"Hear this now, you who are given to pleasures, who dwell securely, who say in your heart, 'I am, and there is no one else besides me; I will not sit as a widow, nor shall I know the loss of children.'" (Isaiah 47:8)
One of the first signs of "self-sufficiency" in a person is when they make this statement about themselves: "I have to take care of myself because I have no one else to take care of me." If you are one to make this kind of statement, let me tell you that you are living with a spirit of self-sufficiency as well as a spirit of fear. How do I know that? I have had a Christian single woman tell me that because I have chosen to be a "homemaker" - staying home to care for my husband and my home instead of being a "career woman", that I really should not be staying at home but I need to be working to save all I can now for the future and for my old age. Do you know what happened when I heard that? It opened the door wide for our enemy (Satan) to flood me with the "spirit of FEAR" that was in her! For the next 2-3 months after hearing that statement, I ended up in the fiercest battle with Satan over the spirit of fear that I have ever had! As Christian women, we should not be speaking "fear" and "self-sufficiency" into someone's life like this woman did to me. Instead, we need to be encouraging women (especially single women) that God will take care of them.
The second sign of "self-sufficiency" is in the above verse where it says, "I am, and there is no one else besides me." Do you realize that by making that statement to yourself and about yourself that you are making yourself equal to God? God's holy Name for Jehovah is "I AM"! If that isn't bad enough, all through the book of Isaiah God is continuously reminding us that "there is no god besides Him"! Yet, in our self-sufficiency and pride, we are doing just that - making ourselves a god! In fact, wasn't that one of the lies of the enemy, Satan, himself in the garden of Eden? In Genesis 3:5 the serpent (Satan) said to Eve, "...you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
An interesting thing about desiring to be a god is that you also need to be "in control" - especially of your life (and maybe even the lives of those around you). So, when we begin to feel that we are not in control any longer - that's when the spirits of fear and anxiety come in and flood our minds. When you get right down to the bottom of this thing of "making ourselves gods" - it becomes the sin of idolatry. Idolatry is the breaking of the 2nd Commandment of God's Ten Commandment moral law.
So, how do you overcome this spirit of self-sufficiency and the spirit of fear? You MUST go to the Word of God, the Bible! A few verses before the above verse, in Isaiah 46:3-4, God spoke this to me: "Listen to Me, Chris! You have been upheld by Me from birth, and have been carried (by Me) in the womb..." "Even to your old age, I am He, and even to your gray hairs I will carry you! I have made you, and I will bear you; Even I will carry you, and deliver you." And then, in Isaiah 46:11 He said to me, "Indeed, I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it!"
What comfort and peace that brought to my heart and soul!
In conclusion, therefore, let me share what God's opinion is of someone who is "self-sufficient": "Your wisdom and your knowledge have warped you; and you have said in your heart, 'I am, and there is no one else besides me.'" In other words, a self-sufficient person, in God's eyes, has a warped mind and a warped heart! If we don't keep ourselves humble and dependent on God, this is what He says will happen:
"Look, all you who kindle a fire, who encircle yourselves with sparks: (Go ahead) walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks you have kindled - this you shall have from My hand: you shall lie down in torment." (Isaiah 50:11)
Make a decision today to not be "self-sufficient", but to be totally dependent on God. "For in Him we live and move and have our being..." (Acts 17:28)
Monday, April 20, 2015
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Are God's Ten Commandments Good or Not Good?
Today, in many of our evangelical churches, God's Law (including the Ten Commandments) in the Old Testament is being proclaimed as "bad, burdensome, only being a type or shadow, having been done away with (fulfilled), no longer applicable to New Testament Christians, etc. etc." However, one of the greatest apostles of all time, the Apostle Paul, declared in Romans 7:12 - "Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good." Obviously, Paul was never taught what many of the ministers of our churches have been taught in their seminaries - that "The Age of Grace" or "The Dispensation of Grace" has made God's Law obsolete! So, who are we to believe...these ministers, who I believe are false prophets, or God's Word?
