Last Days of the Age

12 Then Job answered and said:
2 “No doubt you are the people,
And wisdom will die with you!
3 But I have understanding as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.
Indeed, who does not know such things as these?
4 “I am one mocked by his friends,
Who called on God, and He answered him,
The just and blameless who is ridiculed.
5 A lamp is despised in the thought of one who is at ease;
It is made ready for those whose feet slip.
6 The tents of robbers prosper,
And those who provoke God are secure—
In what God provides by His hand.
7 “But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you;
And the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
8 Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you;
And the fish of the sea will explain to you.
9 Who among all these does not know
That the hand of the Lord has done this,
10 In whose hand is the life of every living thing,
And the breath of all mankind?
11 Does not the ear test words
And the mouth taste its food?
12 Wisdom is with aged men,
And with length of days, understanding.
13 “With Him are wisdom and strength,
He has counsel and understanding.
14 If He breaks a thing down, it cannot be rebuilt;
If He imprisons a man, there can be no release.
15 If He withholds the waters, they dry up;
If He sends them out, they overwhelm the earth.
16 With Him are strength and prudence.
The deceived and the deceiver are His.
17 He leads counselors away plundered,
And makes fools of the judges.
18 He loosens the bonds of kings,
And binds their waist with a belt.
19 He leads princes away plundered,
And overthrows the mighty.
20 He deprives the trusted ones of speech,
And takes away the discernment of the elders.
21 He pours contempt on princes,
And disarms the mighty.
22 He uncovers deep things out of darkness,
And brings the shadow of death to light.
23 He makes nations great, and destroys them;
He enlarges nations, and guides them.
24 He takes away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth,
And makes them wander in a pathless wilderness.
25 They grope in the dark without light,
And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.

Today as we approach July 4th, which is a celebration of freedom in the United States, there rings the resounding phrase “freedom comes with a price”. Indeed in the world of men freedom does cost precious lives, limbs and minds as men and women of this country have fought in wars over the past 238 years. That’s how long the United States has existed since its proclamation of freedom from the Kingdom of England.

But when I think of freedom, I am thinking of a freedom of much more value than freedom of expression or freedom to live my life how I choose. I am thinking of freedom in Christ Jesus who bore my sins on the cross. The Son of God who sacrificed His life to truly set me free.

Christ Himself proclaimed the following:

16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. (Luke 4:16-22)

The apostle Paul once wrote that we who are free from sin are dead to sin and alive in Christ.

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:1-4)

My friends, if you are burdened by your sins. If you feel chained down in this world understand that Christ Jesus is your Savior and Master come to set you free from your captivity to sin. How can you lie to yourself one more time that the life you live is one of freedom if you do not live for Christ Jesus.

Let me tell you the whole truth that at the end of your life, be it today, tomorrow or in the far future there awaits a great judgment. A judgment of the living and the dead. For those not found to be saved from their sins will be cast away into a place called hell. It is described as a lake of fire where the soul burns forever and ever.

Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), ² that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us,^[a] the apostles of the Lord and Savior, ³ knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, ⁴ and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” ⁵ For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, ⁶ by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. ⁷ But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (2Peter 3:1-7)

⁶ Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— ⁷ saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” (Revelation 14:6-7)

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. ¹³ The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. ¹⁴ Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. ¹⁵ And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15)

“Today, if you will hear His voice,Do not harden your hearts.”

Come and repent of your sins and find freedom in Christ. There is life and life abundantly forever more for those who find this freedom. Let men fight their wars of human freedom. Let God set you free so that you need not fight your burdens anymore. May your holiday be refreshing in the Christ! Please e-mail me if I can encourage or help you further.

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

12 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: ² You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. ³ Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.

⁴ There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵ There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. ⁶ And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. ⁷ But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: ⁸ for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, ¹⁰ to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

If we are all one body in Christ, each haveing separate gifts in Christ. If we trust Christ. If we have been placed in an assembly by Him then should we not listen for Christ in our brothers and sisters?

If there is one creating offense in the assembly where this truth is only discerned by two or three, why is it so hard to trust the Lord to reveal His will? Especially if the truth has been revealed in those that have already been recognized as being filled with the Holy Spirit by the fruits of their walk? Who is also shown to be grounded firmly in the Word of God.

For God’s example, even to Israel of old, was to establish a witness of no less than two, perhaps three so that a true testimony may be established.

⁶ Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness.(Deuteronomy 17:6)

¹⁵ “One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.
(Deuteronomy 19:15)

This will be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.”
(2 Corinthians 13:1)

Paul continues to exhort us regarding this one body:

¹² For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. ¹³ For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. ¹⁴ For in fact the body is not one member but many.

¹⁵ If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? ¹⁸ But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. ¹⁹ And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

²⁰ But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. ²¹ And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” ²² No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. ²³ And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, ²⁴ but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, ²⁵ that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. ²⁶ And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

The Lord who composes the body as He sees fit expects us to respect the other parts of the body. We may not always understand the function, but if there is a witness established, we ought to take notice. For Paul declares by witness of himself and the Holy Spirit that if one member suffers, all members suffer. Let me put it another way. If half the assembly sees the offense and the other does not, isn’t the whole suffering together as one? Like a boil on the skin the whole body is miserable until the boil is removed.

This is why Christ calls us to stand firm yet humbly before Him and one another. Even if one or more do not remain in humility then Christ and the Father through the Holy Spirit will give multiple warnings to draw the assembly back in line. The Lord is well able to chastise those whom He loves.

