Whenever my husband and I share with other believers about the importance of keeping the Lord's Sabbath Day (the 7th day of the week) - we often get the response that "it really doesn't matter what day of the week we worship God". This comment is given as an excuse to continue their "first day" worship on Sunday - the sun god's day.
A few days ago, I was reading the story in 2 Kings 5 about Naaman. He was the commander of the army of the king of Syria - and he had leprosy. Naaman sent for the prophet, Elisha, to heal him of his leprosy. Instead of going himself, Elisha sent a messenger to Naaman with the following message: "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean." (vs. 10) In verse 11, Naaman became furious that Elisha sent a messenger to him instead of coming himself to heal him.
The key verse I want to share with you today is in verse 11. It reads as follows, with Naaman speaking: "'Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?' So he turned and went away in a rage."
To me this sounds very much like what believers say today when confronted with keeping God's holy Sabbath day. Aren't the other days of the week better than the 7th day? Can't we just have a "rest day" on any of them and be fine? It is all a question of obedience and remembering that we are only a created being of God's - and not the Creator Himself.
In verse 14 it says, "So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean." He could not choose any other river of his choice. It had to be the one that God chose. Also, he could not choose to only dip 3 times, 5 times, 12 times, etc. It had to be the number that God chose - the number 7.
In Genesis 2:2 & 3, God stated the seventh day - 3 times. The number 7 is God's number. Man's number is the number 6. We all know that the number 666 is the number for the Anti-christ. What about God's number - 777? When something is stated in the Bible 3 times - it means it is something very important to God. When we read, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts", God is getting across to us how important His holiness really is. So what is He trying to get across to us in Genesis 2 regarding His 7th-day Sabbath? If I tried to paraphrase, it might sound like this: "It's the seventh day, the seventh day, the seventh day." He just doesn't leave any room for us to make it another day, does He?
One thing we need to remember is this: The Sabbath Day (7th day) was given long before there was a nation of Israel or before Moses was given the 10 Commandment law. That's why in the 10 Commandments it is stated to "Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy..." This 7th-day Sabbath was given for all mankind to honor and to set apart as holy. Just like in the story of Naaman, who do we think we are that we can tell God Almighty that we are going to move His holy Sabbath Day to another day?
Jeremiah 2:19 says, "'Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing that you have forsaken the Lord your God, and the fear (dread) of Me is not in you,' says the Lord God of hosts."
Monday, March 28, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
False Teaching: The Rapture and the Last Trumpet of God
Up until last weekend, I have believed in the "Rapture of the Church" right before the Tribulation. However, last weekend as I was reading I Thessalonians 4:16 & 17 - I saw something I had never seen before in this passage.
As most of you know, this is the key passage that Bible scholars use to support the "Pre-Tribulation Rapture" of the church. It reads:
"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord."
Most of us don't know that there is a cross-reference by "the trumpet of God". This took me to I Corinthians 15:51 & 52 which reads:
"Behold I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."
When I read "the last trumpet", I immediately turned to Revelation 11:15 to read about that Last Trumpet - or "the Seventh Trumpet".
To my surprise, when the Seventh Trumpet is sounded - it will bring in the Kingdom of God. That verse reads:
"Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!'"
Here is the problem. Most Bible scholars argue that these are two different trumpets. However, using logic we can see that is not possible. I Thess. 5:16 & 17 is referring to the "last" trumpet of God. If it is the last one, there cannot be another one after that one. That, my dear friends, means we will be going through the Tribulation. Since the 7th Trumpet ushers in the Kingdom of God (the Millenium or 1000-year reign of Christ), that definitely shows it to be the Last Trumpet. No other trumpets are sounding after that one. And, if the Last Trumpet is the 7th Trumpet, that also means we are going through the Tribulation. Logic asks, "Just how many last trumpets can we have?"
After having this truth revealed to me, I realized just how selfish it sounds when Christians say, "I'm just waiting for that trumpet of Christ to sound and then I'm out of here!" Why would we WANT to leave our unsaved friends and family to suffer here on earth without our witness? In fact, in Philippians 1:29 God tells us "For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake."
When that Last Trumpet sounds, it will be at the end of the Tribulation as Christ is preparing to come back to earth. At that time, we will be taken up to meet Him in the clouds so we can all return with Him - "and so we shall forever be with the Lord".
As most of you know, this is the key passage that Bible scholars use to support the "Pre-Tribulation Rapture" of the church. It reads:
"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord."
Most of us don't know that there is a cross-reference by "the trumpet of God". This took me to I Corinthians 15:51 & 52 which reads:
"Behold I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."
When I read "the last trumpet", I immediately turned to Revelation 11:15 to read about that Last Trumpet - or "the Seventh Trumpet".
To my surprise, when the Seventh Trumpet is sounded - it will bring in the Kingdom of God. That verse reads:
"Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!'"
Here is the problem. Most Bible scholars argue that these are two different trumpets. However, using logic we can see that is not possible. I Thess. 5:16 & 17 is referring to the "last" trumpet of God. If it is the last one, there cannot be another one after that one. That, my dear friends, means we will be going through the Tribulation. Since the 7th Trumpet ushers in the Kingdom of God (the Millenium or 1000-year reign of Christ), that definitely shows it to be the Last Trumpet. No other trumpets are sounding after that one. And, if the Last Trumpet is the 7th Trumpet, that also means we are going through the Tribulation. Logic asks, "Just how many last trumpets can we have?"
After having this truth revealed to me, I realized just how selfish it sounds when Christians say, "I'm just waiting for that trumpet of Christ to sound and then I'm out of here!" Why would we WANT to leave our unsaved friends and family to suffer here on earth without our witness? In fact, in Philippians 1:29 God tells us "For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake."
When that Last Trumpet sounds, it will be at the end of the Tribulation as Christ is preparing to come back to earth. At that time, we will be taken up to meet Him in the clouds so we can all return with Him - "and so we shall forever be with the Lord".
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