Since Romans 7:12 begins with the word, "Therefore", we need to look at the previous verses to see what made Paul come to the conclusion that God's "Law is holy and God's Commandment holy, just and good." In Verse 7, Paul states that God's Law helped him to know sin: "...For I would not have known sin except through the Law." To me, that doesn't sound like such a bad thing, is it? In Verse 10, Paul states that "And the Commandment, which was to bring LIFE, I found to bring death." What? The purpose of the Commandment was to bring LIFE? Again, what is so bad about that?
Let's continue on with some verses that follow Romans 7:12. In Verse 14, Paul declares God's Law to be "spiritual". In Verse 22, Paul states that he "delights in the Law of God"! Lastly, in Verse 25, Paul states that he "serves the Law of God". Please remember that the New Testament had not been written yet, so Paul WAS NOT referring to any "New Testament Law" - but had to be referring to God's Law, (including the Ten Commandments) in the Old Testament.
Contrary to what many of us have been taught in our churches and in our Bible colleges and seminaries, this is what God says about His Law in the Old Testament, according to Paul:
1. God's Law is Holy.
2. God's Commandment is Holy.
3. God's Commandment is Just.
4. God's Commandment is Good.
5. God's Law Reveals Sin.
6. God's Law Gives LIFE.
Oh, I know that Romans 7:10 says, "And the commandment which was to bring life, I found to bring death." However, we must look at the next verse - Verse 11: "For SIN, taking occasion by the commandment, DECEIVED me, and by IT killed me." God's Commandments are to give LIFE, not death! It is SIN that is deceiving everyone to BELIEVE that God's holy, just and good Commandments are in fact, bad!! This takes us directly back to the Garden of Eden, where Satan cast doubt on the "goodness" of God's Commandment and deceived Eve when he declared to her, "You will not surely die" (Gen. 3:3) IF she disobeyed and broke God's Commandment. However, God had told her that she would surely die. Was it God's Commandment that was going to kill her? Or, was it her disobedience to the Commandment of God (sin) that would kill her? Of course, it was her sin.
Just like our courts of law today in the U.S. - God's Law either declares us "Guilty" or God's Law can declare us "Not Guilty". It all depends IF sin has deceived us into breaking God's Law - the Ten Commandments. I John 3:4 says - "Sin is lawlessness." (NKJV) The King James Version says, "Sin is the transgression of the Law." Living without the Law of God (lawlessness) by breaking it or being disobedient to it (transgressing it) is what will sentence us to eternal death at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Speaking of the "Judgment Seat of Christ", let us not forget WHO "the Lawgiver" is. The logical response to that is "the Lawgiver is the One Who will be sitting on the Judgment Seat" - and that is Jesus Christ! James 4:12 says, "There is one Lawgiver and Judge, Who is able to save and to destroy." God's Law does not save or destroy us - it only declares us "Guilty" or "Not Guilty", and even that is good!
When you stand before Jesus Christ, the Lawgiver, on the day of Judgment - will He declare you to be "Guilty" or "Not Guilty" according to His Law - The Ten Commandments?
Since Romans 7:12 begins with the word, "Therefore", we need to look at the previous verses to see what made Paul come to the conclusion that God's "Law is holy and God's Commandment holy, just and good." In Verse 7, Paul states that God's Law helped him to know sin: "...For I would not have known sin except through the Law." To me, that doesn't sound like such a bad thing, is it? In Verse 10, Paul states that "And the Commandment, which was to bring LIFE, I found to bring death." What? The purpose of the Commandment was to bring LIFE? Again, what is so bad about that?
Let's continue on with some verses that follow Romans 7:12. In Verse 14, Paul declares God's Law to be "spiritual". In Verse 22, Paul states that he "delights in the Law of God"! Lastly, in Verse 25, Paul states that he "serves the Law of God". Please remember that the New Testament had not been written yet, so Paul WAS NOT referring to any "New Testament Law" - but had to be referring to God's Law, (including the Ten Commandments) in the Old Testament.
