Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.”

As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. Slaughter old men, young men and maidens, women and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were in front of the temple. (Ezekiel 9:3-6)

The principle of marking those who would be protected from judgment was first mentioned in Genesis 4:15 when the Lord marked Cain as a warning to those who might try to kill him for murdering Abel.

It had also been hinted at when the Lord told Elijah He had reserved 7,000 faithful in Israel who had not succumbed to idol worship (1 Kings 19:18), but Ezekiel 9:4 stands as the clearest example in history of the Lord marking those who are His and protecting them from danger. In the spiritual world the mark is a sign that the marked person belongs to the Lord and is off limits to anyone else.

Have You Been Marked?

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory (Ephes 1:13-14).

Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Cor. 1:21-22).

In these two passages Paul revealed that all born again believers were marked at the time they believed to show that they belong to the Lord. It’s the spiritual equivalent of a rancher branding his cattle with his mark of ownership. The presence of this mark will protect us like it has protected others He has marked throughout history.

They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. (1 Thes. 1:9-10)

But in our case, the mark doesn’t just protect us from the judgment taking place around us, it qualifies us to be removed from the judgment altogether. The Greek word translated from in the last phrase of the above passage means we’ll be separated (distanced) from both the time and the place of the coming wrath.

Peter used the example of Lot to describe this. (Note the similarity in the wording of 1 Thes. 1:9-10 above and 2 Peter 2:7,9 below).

If The Lord rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men, then He knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment (2 Peter 2:7,9). The angels sent to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah couldn’t do so until they had Lot safely out of the way (Genesis 9:15-16, 22).

This mark can only be received on an individual or personal basis. What I mean is we’re not marked because we’re part of the Church, we’re part of the Church because we’re marked. The concept of collective salvation is not Biblical. Nor is it possible for a person with God’s mark to transfer its benefits to someone with out it.

Let Me Make This Perfectly Clear

God has stated this in no uncertain terms. In speaking of the judgment about to fall on the Southern Kingdom he had Ezekiel say;

“Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its men and their animals, even if these three men—Noah, Daniel and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign Lord (Ezekiel 14:12-14).

Notice He didn’t have Ezekiel say, “If my people …”. He said “If a country …”.  This tells me He was giving us a general principle applicable to all nations, not one that would only apply to Israel, as is the case with promises like 2 Chronicles 7:14 and Jeremiah 29:11.

If any country persists in going against the will of God and doing things He has forbidden, and He determines to judge that country, the believers in it, no matter how righteous they may be, can only save themselves. In Ezekiel 14:15-20 He repeatedly said that even if their own sons and daughters would be affected by the judgment, the prayers of these righteous men could not save them. They could save only themselves by their righteousness.

(Rev. 7:1-8 shows the marking of certain individuals will happen one final time after the Church is gone when the Lord will put His seal on the foreheads of His 144,000 servants to protect them from the coming Trumpet and Bowl judgments. And once again His mark will only protect those to whom it will be given.)

Why Are You Doing That?

There is a currently popular trend in the US where groups of believers have been offering prayers of repentance on behalf of our country in an effort to stay the hand of God’s judgment. But the Lord had Ezekiel tell us this would not accomplish anything. If any nation continues to defy God by going against His ways, that nation will be judged and the prayers of the righteous people in it will only benefit themselves. Only those who have received the mark of God will be rescued.

Proponents of repenting on behalf of our country use the examples of Jonah and Daniel to support their position. I’ve written about Jonah in the past, showing how in that case every person in Nineveh, from the King to the lowliest servant, repented by clothing themselves in sackcloth and fasting (Jonah 3:6-9) in a united effort to avoid the judgment. It was not a case of a few repenting on behalf of the others. They were all repenting. Every one of them.

Those who propose Daniel’s prayer on behalf of Israel in support of this don’t understand that his case was not reflective of our situation either. According to Daniel’s own account, he was only reminding God of something He had already publicly promised to do;

In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom—in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years (Daniel 9:1-2)

Daniel had read the Book of Jeremiah, written almost 70 years earlier. He knew that the time of captivity was nearly over and that God had already promised to deliver them.

“This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.” (Jeremiah 25:11)

This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place” (Jeremiah 29:10).

And as for the claim that Daniel’s prayer brought Cyrus the Persian to conquer Babylon and free the Jews, Isaiah had foretold this 200 years previously, even naming Cyrus by name. In the message given through Isaiah, God called Cyrus His anointed (chosen one) and included a detailed description of the plan by which Cyrus would conquer Babylon without a battle (Isaiah 45:1-7).

Jewish tradition holds that Daniel showed this portion of the scroll of Isaiah to Cyrus following the fall of Babylon. In response Cyrus ordered the Jewish captives to be set free. This was not something prompted by Daniel’s prayer, it had been God’s published plan all along.

Where the judgment of the US is concerned God has offered no prophecy of duration and no promise of restoration. And now enough people have voted to continue on the path of rebellion to confirm the futility of offering prayers of repentance on behalf of our country.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Since I believe we’re at the End of the Age and that the US has no official role to play in bringing about God’s Kingdom, I see a future where the US continues to decline in power and influence while events increasingly become centered in the Middle East. I think the election results tell us God’s plan for the End Times is right on schedule and there will be no more delay.

Therefore, I believe we should continue living each day by trusting in the Lord and longing for His appearing to take us home. We should stop worrying about our life here and focus our time, our talents, and our treasure on preparing for our life to come (Matt. 6:19-34). And above all, we should remember that while there’s no such thing as repenting on behalf of our country, there is such a thing as asking the Holy Spirit to soften the hearts of our unsaved loved ones toward repenting for themselves. While there is no collective salvation, there are untold millions of cases where the destinies of individuals have been changed through the prayers of others. I know because I’m one of them.

Every idol in our lives is being removed. Believing in our country, our leaders, our economy, our bank accounts or even ourselves is proving to be ineffective. The only one left to believe in is God, and that’s just the way He wants it. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:4-6). You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 11-10-12

Recently I’ve received several variations of the question in the title of this study, so I assume it’s on the minds of many more. Here’s a representative question and my response.

Q. In a recent article you said, “Romans 8:29-30 tells us that God foreknew every person from throughout the age of man who would choose to accept Him as their Savior. He predestined all of them to have a place in His kingdom. And at the appropriate time in their life He calls each of them, and when they respond He justifies them.”

It sounds like you’re saying He only calls those who in His foreknowledge He knew would respond, and doesn’t call those He knew would not.  I’ve always thought that God calls everyone, and some respond while others don’t.  And Matthew 22:14 says many are called but few are chosen. How do you explain this?

