in that day,