Contrary to what many of us have been taught in our churches and in our Bible colleges and seminaries, this is what God says about His Law in the Old Testament, according to Paul:
1. God's Law is Holy.
2. God's Commandment is Holy.
3. God's Commandment is Just.
4. God's Commandment is Good.
5. God's Law Reveals Sin.
6. God's Law Gives LIFE.
Oh, I know that Romans 7:10 says, "And the commandment which was to bring life, I found to bring death." However, we must look at the next verse - Verse 11: "For SIN, taking occasion by the commandment, DECEIVED me, and by IT killed me." God's Commandments are to give LIFE, not death! It is SIN that is deceiving everyone to BELIEVE that God's holy, just and good Commandments are in fact, bad!! This takes us directly back to the Garden of Eden, where Satan cast doubt on the "goodness" of God's Commandment and deceived Eve when he declared to her, "You will not surely die" (Gen. 3:3) IF she disobeyed and broke God's Commandment. However, God had told her that she would surely die. Was it God's Commandment that was going to kill her? Or, was it her disobedience to the Commandment of God (sin) that would kill her? Of course, it was her sin.
Just like our courts of law today in the U.S. - God's Law either declares us "Guilty" or God's Law can declare us "Not Guilty". It all depends IF sin has deceived us into breaking God's Law - the Ten Commandments. I John 3:4 says - "Sin is lawlessness." (NKJV) The King James Version says, "Sin is the transgression of the Law." Living without the Law of God (lawlessness) by breaking it or being disobedient to it (transgressing it) is what will sentence us to eternal death at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Speaking of the "Judgment Seat of Christ", let us not forget WHO "the Lawgiver" is. The logical response to that is "the Lawgiver is the One Who will be sitting on the Judgment Seat" - and that is Jesus Christ! James 4:12 says, "There is one Lawgiver and Judge, Who is able to save and to destroy." God's Law does not save or destroy us - it only declares us "Guilty" or "Not Guilty", and even that is good!
When you stand before Jesus Christ, the Lawgiver, on the day of Judgment - will He declare you to be "Guilty" or "Not Guilty" according to His Law - The Ten Commandments?
Friday, July 18, 2014
What's Different in the Ten Commandments of the Catholic Church?
Did you know that the Roman Catholic Church has a different set of the Ten Commandments than the Holy Bible has? It is true. The normal person will never find this out unless they open their Bible and place it beside the Catholic book, "A Catechism for Adults". As you read through the following list of the Ten Commandments of the Roman Catholic Church, see if you can find where the difference is:
1. I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt not have strange gods before Me. (Exodus 20:2,3)
2. Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain. (Exodus 20:7)
3. Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath Day. (Exodus 20:8)
4. Honor thy father and thy mother. (Exodus 20:12)
5. Thou shalt not kill. (Exodus 20:13)
6. Thou shalt not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14)
7. Thou shalt not steal. (Exodus 20:15)
8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. (Exodus 20:16)
9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife. (Exodus 20:17)
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods. (Exodus 20:17)
If you look closely at the first two commandments above, you will see a rather large gap between Exodus 20:2 & 3 and Exodus 20:7. When you look in the Holy Bible, you will see that the Roman Catholic Church has "conveniently" left out, Exodus 20:4 & 5 which says, "You shall not make for yourself a carved image - any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God..."
Why would the Catholic Church make these changes? The Catholic Church has through the centuries practiced idolatry by making "carved images" of Mary and Jesus Christ, and instructing their followers to "bow down" to them. Unfortunately, unless the person who is a practicing Catholic really studies their Bible - they will never find this "false teaching" being taught by their church.
So, when I found this out, I still had a problem because even though they removed the 2nd Commandment, they were still able to have ten Commandments. How was this possible? Again, you must look at Exodus in your Bible and then look at their list of the Ten Commandments in order to find this error. Look closely at the 9th Commandment and the 10th Commandment above. You will find that the Roman Catholic Church has taken the 10th Commandment and divided it into two parts - thus creating their own "Ten Commandments".