A. In beginning, let’s review Romans 8:29-30 because the language is critical to our understanding. In the original version of the NIV, which is the one I usually quote from, it reads like this.

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

This is consistent with the Greek text, which the KJV translates as follows;

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

The Greek word translated foreknew means to have prior knowledge, or to know beforehand, and the one translated predestined means to appoint. The word translated call comes from a root that means to command, order, or urge. Justified means to render righteous, and to glorify means to praise, extol, magnify or celebrate, to make glorious.

In simple terms Paul was saying that God had prior knowledge of all who would choose Him and appointed us a place in His kingdom at that time. You might say He made a reservation for us in advance. At the appropriate time in our life He urged us to make the choice He already knew we would make, and when we did He applied the payment he had already made for our sins, wiping the slate clean and making us as righteous as He is. At the rapture / resurrection He will make us glorious forever. So far so good.

Now let’s look at what Paul didn’t say. He didn’t mention any loss between any of the five steps. The ones God foreknew are the ones He predestined. The ones He predestined are the ones He called. The ones He called are the ones He justified, and the ones He justified are the ones He glorified. No one falls through the cracks and no one enters the process midway. He knew everyone before He began and He doesn’t lose anyone along the way.

John 6:37-40 confirms this in no uncertain terms.

“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.  For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.  And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.  For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

So how do we reconcile this with Matt. 7:7-8, which says,

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Or John 3:16 which tells us,

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Or Romans 10:13,

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

It’s About Time

The answer lies in our understanding of time. As physical beings we’re governed by the laws of time. These laws restrict us in two very important ways. We can only look back and we can only move forward. We can see the past, but we can’t go back to change it. We’re constantly moving into the future but we can’t see what the future holds for us.

But God has no such limitations. He can see the end from the beginning, and knew everything that would happen in His creation before any of it came to be (Isaiah 46:10). However, knowing everything that will happen is not the same as controlling everything that happens. Within the context of time, we make our own decisions and are responsible for our own actions.

We demonstrate this in a very simple way when we watch a video of a sporting event that has already taken place. When the video was made the players and their coaches were all trying their best to win, employing certain strategies during the game that they believed would help them do so, and changing those strategies when the situation called for it.

When we’re watching the video we’re not controlling the players’ behavior but we already know the result their behavior will produce. So while they were doing everything they could think of to make the outcome favorable to them, we knew the outcome before we started watching the video.

Life is infinitely more complex but the principle is the same. Like the players in the game, we make our own decisions about how to live our life, but God knows what the outcome of those decisions will be, and He knew it before our life even began.

Here’s a big difference between God and us. While we watch the video, we’re limited to being passive observers. We can’t do anything to influence the behavior of the players. But God is not content to be a passive observer. He wants everyone to be saved, and continually works to influence our behavior.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). God our Savior wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:3-4).

He only calls those He already knows will answer, but He is determined that everyone will have every possible chance to respond. No one will be able to say God didn’t pursue them to the very end. He put such clear evidence of His existence in the Creation that no one could fail to see it (Romans 1:20). He loves all of us so much He sent His one and only Son to die for our sins so that whoever believes will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). He sent His disciples into all nations to teach us about Him (Matt. 28:18-20) and promised the end will not come until the Gospel has been preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations (Matt. 24:14).

Even though He already knows most of mankind will reject Him, He doesn’t give up on any of us until we take our last breath. It’s almost as if He’s hoping to be surprised by someone He hadn’t planned for.

This explains the “many are called but few are chosen” phrase in Matt. 22:14. The Greek word translated called in the King James version of Matt. 22:14 is not the word Paul used in Romans 8:29-30. Matthew used a word that really means invited, like the NIV renders it, whereas Paul used a word that’s more like a command. But you don’t have to understand the Greek language to see this. Remember, Matt. 22:1-14 tells the parable of a wedding banquet, and people are invited to a wedding. They are not commanded to attend. This is a good example of why it’s so important to consider the context in which a word or phrase appears when trying to interpret it.

God “invites” many but He only “commands” those He knows will come. (Personally I believe everyone gets at least one bonafide invitation during his or her lifetime. Otherwise He couldn’t condemn those who don’t choose Him. )

Creation And Procreation

Some have asked, “If God Knew from the creation of the world who would choose Him and who wouldn’t, why does He allow those who won’t choose Him to even be born?”

After the creation God delegated the production of offspring to man (Genesis 1:24). We call it procreation.  In my opinion that means He no longer controls who will be born and who will not. We do. But He does know us from the time we’re conceived (Psalm 139:13) and He insists that everyone who is conceived has both the right to be born and the opportunity to decide whether to live eternally with Him. This is consistent with His character. Being a just God, He couldn’t hold us responsible for our choices without giving us the opportunity to make them.

So although He knows in advance who will choose Him and only calls those who do, He doesn’t make the choice for us. We do that. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, but God already knows everyone who will call on His name and has prepared a place in His kingdom for all of us.

Ironside’s Door

H. A. Ironside (1876-1951) was a popular pastor and teacher who authored more than 60 books on various Bible topics. In doing so he gave us an illustration of this point that became popularly known as Ironside’s Door.

As we walk into a large building we come to a door with a sign posted just outside. It says, “Whosoever will may enter.” We open the door and step into a banquet hall that stretches as far as the eye can see, beautifully prepared for an enormous celebration. Walking along the rows of tables covered in fine linen and adorned with endless settings of china, silver and crystal, we’re astonished to see a reservation card with our name on it at one of the places. Looking back at the door we just walked through we see another sign posted posted on the inside. This one says, “Fore ordained from the foundation of the world.”

Anyone can choose to enter the Kingdom of God, but when we do we discover He’s had a place reserved for us since the beginning of time. Selah 09-22-12

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebr. 4:12-13)

Some people view the soul and body interchangeably, while others think the soul and spirit are the same. But it’s more accurate to think of them as separate components.  Our soul is the conscious part of us, composed of mind (intellect), will, and emotions.   It makes choices and controls our behavior by giving orders to the body. Our spirit is the subconscious part, an internal adviser to the conscious soul.  It’s  our conscience.