Let us learn our lessons well and apply the word of God to our lives for His Glory. Dividing the Word of God not according to our own desires, but as He reveals it to us. So that we can stand united against the wiles of the devil.

Ephesians 6:10-18

¹⁰ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,^[a] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

¹⁴ Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; ¹⁸ praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

Furthermore we all have different levels of maturity and experience before the Lord so that when we come together in love and respect we are more complete in the Lord. Do you see this is how we depend on the Lord Christ when we depend on each other? Let us trust Christ Jesus in each other knowing that if we trust in the arm of the flesh it will lead to destruction. For we know our perfection is not in ourselves but in Christ Jesus who died on the Cross for our sins. Remember He is perfecting each one of us in His time, but we can still trust His witness in others weather they are mature or not. Let Him reveal His witness in whom He chooses regardless of who we prefer as individuals. For if we prefer one person over another, He just may choose the vessel you don’t prefer to teach us a lesson.

verses 1-3
1 Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge,
But he who hates correction is stupid.

2 A good man obtains favor from the Lord,
But a man of wicked intentions He will condemn.

3 A man is not established by wickedness,
But the root of the righteous cannot be moved.

4 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. II Tim 4:1-5

It’s good to contend for the faith, but if one won’t repent or accept the truth we cannot stand and argue can we? The Gospel is not an argument or an intellectual exercise, but a faith. A relationship with the one True Savior. If one has itching ears is it possible that that person doesn’t want the truth even when it’s presented to them? Contend in the manner you think is right, but Scripture and the Spirit bear witness otherwise.

Paul wrote to convince, rebuke, exhort… FOR THE TIME WILL COME when they will not endure sound doctrine. Are we not seeing much of this now?

Let us continue to contend for the faith. But I don’t think we need to waste a lot of time with people who are fighting the truth. Even if they do claim the name of Christ. For some things must be perfected over time. But not necessarily foundational principles of the Gospel of Christ.

If one would fight against the Truth and cause fights and arguments among the brethren, then hasn’t the enemy come in to conquer the work of Christ in the assembly?

²⁵ The fear of man brings a snare,
But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.

4 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? ² For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. ³ For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” ⁴ Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.

⁵ But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, ⁶ just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:

⁷ “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
And whose sins are covered;
⁸ Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”

⁹ Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. ¹⁰ How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. ¹¹ And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, ¹² and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.
¹³ For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. ¹⁴ For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, ¹⁵ because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.

¹⁶ Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all ¹⁷ (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; ¹⁸ who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” ¹⁹ And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. ²⁰ He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, ²¹ and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. ²² And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

²³ Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, ²⁴ but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, ²⁵ who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. (Romans 4)

²⁵ As He says also in Hosea:

“I will call them My people, who were not My people,
And her beloved, who was not beloved.”
²⁶ “And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them,
‘You are not My people,’
There they shall be called sons of the living God.”
(Romans 9:25-26)

¹⁰ For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. ¹¹ For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, ¹² saying:

“I will declare Your name to My brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.”

¹³ And again:

“I will put My trust in Him.”

And again:

“Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.”

¹⁴ Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. ¹⁶ For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. ¹⁷ Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. (Heb. 2:10-18)

So in the end, whose son are we? Are we Abraham’s son or God’s? Aren’t we simply sons of the Promise of Salvation in Christ through Faith in Him? Not by our works but what He has done. We are simply the fortunate lowlife sinners the Lord has had mercy upon.

¹¹ For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, ¹² not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.

¹³ Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. ¹⁵ Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.¹⁶ By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. ¹⁷ But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

¹⁸ My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. ¹⁹ And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. ²⁰ For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. ²¹ Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. ²² And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. ²³ And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.²⁴ Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

Based on the Scripture above is a basic outline of who our brother or sister is. He is one who has love and concern for others. Putting truth and care for others above himself.  He does not shut his heart up to other brothers and sisters in Christ when others stand in truth he does not see. But seeks Christ in all things. He is concerned for the sanctity, purity, fruitfulness and edification of the assembly. He is a watchman as is all who are called of Christ.

For who are we if we have anger and bitterness towards one another? Are we not like Cain? The wicked one who resides in darkness? Let us not abide in darkness, but seek the Truth of Christ. Let us open ourselves up to Godly criticism and accountability. Not as lording over one another but as family members who love and care for one another. Let Christ have His way in us that we may be made perfect in Him and abide in Him as we are told in Scripture.

Computerizing People May Be Next Step in Tech

While the story linked to highlights many benefits for mankind and their ailments, it lightly touches on implants that carry information. You might instinctively know I am referencing the so called coming Mark of the Beast, and I am. Scripture says

¹¹ Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. ¹² And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. ¹³ He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. ¹⁴ And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. ¹⁵ He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. ¹⁶ He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Scripture is plain isn’t it. This mark will make it possible for people to carry on commerce within the construct provided by the beast in his system. But let’s look at the beginning of this passage that I’ve quoted.

¹¹ Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.

If you consider what this mark will entail and the way modern civilization is going, it will lead us into being tracked if we take the mark. I think the mark may be similar to many smart phones and other technology that tracks different activities as well. Take a look at the following link. It details a digital bracelet that tracks daily activity. Many wearers are getting a rash on their wrist from wearing it. I suspect God is sending a warning because technology is getting closer and closer to the mark.

Digital Bracelet Causes Rash

Folks, the time is near, even at the door. Examine yourself before the Lord Jesus Christ and repent of your sins. Lean on Christ and trust Him for Salvation. For He is the only way. No other substitute will earn you into Heaven. For this work is done and finished in the only begotten of the Father. Jesus the Christ. Lord of lords and King of kings.