Another "Final" Text

"Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.  Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.  And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse." (Malachi 4:4-6)

Today's text is from the last passage of my Minor Prophets reading.

First: "Remember the Law of Moses...."  You know that I am not a, "Whew!  Glad the Old Testament is over with."  It is not.  It is fulfilled, and continues to be fulfilled, in Jesus Christ and His Purposes for this Present Age and the Age to Come.  "REMEMBER THE LAW...."  What's the alternative?  "Forget the Law?!?"  I have said and written many times before.  Which of the Ten Commandments should we not obey?

Second: "I will send you Elijah...."  Jesus said that John the Baptist was Elijah.  I think this is mostly an allegorical reference, but I wouldn't "break fellowship" over this interpretation.  There is a teaching in Judaism that since Elijah never died, but was taken up to Heaven, he is still alive and will come, "before the coming dreadful day of the Lord."  Regardless, whoever this "Elijah" is, he will have a reconciliation service for humanity, "....he will turn the hearts of," both fathers and children to each other.  If this reconciliation is rejected, "....I will come and strike the earth with a curse."

Each day brings us closer to, "....the coming dreadful day of the Lord."  It is, "dreadful," in that it is a "day of reckoning" for humanity.  Those who are walking in obedience to Jesus Christ, however, submitting to His Purposes in the Earth, and who are "under the Blood of Jesus," will, as our Lord Jesus promised, "escape all these things that will come to pass...."  Our King and Savior, Jesus, shed His Blood, died, and rose from the dead to give us Eternal Life, life "protected" from, "the coming dreadful day of the Lord."  The days ahead, while they are, "dreadful," are also full of joy and anticipation for you and me.  They mark the Day when, "....the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout...."  I say with John, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus."

Father, in Jesus' Name, by Your grace I am being prepared for, "the coming...day...."  Amen.

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

Hebrews 12:2

"The Conclusion of the Whole Matter"

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments....And the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE....He Who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming quickly.'"  (Ecclesiastes 12:13a,b, Ezekiel 48:35, Revelation 22:20)

We are with family in Cincinnati, so I read ahead a little for this quarter; hence, today I finished this quarter's readings.  I have posted the concluding statements of Ezekiel and Ecclesiastes.

"Fear God and keep His commandments," which means, Obey the, "Words of God," Genesis 1:1-Revelation 22:21.  None are superfluous, no matter what our time-space minds might tell us.  If only you and I would always remember the life-saving Words of Deuteronomy 6:24 & 32:47, "And the Lord commanded us to do all these commandments, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always....They are not just idle Words for you-- they are your life."

And then Ezekiel closes his tremendous prophecy with, "THE LORD IS THERE."  The Word for, "THERE," is translated in another place as, "EVERYWHERE," which just about settles, "....the whole matter."  Of course, this is true, "now and forevermore, 'world without end, Amen.'"  Historically there has been a sense of "special presence," or such statements as, "the Lord left him," but the overall truth of the Godhead is, "THE LORD IS EVERYWHERE."  I know I don't fully grasp this.

What I can tell you, however, is that the, "EVERYWHERE," Presence is my great comfort, and this is affirmed in the Words of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Shepherd/King, "I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support.  [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)!"  Sarah and I celebrate 55 years of marriage today.  These Words of Jesus have been our sustenance and testimony in the "house of our pilgrimage," and are written in our hearts.

"Surely I am coming quickly." (Jesus)

Father, in Jesus' Name, I thank You that You are, "the conclusion of the whole matter."  Amen.

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

Hebrews 12:2

I Don't Know

"But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God.  Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him.  It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil...."  (Ecclesiastes 9:1, ESV)

I read this Book every quarter because it is a part of THE BOOK.

People struggle with The Book of Ecclesiastes.  It does not give the "spirituals" any satisfactory answers.  If we believe, however, that this Book is also a part of the, "God-Breathed," Words, then there is something in this Book which is designed to, "reprove, rebuke, exhort, comfort, strengthen," all Biblical concepts.

There is a "Word" here for all the religious attempts to make life one consistent, non variable, full of, "Everything's okay, saith the Lord," experience.  Too many evangelicals and charismatics are here.  They just cannot stand life's contradictions, the observance that life just doesn't seem fair.  They wrestle with life's unexplainables, and some sadly quit on our Lord Jesus because of the happenings in life, the same occurrences which, "the preacher," observed.  Regrettably, they come to the conclusion of life found in verse 3, "This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all."

Verse 12 tells us, "For man does not know his time."  Verse 17 says, "The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools."  Okay, I don't claim today to have any more "insight" for you.  Perhaps a quiet, "Selah," is all.  What I do have and depend upon, cling to, trust in, and rely upon is that, "Jesus Christ is Lord", of the unexplainable, life's unanswerables, and that powerful Truth, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever."  Here are some words of a song I found today:

       "Oh God of power, living Word

       The One who made the stars 

       Who with Your glory filled the earth

       From dust made beating hearts

       You loved us when we fell away

       Poured mercy on our souls

       And promised grace would come to save

       To loose death's iron hold

        

       "Oh God, Who surely guides our steps

       Through tempests and through trials

       Our Shepherd King, Your way is best

       Though tears now veil our eyes

       Your steadfast love, our perfect hope

       Our eyes are fixed on grace

       We have no doubt You'll lead us home

       To finally see Your Face."

Father, in Jesus' Name, I surrender anew to You today.  Amen.

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

Hebrews 12:2

Jesus Is Saving You A "Room"

"In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you."  (John 14:2)

Or, as the NIV says, "If it were not so, would I have told you...?"  Of course not.  Jesus is, "the Truth," and can only speak Truth. 

Jesus tells humanity, "If it were not so, I would have told you".  What Jesus is affirming is that He only speaks Truth, because He is Truth, and, "The Words I speak to you they are spirit and they are life."  The humanists say, "It is not so.  Besides, How do we really know these words are Jesus' Words?"  I ask them, How do you know the words of Plato, Aquinas, Thomas Jefferson, which you may read, are their words?  You are only reading words which someone has told you are their words.  The world lives "by faith" also.  It's just a perverted "faith." 

The life which I am now living, the life by which I pray to live in the rest of this sojourn is the life of which Paul speaks in Galatians 2:20 (Berean Literal Bible), "I live through faith from the Son of God...."  Why is our "faith" the, "faith from the Son of God?"  Faith "from" me and you would not be faith.  We have nothing upon which to base any faith other than the very, "God-Breathed," Words.  Faith is not a feeling.  Faith is not a mental conviction. 

The Bible tells us that faith is a, "gift," literally, "present," from the Living Triune God, "....and this not of yourselves."  I say with Paul, "Thanks be to God for His indescribable, unspeakable, gift too wonderful for words."

Father, in Jesus' Name, I so thank You for Your gift of, "faith from the Son of God."  Amen.

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

Hebrews 12:2