For those of you who don't know what the correct list of the Ten Commandments is, here they are taken directly from the Holy Bible:
1. I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before Me. (Exodus 20:2,3)
2. You shall not make for yourself a carved image - any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, is a jealous God. (Exodus 20:4,5)
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. (Exodus 20:7)
4. Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God, in it you shall do no work. (Exodus 20:8-11)
5. Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. (Exodus 20:12)
6. You shall not murder. (Exodus 20:13)
7. You shall not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14)
8. You shall not steal. (Exodus 20:15)
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. (Exodus 20:16)
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.
(Exodus 20:17)
One other thing to note is the 4th Commandment regarding the 7th day Sabbath Day. If you take some time to look back in history, you will find that again it was the Romans who moved the Lord's holy Sabbath Day from Saturday to Sunday.
The Roman Catholics will even take credit for this change today! In their book, "A Catechism for Adults" on page 115 under "Note #1" it states, "The Church (meaning the Roman Catholic Church) changed the Lord's Day from Saturday to Sunday because our Lord rose from the dead on Sunday and the Holy Spirit came down upon the Apostles on Pentecost Sunday." Unfortunately, they fail to see that Jesus Christ RESTED in the grave on HIS Sabbath Day! And, as soon as the Sabbath was over, HE AROSE!! As His followers, we are to also rest on HIS HOLY DAY - Saturday, the seventh day of the week. Jesus called Himself, "the Lord of the Sabbath". It belongs to Him (not the Roman Catholic Church or any other denomination), and therefore, we have no authority to move it to another day.
In closing, ALWAYS be diligent to study the accuracy of what your spiritual leaders are teaching you. As I have just shown above, it is easy for a person to be deceived and to believe false teachings unless that person stays in God's Word, the Bible, on a daily basis.
1. I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt not have strange gods before Me. (Exodus 20:2,3)
2. Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain. (Exodus 20:7)
3. Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath Day. (Exodus 20:8)
4. Honor thy father and thy mother. (Exodus 20:12)
5. Thou shalt not kill. (Exodus 20:13)
6. Thou shalt not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14)
7. Thou shalt not steal. (Exodus 20:15)
8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. (Exodus 20:16)
9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife. (Exodus 20:17)
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods. (Exodus 20:17)
If you look closely at the first two commandments above, you will see a rather large gap between Exodus 20:2 & 3 and Exodus 20:7. When you look in the Holy Bible, you will see that the Roman Catholic Church has "conveniently" left out, Exodus 20:4 & 5 which says, "You shall not make for yourself a carved image - any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God..."
Why would the Catholic Church make these changes? The Catholic Church has through the centuries practiced idolatry by making "carved images" of Mary and Jesus Christ, and instructing their followers to "bow down" to them. Unfortunately, unless the person who is a practicing Catholic really studies their Bible - they will never find this "false teaching" being taught by their church.
So, when I found this out, I still had a problem because even though they removed the 2nd Commandment, they were still able to have ten Commandments. How was this possible? Again, you must look at Exodus in your Bible and then look at their list of the Ten Commandments in order to find this error. Look closely at the 9th Commandment and the 10th Commandment above. You will find that the Roman Catholic Church has taken the 10th Commandment and divided it into two parts - thus creating their own "Ten Commandments".
For those of you who don't know what the correct list of the Ten Commandments is, here they are taken directly from the Holy Bible:
1. I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before Me. (Exodus 20:2,3)
2. You shall not make for yourself a carved image - any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, is a jealous God. (Exodus 20:4,5)
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. (Exodus 20:7)
4. Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God, in it you shall do no work. (Exodus 20:8-11)
5. Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. (Exodus 20:12)
6. You shall not murder. (Exodus 20:13)
7. You shall not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14)
8. You shall not steal. (Exodus 20:15)
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. (Exodus 20:16)
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.
(Exodus 20:17)
One other thing to note is the 4th Commandment regarding the 7th day Sabbath Day. If you take some time to look back in history, you will find that again it was the Romans who moved the Lord's holy Sabbath Day from Saturday to Sunday.