Both our soul and our spirit are intangible and eternal and are housed in our body which is tangible and temporal. Our body is designed for use in this life, and when we die we leave it behind. Paul described our body as our earthly dwelling and spoke of how we long to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling.  Believers don’t desire so much to be rid of our earthly bodies, he said, as to receive our heavenly ones. He said receiving our heavenly body is the very purpose for which we were created, and that’s why God gave us the Holy Spirit at the first moment of our belief. He’s a deposit guaranteeing what is to come, which is the exchange of our earthly dwelling for our heavenly one. (2 Cor. 5:1-5)

It Wasn’t Always Like That

I believe Adam and Eve were created with a heavenly alignment of body, soul, and spirit.  Their body was submissive to their soul which was submissive to their spirit which was one with the Spirit of God.  But at the fall this alignment was perverted and through Satan’s influence the soul began to assert itself over the spirit. Both were contaminated by sin and the direct link to God was broken. In the time after the fall the soul became more assertive as man entered the period between Adam and Noah that some call the Dispensation of Conscience. Man was left to decide for himself what was right but because of the misalignment that came with the fall,  things got progressively worse until God had to wipe the slate clean and start over. This experience has been repeated again and again . Even the time of Israel’s dominance in the world, when the communication link with God was formally re-opened, ended in failure. During that period Prophets were appointed to speak to the people for God and Priests to speak to God for the people. But it wasn’t enough.

The problem was that the spirit of unsaved man is confused and uncertain because of the effects of sin and often gives bad advice to his soul, which is also contaminated by sin, making it impossible for him to please God.

The cross changed all that. Now, when we are born again our spirit becomes one with the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 6:17) and the confusion and uncertainty clears up. Our spirit again knows right and wrong as absolutes, and as our conscience it begins to serve as a reliable guide to our soul, which is still sin infested.

The difference that being born again makes in us is so profound that we can only understand God’s word after we become believers. The natural man cannot comprehend it. (1 Cor 2:14) This explains why the Lord’s disciples were often confused about His teaching, and failed to understand much of it. They didn’t receive the Holy Spirit until the night of His resurrection. (John 20:22)

This is also why Jesus told us that our righteousness has to surpass that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law.  Not being born again, their efforts at keeping the law were acts of will and were often in conflict with what their spirits were advising them to do. In other words, it was still a matter of their soul asserting itself over their spirit. They just knew the law well enough to know when their spirits were giving them bad advice.  In Isaiah 29:13 the Lord had said, “These people come near to me with their lips (governed by the soul), but their hearts (spirits) are far from me.” Jesus accused them of looking like whitewashed tombs, beautiful on the outside, but inside full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean (Matt. 23:27) Their obedience to the law was only intellectual assent backed up by will power. Their spirit was still infested with sin.

Back To Hebrews 4

But the Lord pays special attention to the motives of our heart and judges us on our intentions, not our actions. This is what the writer to the Hebrews meant when he said that the word of God can divide soul (behavior) and spirit (motive). He’s not fooled by man’s attempts at good behavior. He knows the thoughts and attitudes of our heart. Nothing is hidden from His sight. Commenting on ceremonial cleanliness He said that it’s not what goes into us that makes us unclean, but what comes out of us. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” (Matt. 15:17-19) Jeremiah wrote that the heart of man is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. (Jere. 17:9) After sinning with Bathsheba, David prayed that God would create in him a pure heart, and renew a steadfast spirit within him. (Psalm 51:10)  This is what happens when we’re born again and the Holy Spirit unites with our spirit. It renews a steadfast spirit with in us.  It’s what David longed for, but it couldn’t happen before the cross. (John 7:39)

In effect, the Holy Spirit works through our spirit to repossess our soul from its bondage to sin. But since it’s not the conscious part of us, our spirit can only work to influence our decisions. Our soul must choose to heed the advice of our spirit, in whose “ear” the Holy Spirit is whispering. This is what Paul meant when he told us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (soul) (Romans 12:2).  This transformation consists of consciously choosing to allow the Holy Spirit to become the primary influence in determining our actions. This is the heavenly alignment again. God’s Spirit to our spirit, to our soul, and to our body. This is why the Pharisees were criticized. God’s Spirit was not within them, and so their obedience was a product of their intellect, their soul. Their spirit remained unregenerate. It looked good on the outside, but inside it was all out of order. It was form without substance, and it produced self righteousness, not humility.

The biggest problem we have is that our soul is still struggling with its bondage to sin, and therefore must constantly choose to submit to our renewed spirit. Remember the soul is where our behavioral decisions are made. Our spirit is one with the Spirit of God, but can only advise. Paul described our dilemma poignantly in Romans 7:14-25, saying that he had the desire to do good but could not carry it out. His spirit was one with God, but his soul sometimes rebelled. Inwardly he could delight in God’s Law, but outwardly he would sometimes conform to the law of sin and death.

It’s actually the opposite of the Pharisees’ problem. They looked good on the outside but were full of evil thoughts and intentions. While the Lord condemned them, he directs no condemnation toward us (Romans 8:1) because although our soul often betrays us, our spirit is one with God. He goes so far as to separate the behavior from the believer saying that it’s not we who sin, but the sin nature that dwells within us. (Romans 7:20)

Will This Ever End?

When we die or are raptured, our transformation will be complete, and the Holy Spirit’s work of repossessing our soul will be finished. The heavenly alignment will be permanently restored, our regenerated soul in perpetual submission to our spirit which is one with God. Only then will we be ready for our resurrection bodies. It will no longer occur to us to behave in a manner contrary to God’s will, and we’ll finally be fit to dwell with Him forever.

The new body we receive will compare to the old one only in physical characteristics. The old one is corrupt and doomed to perish. The new one will be incorruptible and will never perish. (1 Cor. 15:53) We’ll recognize each other and will know God as we are known by Him. (1 Cor.13:12) No longer will things be hidden from our understanding or beyond our comprehension because our soul, where understanding and comprehension take place, will finally be freed from the bondage of sin. The immeasurable creative capacity with which the human mind was created will finally be unleashed for our eternal use and enjoyment. The tiny nuggets of talent and ability in the arts and sciences that we can only faintly glimpse now will become rich veins to be mined for all eternity.

And best of all, we’ll finally achieve our heart’s true desire, to be one with our Creator, body, soul, and spirit. Selah 02-18-12

This is not meant to be a complete commentary on 2 Thes. 2. Instead, I want to demonstrate that Paul had to have taught the Thessalonians that the rapture of the Church would precede the End Times judgments. Think of it as a supplement to your study of 1st and 2nd Thessalonians.

