The Lord is a man of war

This sure gives us a different picture of God doesn't it?  Many people only see God as a God of love.  How many think of God as a man of war?  But that is what Scripture is telling us right here.

Exodus 15:3-7(NKJV)

    The Lord is a man of war;     The Lord is His name.

    Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea;     His chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea.

    The depths have covered them;     They sank to the bottom like a stone.

    “Your right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power;      Your right hand, O Lord, has dashed the enemy in pieces.

    And in the greatness of Your excellence     You have overthrown those who rose against You;     You sent forth Your wrath;     It consumed them like stubble.

Also look at the second highlighted part.  Who is God's right hand?

Acts 2:32-33(NKJV)

This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 

Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.

Jesus.  What did Jesus do?  He "dashed the enemy in pieces".  Notice it doesn't say that he sang Kumbaya with them  He dashed them in pieces. 

There are many who think Jesus was a pacifist.  Would a pacifist dash his enemy in pieces? 

What was Jesus' first ministry message?

I don't know if there is any significance to this but here is Jesus' first ministry message.  Does the fact that it was the first message give it any special meaning?  I don't know.

Matthew 4:17(NKJV)

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Notice it wasn't "love your neighbor" or "love your enemies" or anything like that.

It was "Repent!"

Hmm.

The Holy Spirit and Fire

Have you ever noticed this?  John the Baptist says that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit…..and fire.

Matthew 3:11(NKJV)

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 

That had never jumped out at me before.  I have always just thought of Jesus baptizing with the Holy Spirit. 

Why do you think that Jesus baptizes with fire in addition to the Holy Spirit.  Well as I've said before, there are some life lessons that can only be learned through tribulation. 

Therefore there are times in life when we have to go through the fire.  How we respond gives Jesus a reading on how strong our faith is at that particular point in time. 

Were you aware that there will be more than one resurrection? That is what Scripture says.

How many realized that there will be more than one resurrection?  I've read this before but it never really sunk in.  I thought there would simply be one great big resurrection.  Revelation says it ain't so.

Revelation 20:4-6(NKJV)

And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 

But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 

Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

So if that is the "first" resurrection that indicates there will be more. 

Say what? This just struck me as funny.

 

Exodus 6:12(NKJV)

And Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, “The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?”

Umm.  I don't think that is the part that gets circumcised.  :)

The Lord provides; a different perspective.

In the New Testament there is Scripture that tells us that God will always provide us with the means to fulfill purpose in our lives.

I always thought that meant He would give us the new skills that we need.  For example, if we weren't used to public speaking he would give us the skill of public speaking.  Things like that.  

Today I read something in Exodus that caused me to see things from a new perspective.

Exodus 4:10-17(NKJV)

Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? 

Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”

But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.”

So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 

Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do. 

So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God. 

And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”

As you can see Moses had all sorts of excuses as to why he couldn't do what God was asking him to do.  Here is what caused my change in perspective.

Notice that God didn't give Moses the skill of eloquence.  Instead God gave Moses an assistant who had the skills that Moses didn't have. 

In other words folks, when God calls us to do something, it doesn't have to fall all on us individually.  God will give us helpers if we need them!  Pretty cool!

A lot of people seem to think we are at the end of times. I disagree.

With the whole Covid 19 virus and now a new report out of China that a new strain of Swine flu could be the next pandemic, it is easy to read Revelation 15 and conclude that these two viruses could be the first two of seven plagues.  But I think that would be an inaccurate reading of Scripture.  

Revelation 15:1(NKJV)

Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.

Why do I think that?  Because the seven plagues happen in the second half of the Tribulation.  How will we know when the first half ends and the second half begins?

Look for the two witnesses in Jerusalem who are slain, left to rot in the square for 3 days, and then are raised from the dead and asscend into Heaven.  Gonna be hard to miss.  Until you see that you can know that we haven't reached half time yet.