The Roman Catholics will even take credit for this change today! In their book, "A Catechism for Adults" on page 115 under "Note #1" it states, "The Church (meaning the Roman Catholic Church) changed the Lord's Day from Saturday to Sunday because our Lord rose from the dead on Sunday and the Holy Spirit came down upon the Apostles on Pentecost Sunday." Unfortunately, they fail to see that Jesus Christ RESTED in the grave on HIS Sabbath Day! And, as soon as the Sabbath was over, HE AROSE!! As His followers, we are to also rest on HIS HOLY DAY - Saturday, the seventh day of the week. Jesus called Himself, "the Lord of the Sabbath". It belongs to Him (not the Roman Catholic Church or any other denomination), and therefore, we have no authority to move it to another day.
In closing, ALWAYS be diligent to study the accuracy of what your spiritual leaders are teaching you. As I have just shown above, it is easy for a person to be deceived and to believe false teachings unless that person stays in God's Word, the Bible, on a daily basis.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
The Creation: Six Days or Seven Days?
There is a very subtle thing going on in Christian circles today, that everyone seems to be missing. I first noticed this a couple years ago when I attended a conference on Creation here in Springfield, MO. It was put on by the Creation Museum in our area. All day long I listened to speakers from the museum talk about the SIX DAYS of creation, but no one mentioned the SEVENTH DAY of the creation story. Since my blog is about "God's People Doing Away with God's Law in the Last Days", the Holy Spirit began to warn me that there is something wrong somewhere in all of this.
Since then, I have listened to Christian pastors speak about the Creation story, and again it is most often about the SIX days God created, and not the SEVEN. I have even heard them say that after the SIXTH day, God was finished with His creating! What? What ever happened to God creating the SEVENTH day?
Christians really need to learn to think with their heads today, instead of their ears. We know that God "rested on the SEVENTH day". (Gen. 2:2) Well, if He had not CREATED the SEVENTH day, how could He have rested on a day that He never created? Hmm. So, that gets me back to wondering if something bigger is going on here?
In fact, the first part of the same verse listed above says, "And on the SEVENTH day, God ENDED His work which He had done..." Wait a minute! I just heard an evangelical minister on the radio last week say "God ended His work after the SIXTH day!" This evangelical minister just lied, not only to his home congregation, but also to hundreds of his radio listeners! Genesis 2:1 says, "Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished." NOTE: It does not say that God was finished creating the DAYS!! God had one more day to create, and that was HIS HOLY day, the SEVENTH day, the Sabbath.
Let's take a minute to think about God creating this special SEVENTH day, a day God Himself named the "Sabbath Day". God had just finished creating the SIXTH day, which included creating mankind - Adam and Eve. (Just as a side point, let me point out here, that Adam and Eve were not "Jewish".) So, logically, that means Adam and Eve were present with God when He created His SEVENTH day, Sabbath. God loved His special creation, whom He created in His own image, so much that He wanted a very special day to be set aside FOREVER so they could come out from among the world, stop working 24/7 (rest from all work), and spend time alone with Him. What a wonderful gift He gave to Himself and to mankind when He created the SEVENTH day!
The real question, though, lies underneath all of this. The real question is, "WHY?" WHY are preachers and ministers not wanting to include the SEVENTH day in the story of Creation? Well, if I was a detective, I would be drawn to the conclusion that they don't want to think about the SEVENTH day Sabbath - and, they really don't want their listeners to start thinking about it, either. So they've made the decision to deceive their listeners by just leaving out "a little bit" of the story!
If ministers got convicted of the truth about the SEVENTH day Sabbath, they would have to give up their churches which meet on Sunday. Remember, "The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil." (I Tim. 6:10) Because they don't want to lose their jobs, most Sunday ministers will "do away with" the SEVENTH day Sabbath by not acknowledging it or by nullifying it as invalid for today's "New Testament" Christian.
The TRUTH is that God created SEVEN days - not SIX. Also, there is something extra special about this day compared to the other six days. This SEVENTH day of Creation is the ONLY day that God "blessed" and "sanctified" (made holy and set apart). (See Genesis 2:3) You will never read any where in the Bible where God called the FIRST day "blessed" or "holy". If you do any research on this subject, you will find that it was a Roman emperor who decided to call the FIRST day of the week, "Sunday", after their sun god. So, it definitely is not a "holy" day by God's Word, the Bible.