By most accounts Paul stayed in Thessalonica for only about 3 weeks and during that time he founded a Church and taught them the doctrines of salvation and sanctification, the Trinity, the nature of man, the assurance of pardon,  and the Day of the Lord. He continued teaching them after he left with his first letter, written from Corinth in 51 AD, in which he introduced the doctrine of the rapture (1 Thes. 4:16-17).  Shortly after that they received another letter appearing to be from him, announcing that the Day of the Lord had come.   They reacted with fear and confusion and immediately sought clarification.

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus and our being gathered to Him, we ask you brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy report or letter supposed to have come from us saying that the Day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let any one deceive you in any way for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. (2 Thes 2:1-3)

From Paul’s response  it’s clear the previous letter had been a forgery, sent by someone pretending to be him and designed to frighten them.  It worked.  The Greek words for unsettle and alarm literally mean to agitate, incite, and frighten. Something in the letter had contradicted their understanding of his teaching and they were upset. Reading 2 Thes 2:1-3 we see that the forgery must have disputed Paul’s teaching on events leading up to the Day of the Lord.  This is the only logical explanation for his 2nd letter to the Thessalonians.

Notice that right from the beginning Paul separated the coming of the Lord from our being gathered to Him. That’s because they’re two different events.   We can’t tell their relative timing from this, but we can tell they’re not the same thing.  One is when He comes back down to Earth, while from 1 Thes. 4:16-17 we know the other has us going up to meet Him in the air and continuing to Heaven. The 2nd coming will be witnessed by everyone (Matt. 24:30), but the rapture is an instantaneous disappearance (1 Cor. 15:51-52) that happens without warning.

Everything That Was Written In The Past Was Written To Teach Us

This quote from Romans 15:4 tells us that Paul wasn’t just writing to the Thessalonian believers.  He was also writing to us.  Think about it. The Day of the Lord is a term that always refers to the End Times and most often to the Great Tribulation. If Paul had taught them to expect a post-tribulation rapture would they have been agitated and frightened upon receiving the forgery?  No!  It would more likely have made them think the 2nd coming was only a few years away and many of them would live to see it.

The only justification for their fear and confusion would be if Paul had taught them a pre-trib rapture. In that case a letter telling them the Day of the Lord had come would mean they had missed the rapture, and that would mean they weren’t saved.  Now we can see how they would be agitated, angry and afraid. Imagine how you would you feel in a situation like that.

From 2 Thes 2:1-3 we can begin to construct Paul’s teaching on the chronology of events leading up to the Day of the Lord. Remember, there’s an abundance of proof from his other letters showing that Paul taught the doctrine of eternal security, aka once saved always saved.  Some of the most obvious references are Romans 8:38-39, Romans 10:9-10, 2 Cor 1:21-22, Ephes. 1:13-14, and Titus 3:4-7.  In all of them Paul taught that true believers cannot fall away from faith for any reason.  He said the Lord guaranteed our inheritance and sealed the Holy Spirit inside us as a deposit.

But Paul spoke of a rebellion (falling away) in 2 Thes 2:3 that would have to precede the Day of the Lord.  The Greek word translated rebellion is apostasia, from which we get apostasy.  It means people would abandon something they once considered themselves to be part of and the context implies that it’s the church.  You can’t fall away from something unless you first think of yourself as being part of it.   But true believers can’t fall away at all.  Therefore this rebellion or apostasy has to manifest itself in what’s left of the church after the rapture removes all the true believers.

Don’t be confused about this.  We see believers-in-name-only leaving traditional churches to join the Emerging Church all around us, but rebellion is as much attitude as it is action and they don’t think they’re rebelling against God.  They see themselves as still being in the Church.  In fact they think they’re the best part of it.  Far from being rebellious, they call themselves followers of Christ, not just believers in him, and doers of the word, not just hearers.  They’re not sitting in Churches on Sunday listening to the same tired old messages on sin and salvation and coming forward to be born again.  No.  They’re out there in the world, thinking they’re changing it for Jesus.

These advocates of the so-called social gospel don’t realize it’s not what you do for the Lord that matters, it’s what you believe He’s done for you.  The only work the Lord requires of us is that we believe in the one He sent (John 6:29).  That means to believe God chose to send His Son to Earth to die for our sins so we can choose to live with Him in Eternity (John 3:16).  The righteous work of a thousand lifetimes will not suffice in place of this belief.

When these believers-in-name-only discover we’ve disappeared while they’ve been left behind, that’s when they’ll rebel against God and join the other side.  By the time the anti-Christ makes his claim to deity, the whole world will follow him (Rev. 13:8) and they’ll be right in the forefront.

The End Times According To Paul

He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. (2 Thes. 2:4)

After the rapture and the falling away of believers-in-name-only into His world-wide counterfeit religion, the anti-Christ will be revealed for who he really is by proclaiming himself to be God.  Remember, the sequence Paul gave was first the apostasy, and then the man of lawlessness will be revealed.

For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming (2 Thes. 2:7-8).

Here Paul confirmed this sequence, saying a restrainer is currently holding things back.  After the restrainer is taken out of the way the anti-Christ will be revealed.  This restrainer is the Holy Spirit, sealed within the Church.  After the rapture, the Holy Spirit will be out of the way,  the rebellion will take place, and the anti-Christ will be revealed.  These things can’t happen until the church is gone.

The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders,  and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.  For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness (2 Thes. 2:9-12).

Most likely, the anti-Christ will already be known as a great statesman and leader, but  by declaring himself to be God he’ll be laying claim to Planet Earth. This claim will kick off the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:15-21) and will be accompanied by all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders that will deceive those who have fallen away into thinking they have finally found the truth. But in reality they will have rejected the truth and embraced a lie.  At the end of the Great Tribulation the Lord will return to over throw the anti-Christ and destroy him by the splendor of His coming and those who believe the lie will perish as well.

In his letters to the Thessalonians Paul didn’t reveal the actual timing of the Rapture except as it relates to other events. It may be one of the things he was forbidden to speak about (2 Cor. 12:4).  All we know is for reasons of His own the Lord has never given us a specific date for the rapture.  But by carefully studying passages describing it and maintaining the view that the Bible cannot contradict itself, the astute believer can obey the commandment to “know the times and seasons” and construct with some assurance the correct sequence of events. Paul criticized the Thessalonians for not figuring this out back then (2 Thes 2:5) and would even more strongly criticize the church today for the same reason. Selah. 11-05-11

How long, O LORD? Will you be angry forever? How long will your jealousy burn like fire? Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that do not call on your name; for they have devoured Jacob and destroyed his homeland.

Do not hold against us the sins of the fathers; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need. Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.

Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Before our eyes, make known among the nations that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants. May the groans of the prisoners come before you; by the strength of your arm preserve those condemned to die.

Pay back into the laps of our neighbors seven times the reproach they have hurled at you, O Lord. Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the Lord would avenge wrongs done against us in real time? Well in a way that does happen. A pastor friend of mine told me of a recent situation that illustrates the point.

A couple had been the focus of controversy some years previously and had left his congregation over it. Recently they came back, asking for forgiveness and restoration. Almost everyone immediately received them with open arms, but there was one small group of holdouts that was determined not to forgive and restore them. Little by little the couple won most of them over too, and it seemed as if the restoration would be complete.

Then came a Sunday when the couple received a few moments of attention during the service in connection with a ministry they’re involved in. One of the holdouts strongly criticized the pastor for permitting this, saying it had ruined her Sunday worship. As it happens, this person hadn’t become a member of the congregation until a year or two after the controversy, but she was a friend of someone who was, and had “heard all about it.”

So for several years now this person has been upset and angry over a situation she had no part in, and just the reminder of it was enough to destroy her weekly time with the Lord. She was still angry enough the next day to send off a scathing letter to the pastor, and who knows when or if she’ll ever get over it?

My question is, who’s being afflicted here? Yes, the pastor was disappointed that a member of his flock isn’t getting his message of forgiveness. And yes this person will try to get the other holdouts all spun up again. But isn’t she the real victim here? It’s her heart that’s becoming calloused and hardened, it’s her spirit that’s being quenched, and it’s her fellowship with the Lord that’s being interrupted. The couple she’s so upset with doesn’t even know her, and if they do find out how she feels, they’ll just pity her. I mean, to invest all that negative energy in something that didn’t even concern her seems to be such a waste.

So, did the Lord send down fire from heaven to consume her for attacking that couple? Well, not directly. But has her failure to obey His commandment to forgive given the devil a foothold in her mind that he can use to rob her of her joy? And will he use it to contaminate other areas of her life as well? Absolutely. We’ve all met folks whose anger has so completely soured them that even former friends no longer come around.

She’s allowed herself to become the target of a tactic that all predators seem to know intuitively. Cut the weak ones out of the flock and then attack them. If she doesn’t learn how to forgive as she’s been forgiven, she’ll find herself estranged from God and be fair game for her enemy.

If you’re harboring similar feelings of anger toward someone, justified or not, ask God right now to forgive you and to help you forgive the other person. The pain and suffering you’re causing yourself, and the spiritual danger you’re placing your self in simply isn’t worth it.

“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. (Ephesians 4:26-27)

“And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.” (Isaiah 66:24)

Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:2)

Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. (Matt. 25:41,46)

If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev. 20:15)

For most of mankind’s existence the belief that punishment for unbelievers is eternal was taken for granted.  The above verses were the basis for what’s become known as the traditional view of hell.

But recently an alternative, called the conditional view, has come on the scene. This view is based primarily on Rev. 20:12 which says the unsaved dead will be judged according to their works. Proponents of the conditional view interpret this verse to mean that while no unbeliever can go to heaven, their punishment in hell will be based on the quality of their lives while on Earth. They contend that those who’ve led meritorious lives on Earth but aren’t believers will receive less severe punishment for a shorter period of time than say a Hitler or Stalin before being destroyed altogether. They claim that this view makes more sense because it shows God to be fair, making the punishment fit the crime so to speak, before mercifully ending their existence altogether.

On the surface it seems to make sense and some people are more comfortable with this view than the traditional one that appears excessively harsh to them and serves no purpose other than making people suffer. But is the conditional view the result of greater enlightenment in our understanding of Scripture or just another in a long line of attempts to re-cast God’s word into a kinder gentler document as it pertains to those who’ve rejected Him?

My Ways Are Not Your Ways

A closer look reveals that the idea of a conditional hell is decidedly biased toward the world view of unbelievers. Conditional hell proponents say, “All they did is not believe that Jesus died for them.  Other than that many unbelievers  tried to live a good life and helped a fair amount of people along the way. What did they do to deserve eternal punishment?”

What these people don’t realize of course is that unbelievers will have failed to do the only thing God required of them. Since the cross, God has only asked one thing of us.

Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6:28-29)

If God is going to judge unbelievers by how they’ve done the work He requires of them, it’ll all be over pretty quickly because without belief in Jesus even the good they might have accomplished is considered evil in God’s sight. How do I know that?  Read the Lord’s own words;

Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matt. 7:22-23)

So much for the value of a meritorious life!

Unbelievers don’t think rejecting the Lord is a big deal because they don’t realize that their rejection of His sacrifice for their sins has eternal consequences. Because of their unbelief they’re only thinking in terms of a 70-80 year lifespan, not an eternal existence.  So let’s take a look at this from the eternal perspective and try to understand how different it is.

First let’s understand that the man who is executed or given life in prison for taking someone’s life is not being taught that murder is wrong. He’s suffering the consequence of his crime by forfeiting the balance of his physical life . It’s an adaptation of the Biblical injunction, a life for a life (Lev. 24:17).  On Earth we’re in a physical environment so it’s a physical life for a physical life.

But a person who rejects the pardon God provided for him has in effect murdered his own soul and spirit.  Both are eternal, so there has to be an eternal consequence to fit the crime. Our physical bodies are only intended to serve a temporary purpose, and that’s to house the eternal part of us for a little while. Compared to our eternal existence, putting our physical existence to death is a minor infraction.  Refusing to accept the Lord’s completed work on the cross as payment in full for our sins is a crime against our eternal life and therefore the only just punishment is eternal punishment.

And That’s Not All

But there’s an even more powerful legal argument for eternal punishment that for centuries was modeled in human existence as well.  Until the mid 19th Century it was common practice in many parts of the world to incarcerate a person for failure to pay his or her debts.  Jail time was not an alternative method of repayment, it was the consequence they suffered for their inability to pay their debt.  No matter how long they were locked up they still owed as much of their debt as they did on their first day behind bars. They could only be freed by repaying the money they owed.  Jesus referred to this practice in His parable of the unmerciful servant (Matt. 18:23-35).

It’s the same with our sins.  Punishment is not an alternative method unbelievers can use to pay the penalty for their sins, it’s the consequence they’ll suffer for their inability to pay the penalty.  No matter how long a person suffers in eternity, they will still owe the same penalty as they did on day one. The only acceptable payment for sin is the blood of an innocent person, and nothing else will suffice.  Hebrews 9:22 explains that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.  Therefore no one can “work off” his or her penalty through suffering.