Again, I want to encourage you to keep your eyes and ears open to what is being said in these last days, in an attempt to take away from God's TRUTH revealed in His Word. Very silently, subtly, and slowly, God's Law is being eliminated - not so much by unbelievers, but by those who claim to be "followers of Christ"! Just be careful that you don't become like those "without understanding, who have eyes and see not, and who have ears and hear not..." (Isa. 5:21)
Since then, I have listened to Christian pastors speak about the Creation story, and again it is most often about the SIX days God created, and not the SEVEN. I have even heard them say that after the SIXTH day, God was finished with His creating! What? What ever happened to God creating the SEVENTH day?
Christians really need to learn to think with their heads today, instead of their ears. We know that God "rested on the SEVENTH day". (Gen. 2:2) Well, if He had not CREATED the SEVENTH day, how could He have rested on a day that He never created? Hmm. So, that gets me back to wondering if something bigger is going on here?
In fact, the first part of the same verse listed above says, "And on the SEVENTH day, God ENDED His work which He had done..." Wait a minute! I just heard an evangelical minister on the radio last week say "God ended His work after the SIXTH day!" This evangelical minister just lied, not only to his home congregation, but also to hundreds of his radio listeners! Genesis 2:1 says, "Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished." NOTE: It does not say that God was finished creating the DAYS!! God had one more day to create, and that was HIS HOLY day, the SEVENTH day, the Sabbath.
Let's take a minute to think about God creating this special SEVENTH day, a day God Himself named the "Sabbath Day". God had just finished creating the SIXTH day, which included creating mankind - Adam and Eve. (Just as a side point, let me point out here, that Adam and Eve were not "Jewish".) So, logically, that means Adam and Eve were present with God when He created His SEVENTH day, Sabbath. God loved His special creation, whom He created in His own image, so much that He wanted a very special day to be set aside FOREVER so they could come out from among the world, stop working 24/7 (rest from all work), and spend time alone with Him. What a wonderful gift He gave to Himself and to mankind when He created the SEVENTH day!
The real question, though, lies underneath all of this. The real question is, "WHY?" WHY are preachers and ministers not wanting to include the SEVENTH day in the story of Creation? Well, if I was a detective, I would be drawn to the conclusion that they don't want to think about the SEVENTH day Sabbath - and, they really don't want their listeners to start thinking about it, either. So they've made the decision to deceive their listeners by just leaving out "a little bit" of the story!
If ministers got convicted of the truth about the SEVENTH day Sabbath, they would have to give up their churches which meet on Sunday. Remember, "The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil." (I Tim. 6:10) Because they don't want to lose their jobs, most Sunday ministers will "do away with" the SEVENTH day Sabbath by not acknowledging it or by nullifying it as invalid for today's "New Testament" Christian.
The TRUTH is that God created SEVEN days - not SIX. Also, there is something extra special about this day compared to the other six days. This SEVENTH day of Creation is the ONLY day that God "blessed" and "sanctified" (made holy and set apart). (See Genesis 2:3) You will never read any where in the Bible where God called the FIRST day "blessed" or "holy". If you do any research on this subject, you will find that it was a Roman emperor who decided to call the FIRST day of the week, "Sunday", after their sun god. So, it definitely is not a "holy" day by God's Word, the Bible.
Again, I want to encourage you to keep your eyes and ears open to what is being said in these last days, in an attempt to take away from God's TRUTH revealed in His Word. Very silently, subtly, and slowly, God's Law is being eliminated - not so much by unbelievers, but by those who claim to be "followers of Christ"! Just be careful that you don't become like those "without understanding, who have eyes and see not, and who have ears and hear not..." (Isa. 5:21)
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Did Jesus Come to Fulfill the Law of God?