This is the fatal flaw in the Catholic concept of purgatory.  It calls for a person who dies with certain unconfessed sins  to “work off” the penalty for those sins through their suffering and the intercessory prayers of living relatives in order to qualify for entry into heaven.  But there’s only one way  for humans to qualify for entry into heaven and that’s by accepting the blood of Jesus as payment for our sins (John 3:3).  Once we do that  all of our sins are covered (Colossians 2:13-14).  But we have to do it before we die (Hebr. 9:27) or else it’s too late.

It’s also the flaw in the conditional view of hell.  If the blood of Jesus is the only way to be released from the penalty for our sins, then there’s no escape for those who reject it.  No matter how numerous or noteworthy, the “good works” unbelievers perform during their lifetime can’t be applied to reduce their sentence and neither can the “time served” after they die, so they’ll always owe the same penalty as they did on day one of their incarceration.

The bottom line is the only acceptable payment for our sins is the blood of a sinless man, and the only sinless man is Jesus. He died for all the sins of mankind (John 1:29) but only those who choose to accept His death as payment for their sins can be forgiven. The refusal to accept it leaves everyone else unable to pay and requires that they be incarcerated.  Since they’re eternal beings and since they’ll never be able to pay, they’ll have to remain incarcerated forever. Selah 06-25-11

Here’s a good question. A website follower wrote, “For some time I have been discussing and studying Matt. 6:25-34 regarding what the Lord promised to provide for the believer. Taken literally, it seems to say that we are promised food and clothes and that’s it. Of course that is a great deal if you do not have those things, but some argue that God has also included much more as well. I believe this but unfortunately, I can’t back this up with scripture. Can you help?”

First, let’s summarize the passage. In Matt. 6:25 Jesus said “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?”

I think one thing He was telling us is that we should eat to live, not live to eat. A sufficient quantity of wholesome healthy food is really all we need. What do we gain by over indulging in food and drink that can actually shorten our life? And as long as we have sufficient serviceable clothing, what else do we need? What benefit is there in strutting around like a peacock? Life should be much more important to us than these things.

And we’ll close with verses 31- 34. “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

The first thing we can see here is that life is far too important to be spent worrying about the future, especially where the basic necessities are concerned. And the second thing is if we’ll focus on seeking God’s Kingdom and His righteousness He’ll see that these needs are met. Therefore worrying about them is unnecessary.

Earlier in the same instruction He had cautioned us against storing up treasure on Earth because it can be lost or stolen (Matt. 6:19-21). He said to store up treasure in Heaven instead, where that can’t happen. Many have also written asking how to do that, and the answer is in Mark 10:17-22. A rich young man had asked how to inherit eternal life. After the young man said he was already keeping the commandments, Jesus told him to sell everything and give it to the poor. Then he would have treasure in Heaven.

The two points to the discussion are that the young man was not happy with the answer because he had great wealth and was apparently reluctant to part with it. This proved the Lord’s point that we can’t serve two masters (Matt. 6:24). Excessive focus on material things will always get in the way of pleasing God. And the second point is that using our earthly treasure to help the poor is a way to build our store of heavenly treasure.

So far it doesn’t sound very practical. Many believe that if they don’t worry about taking care of themselves, then who will? Any if we give away all of our excess what will we do when hard times come?

This is where some of the Lord’s other promises come into focus. Remember, we’re talking about life here. And what did He say about life? “I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).

Does living from hand to mouth, having nothing to fall back on sound like a worry free abundant life? Hardly. So there must be more to this than meets the eye. And there is, because when you have the faith to live like He told you to, some other promises start to kick in.

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38)

When our actions demonstrate generosity, then we’ll be blessed generously in return. It’s a classic cause and effect relationship. Generous giving is the sign of an abundance mentality. It shows we know the Lord has made unlimited resources available to us so we don’t have to hoard what we have. We can share what we have with those who have nothing because we know there’s more where that came from.

This is a good time to refute the false teaching sometimes called “giving to get.” Although Luke 6:38 says our generosity toward others will determine the Lord’s generosity toward us, giving with an expectation of receiving is not being generous, it’s being greedy. True generosity carries no expectation of future reward, but is an expression of gratitude for rewards already received.

If our gratitude for having our needs consistently met in the past prompts us to give generously to help others meet their needs in the present, then the Lord will reward our generosity with more blessing in the future. But if we’re only giving to others because we want more for ourselves, the Lord, who sees our hidden motives, will not respond generously.

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:19). Here’s a case in point. The church in Philippi had responded generously by helping to meet Paul’s needs, and he promised that the Lord would see to theirs in return. He was applying the principle of Luke 6:38.

You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. (2 Cor. 9:11)

This verse speaks of the escalating effect of Luke 6:38. As our generosity toward others increases, so does His toward us. But His generosity will always out pace ours so that after our giving, we’ll wind up with more than when we began. He does this so we can respond to more needs. The principle here is that we’re to be a channel, not a reservoir. We have to remember that His blessings are being channeled through us to reach others in need.  As soon as we stop giving to the needs of others, we become a reservoir, storing up what we’ve been given, and the flow of blessings will stop.

But if we stay focused on giving we’ll discover that this promise contains benefits on both sides. As we become more generous toward others, benefitting them, we’ll be made rich in every way, benefitting ourselves, while enabling us to provide even more help to those in need. As you can see, this involves much more than just having our basic needs met. I think the phrase “rich in every way” includes financial, physical, and emotional security, good health, good relationships, and a much more fulfilling walk with the Lord, too. This is the answer to the question we began with. This is the kind of life we can expect.

The times in which this advice was given were not unlike our own. There was uncertainty all around. Israel’s former greatness was a distant memory and the very survival of the nation was in doubt. Individual freedoms were being curtailed and taxes were steadily increasing.  Most people were living at basic survival levels.   It was a time when people’s natural instincts were to hang onto whatever they could get.

Yet to these people both the Lord and Paul preached faith in God and generosity toward one another as the path to freedom from worry. It was good advice then and it’s good advice now. Selah 03-12-11

“I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.” (Isaiah 42:8-9)

Since gracethrufaith.com is a world wide ministry, reaching into places with diverse religious traditions, I get emails from time to time asking how to respond to those who want to know why Christians believe the God of the Bible is the one and only God.

The answer to that and a number of other questions can be found in a portion of the Book of Isaiah that is packed with more information about God than just about any other place in the Bible. It begins in chapter 41 and runs through chapter 53. Among lots of other things, it lists God’s clearest and most powerful claims to exclusive deity, and tells us how we can authenticate His claims beyond any reasonable doubt.

The Lord began by saying His strongest claim to deity lies in His ability to proclaim the End from the Beginning. We call this predictive prophecy. It’s essentially history written in advance. Let’s read His challenges to the false gods of the nations to demonstrate their ability in this area.

“Present your case,” says the LORD. “Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King. “Bring in your idols to tell us what is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome. Or declare to us the things to come, tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. (Isaiah 41:21-23)

Here’s a two question test for the other “gods”. Tell us what has happened since the beginning, and then tell us what will happen in the end. From this challenge and God’s declaration in Isaiah 42:8-9 above we can see the answer to our question already. You can prove that God is who He claims to be by comparing the Bible with history and learning how time after time God disclosed to His people things that would happen, things that only someone who knows the end from the beginning could know. But He’s just getting started.

Lead out those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf ( a reference to the powerless gods of the nations). All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble. Which of them foretold this and proclaimed to us the former things? Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right, so that others may hear and say, “It is true.”

“You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.

Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed— I, and not some foreign god among you.

You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “that I am God. Yes, and from ancient days I am he.  No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?” (Isaiah 43:8-13)

The gods of the nations have not demonstrated any foreknowledge of the histories of their people, nor have they revealed anything about the future. In the so-called Holy Books of other religions there’s no reliable record of either. But the people of Israel are God’s witnesses that He has done this over and over again for them, and with unblemished accuracy.

Next the Lord gave these gods another chance to provide evidence to support their claims of deity . Perhaps they do have knowledge of the past and the future but chose not to reveal it to their worshipers.

“This is what the LORD says— Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.

Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come— yes, let him foretell what will come.” (Isaiah 44:6-7)

As He issued this challenge, God reassured His people

“Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.” (Isaiah 44:8)

This must be very important to the Lord, because for the third time He declared His deity in terms that are unmistakably clear. The only ones who can’t understand this are those who choose to remain ignorant.

For this is what the LORD says— he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited— he says:

“I am the LORD, and there is no other. I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob’s descendants, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I, the LORD, speak the truth; I declare what is right.

“Gather together and come; assemble, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot save.

Declare what is to be, present it— let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant past? Was it not I, the LORD? And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me.

“Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. (Isaiah 45:18-22)

The phrase “I am the Lord and there is no other” appears four times chapter 45 alone. (Isaiah 45:5, 45:6, 45:18, 45:22) Four is often considered to be the number of Earth because by the end of the fourth day of Creation the Earth was finished. (Days five and six are devoted to populating it.) There is no God on Earth but the Lord our God.

“Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” (Isaiah 46:8-10)

Having put the false gods of the nations on trial for our benefit, it now becomes clear that He’s turned His attention to His people.

“I foretold the former things long ago, my mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass. For I knew how stubborn you were; the sinews of your neck were iron, your forehead was bronze. Therefore I told you these things long ago; before they happened I announced them to you so that you could not say, ‘My idols did them; my wooden image and metal god ordained them.’ You have heard these things; look at them all. Will you not admit them?” (Isaiah 48:3-6a)

Here the Lord left no doubt that the main reason He disclosed things in advance is He knew how stubborn and resistant to belief we are. By revealing them in advance, He made it impossible for us to say someone else made these things happen.

There are lots of other things the Lord had Isaiah say in chapters 41-53, such as His repetitive claims to have been Earth’s sole Creator, His purpose in choosing Israel, and the mission of the Messiah. But His one overarching message to us is this. If you want proof that God is who He claims to be, study Old Testament prophecy and compare it to history. You’ll come away with an unshakeable foundation for your faith. No other deity can survive this test.

Don’t ask me or someone else to do this for you. It’s like the manna in the wilderness, that everyone had to gather for themselves. There are plenty of ways to go about it. For example there are over 100 historically proven prophecies in the first 35 verses of Daniel 11 alone. But perhaps the easiest approach is to take a handful of the things you know about the life of Jesus and see if you can find an Old Testament prophecy to match them.

For example, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Was there a prophecy to that effect? Yes. It’s found in Micah 5:2, written 750 years before the fact. Jesus was crucified. Is there an Old Testament prophecy for that? Yes. Psalm 22 actually begins with words the Lord spoke from the cross, verse 16 speaks of them piercing His hands and feet, and verse 18 says the soldiers cast lots for His clothing. It was written about 1,000 years before the event.

There are 300 more of these so keep going until you’re convinced. As you do this, remember that the Old Testament was completed over 400 years before the Lord was born, and its authenticity can be verified beyond question. In less time than you spent in High School studying for a final exam you no longer remember, you can prove beyond any doubt that God is who He claims to be and there’s none like Him. You will also come away convinced that the things He has said about the future are just as certain as those He said about the past.

One of the signs of the times in which we live is you can’t believe anything you hear about what’s going on in the world. It’s comforting to know that there is still one place you can go to find the truth. Selah 01-22-11

Table of contents for Living In Hard Times

1. From This Day On I Will Bless You
2. O You Of Little Faith
3. Where Your Treasure Is
4. Kingdom Dollars
5. And All These Things Will Be Given To You As Well
6. Living The Christian Life In Hard Times

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

There’s a lot of talk these days about how bad things are, and what we should be doing to protect ourselves. The internet is rich with advice. Some is competent and some is not, but almost all of it involves applying the ways of this world. Some advise us to stock up on stuff, so when there’s a shortage we won’t run out. Others say we should also buy precious metals to help preserve the value of our assets when inflation comes.  The list goes on.

Some of this is OK, but there are a couple of things we should keep in mind when we’re trying to decide what to do. First, we should know that this advice assumes that the coming hard times are only temporary. You can’t stock up for life (or even a few years) and eventually you’ll need to convert your silver and gold back into money.  So you can only think of these things as a bridge between prosperity past and prosperity future. But when there’s no prosperity future you’re only delaying the inevitable.

Second, the Bible doesn’t command us to do this. In fact it specifically admonishes us against it. “Do not store up treasure on Earth,” Jesus cautioned, “For where your treasure is there will your heart be also” (Matt. 6:19-21)

And in His ultimate example, He told the parable of the farmer who had more than his already full barns could hold, so he tore them down, built bigger ones, and filled them. Just when he finally had enough to feel secure and decided he could relax, the Lord said, “You fool. This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself.” He finished with this warning. “This is how it will be for anyone who stores things up for himself but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21) Being rich toward God means giving generously to those in need.

Scarcity Vs. Abundance

No matter how we try to justify it, storing up is an act of selfishness. And it demonstrates a lack of faith by revealing a scarcity mentality when the Bible teaches an abundance mentality.