I received a comment this week from a reader making the following statement: "The law of God exists, but has been fulfilled." This person was referring to Matthew 5:17 which says, "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law (destroy it) or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill." Most Christians have been taught that this means Christ has fulfilled the Law of God. (Past tense.) However, the very next verse will set this false teaching straight and show that Christ was referring to a future time.
Matthew 5:18 says, "For assuredly I (Jesus) say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." Is heaven and earth still here? Yes, they are. So what? Well, Jesus just said that if heaven and earth are still here - then He has not fulfilled the Law of God, yet. Jesus has not yet fulfilled the Law of God and the proof of that statement is in the fact that heaven and earth are still here!
The answer to the question in the title of this post is this: Yes - Jesus came to fulfill the Law of God! He just hasn't done it yet - contrary to what most of us have been taught through our preachers, Bible colleges, or even our own families. So, when is Jesus going to "fulfill" the Law of God? When He comes back again to set up the Kingdom of God here on earth. The Kingdom of God will also have His "Kingdom Law". How do I know that? Because the above verses in Matthew are part of the Beatitudes, which Jesus gave describing His "Kingdom Law".
Throughout the book of Matthew, Jesus gives parables (stories) about "a king" and "a kingdom". In these stories, He is talking about Himself, His Kingship and His Kingdom. When we put our trust in Jesus Christ - that He is Almighty God in the flesh, Who came to earth to become the sacrifice for our sins, and that He rose again and will be coming back for us - we become His children and citizens of His Kingdom. As a citizen of the U.S., I have laws I must obey. Likewise, the above verses are part of His discourse to the crowds about His "Kingdom Law". It has not been abolished, destroyed, or even fulfilled!
The Lawgiver and His Law cannot be separated. If you throw out one, you are throwing out the other as well. Law and Grace do go together, contrary to the false teaching in many of our churches. Isaiah 42:21 says, "He (Jesus, the Messiah) will exalt the law and make it honorable." Throughout the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), you see Jesus exalting His law and making it honorable. That is what the Pharisees were constantly fighting against - and it is what the false teachers of today are fighting against as well. (Just a hint: I think I know Who wins out in the end!)
Go out today and enjoy the heaven and the earth that God has so graciously bestowed on you, and remember His promise in Matthew 5:18.
Matthew 5:18 says, "For assuredly I (Jesus) say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." Is heaven and earth still here? Yes, they are. So what? Well, Jesus just said that if heaven and earth are still here - then He has not fulfilled the Law of God, yet. Jesus has not yet fulfilled the Law of God and the proof of that statement is in the fact that heaven and earth are still here!
The answer to the question in the title of this post is this: Yes - Jesus came to fulfill the Law of God! He just hasn't done it yet - contrary to what most of us have been taught through our preachers, Bible colleges, or even our own families. So, when is Jesus going to "fulfill" the Law of God? When He comes back again to set up the Kingdom of God here on earth. The Kingdom of God will also have His "Kingdom Law". How do I know that? Because the above verses in Matthew are part of the Beatitudes, which Jesus gave describing His "Kingdom Law".
Throughout the book of Matthew, Jesus gives parables (stories) about "a king" and "a kingdom". In these stories, He is talking about Himself, His Kingship and His Kingdom. When we put our trust in Jesus Christ - that He is Almighty God in the flesh, Who came to earth to become the sacrifice for our sins, and that He rose again and will be coming back for us - we become His children and citizens of His Kingdom. As a citizen of the U.S., I have laws I must obey. Likewise, the above verses are part of His discourse to the crowds about His "Kingdom Law". It has not been abolished, destroyed, or even fulfilled!
The Lawgiver and His Law cannot be separated. If you throw out one, you are throwing out the other as well. Law and Grace do go together, contrary to the false teaching in many of our churches. Isaiah 42:21 says, "He (Jesus, the Messiah) will exalt the law and make it honorable." Throughout the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), you see Jesus exalting His law and making it honorable. That is what the Pharisees were constantly fighting against - and it is what the false teachers of today are fighting against as well. (Just a hint: I think I know Who wins out in the end!)
Go out today and enjoy the heaven and the earth that God has so graciously bestowed on you, and remember His promise in Matthew 5:18.
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