Let me explain. A scarcity mentality says there’s only so much to go around, so if I don’t get all I can while I can, some one else will get it and I won’t have enough. The motives behind the scarcity mentality are selfishness and faithlessness.

An abundance mentality says the Lord’s supply is endless, so I can share what I have now because He’s promised to supply all my needs in the future. The motives behind the abundance mentality are generosity and faithfulness.

The Biblical model is based on an abundance mentality (John 10:10). It teaches us to use the extra we have to help those who don’t have enough, depending on the Lord who gave us the extra in the first place to give us more as we need it. Thanking the Philippians for their gifts, Paul wrote, “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19). Notice he said “will meet all your needs”. We don’t give to others solely because God has met all our needs in the past, but also because He’s promised that He will meet all our needs in the future as well. The Philippian believers were experiencing hardship themselves, but still found a way to help support Paul’s ministry. This is what Jesus called being rich toward God.

That Doesn’t Make Sense

I realize this all sounds counter intuitive. When we’re barely meeting our present needs the natural tendency is to use whatever is left over to make sure we can meet our own future needs. For many, the last thing on their minds is the plight of others. They don’t see that as their problem.

There are two sources for this kind of thinking. The first is called the Protestant Work Ethic. This is a non-Biblical theory wrapped in a thin veneer of Christianity. It’s attributed to the German sociologist and political economist Max Weber (1864-1920) and holds that hard work is part of God’s calling on our lives and is both a sign of our personal salvation and a necessary component for receiving His blessings. It’s been summarized by the most popular verse that’s not in the Bible, “The Lord helps those who help themselves.” If other people are not being blessed it’s because they’re not working hard enough. Helping them out encourages their “laziness” and deprives them of the blessing they would receive by working harder.

God’s ways are not our ways, and the Protestant Work Ethic reeks of humanity. Of course we’re admonished to give our best effort at work. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (Col. 3:23). But our generosity toward others is the trigger that releases blessings for us, not hard work. “With the measure you use (in giving to others) it will be measured to you,” Jesus said (Luke 6:38).  Paul confirmed this in 2 Cor. 9:6.

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

The other source is our government. Ever since the Roosevelt era, Americans have been told that our country is too rich and successful to tolerate having things like hunger and poverty in our midst. Therefore the government would assume the responsibility for eliminating these things by guaranteeing a minimum standard of living. Programs like Social Security, unemployment insurance, and the various forms of welfare were all instituted to encourage people to look to the government for help in times of need. Once again, we’re taught that the plight of others is not our concern. If people need help, they can go to the government and get it.

Both of these sources had the effect of taking God out of the equation so after a couple of generations of this, most of us no longer see God as our Provider. Regardless of what we repeat with bowed head around the dinner table, the truth is that too many of us look to ourselves, or if we’re among the 41 million people currently receiving food stamps, to our government for our daily bread.

Two Ways To Go

So there are two approaches we can take in these uncertain times. The way of the world is to “Look Out For Number 1” by trying to stock up enough stuff to see you through the difficulties ahead, leaving others to fend for themselves or rely on government help.

The Bible’s way is to “Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You” by seeking out people in need and helping them with the extra the Lord has provided for you.

If you believe as I do that we’re pretty far into the End Times and things aren’t ever going to get better, but will more likely get worse, then the most practical solution is to start relying on God right now. “Seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well,” He said (Matt. 6:33). He was referring to things like what we’ll eat and drink, and what we’ll wear.

Take some of your excess and find someone you can help with it. With one out of every 7 home mortgages in arrears, one out of every 6 employable adults either unemployed or under employed, and poverty levels at a 15 year high there’s plenty of opportunity.

I’ve said before that doing this pays the best return on investment available anywhere. Your generosity will be rewarded in this world (2 Cor. 9:11) and you’ll be storing up treasure in the next one (Matt. 6:19-21). I call that getting double your money back.

But Wait, There’s More

In addition, you’ll be learning how to live by faith in the One who has promised to meet all your needs and who never breaks His word, instead of relying on the uncontrollable ways of the world. Then if things get really bad and your neighbors have exhausted the supplies they stored up, you’ll be able to help them. And in doing so, you’ll know from experience that God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work (2 Cor. 9:8).

And finally, you can not imagine the change in perspective adopting this approach will give you. While others are plagued with uncertainty, you will experience a peace that transcends human understanding. Selah. 09-25-01

Show me your ways, O LORD , teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD.

Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant. For the sake of your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land. The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.

My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare. Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish. Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins. See how my enemies have increased and how fiercely they hate me! Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you. Redeem Israel, O God, from all their troubles!

There’s never a yesterday with the Lord. His mercies are new every morning (Lament 3:22-23). No matter how much we messed things up in the past, each day we’re given a fresh start. Each time we confess the slate is wiped clean and all things are made new. That makes it a good idea to confess each morning.

Sometime back a debate with members of a Christian news group  demonstrated how some folks apply these truths only to themselves. Demanding that God extend mercy to them, they insist on His justice for everyone else.

The debate reminded me of the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector from Luke 18:9-14. As the two men went into the Temple to pray, the Pharisee, full of self-righteousness, began to thank God that he was not like other men, and certainly not like the tax collector beside him. He then reminded God of all his good works.

The tax collector, on the other hand, cried out for mercy, asking forgiveness for his sins. Jesus told His listeners that it was the tax collector, not the Pharisee who went home justified (regarded as though innocent) that day.

My e-mail debaters had picked out a hand full of verses they were using to rationalize drumming sinners out of the church. When I asked if even they would be left when the excommunications were finished, they sent me some verses on forgiveness, applying them only to themselves of course. Turns out they were only railing against certain other kinds of sinners, not like them. And they had already decided that everyone who disagreed with their view was beyond forgiveness.

But the truth is that all sin leads to death, there’s no degree of heinousness. Yes, we’re called to obedience and every mature believer understands that. Plus there’s great blessing in keeping the commandments. But the day we’re perfected is the day the day we’ll stop sinning and not until. (Thank the Lord that He already sees us that way, instead of the way we currently are.) The homosexual, the drunk, the adulterer, the thief or the gossip who drops to his knees before the cross and receives salvation, and then stumbles back into his old ways for a time will be forgiven and restored to righteousness every time he sincerely asks, just like you and me (1 John 1:9), and is no worse a sinner than we are. We’re told to extend him the same forgiveness we receive and to look upon him with pity and compassion saying, “There but for the grace of God go I.”