From Chaos To Christ's Perfection

"And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: And ye shall offer a burnt offering, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD; thirteen young bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year; they shall be without blemish:...And on the seventh day seven bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish:"

Numbers 29:12-13, 32

The last of the annual feasts of Israel is the Feast of Tabernacles, or Succot.  It begins on the 15th day of the Tishrei and runs for seven days.  During this time the children of Israel celebrate by living in small booths or tent like structures as they may have lived in during their 40 year journey in the wilderness.  They were not alone during these travels as the LORD himself, in the cloud and in the pillar of fire, was living with them and guided them.  It is this fact that reminds us of a far greater time for Israel, indeed for all humanity.  There is coming a day when the LORD Jesus Christ will tabernacle among men again permanently.  As the spring feasts pointed to work Christ did at His first coming, the fall feasts point to what He will do when He returns.  There is a message in the number of bullocks sacrificed for us that is so encouraging!  Jesus will set all that is chaotic in this world back to perfection!

At the time that Jesus returns, the world is in absolute chaos and rebellion.  The unholy trio had drawn all humanity to the land of Israel to make one last attempt at the final solution--but He fails miserably again!  Jesus returns and fights as in the day of battle first rescuing the Jews hidden in the territory of Edom and then He marches against the rebels at the infamous Valley of Megiddo--Armageddon.  This may be why the number of bulls that were offered on the first day of Tabernacles is 13.  This feast is a shadow of the beginning of the reign of Christ for a thousand years and a celebration of His presence among Israel and the world.

Using the idea of first mention, the first time that 13 is encountered in the Bible is during a rebellion.  Genesis 14:4 says, "Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled."  The second time that the number is used is when the age of Ishmael was given at the time that God promised and named Isaac.  God wanted there to be no confusion as to who was Abraham's only son of covenant, so He said, "But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year (Genesis 17:21)."   Jesus, after His return to save Israel, immediately begins to counteract the rebellion of man and to set all things straight!  It takes the presence of Jesus to tame rebellion whether it is in the heart of an individual or in the heart of all humanity.

As the feast of tabernacles progresses the number of bullocks is reduced daily by one.  On the last day only 7 are sacrificed.  Most know that 7 is the number of spiritual perfection as its use in scripture is evident.  Its first use is in Genesis 2, a use that speaks volumes.  "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made (Genesis 2:1-3)."  What started out in seeming chaos (And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.) ended with perfection and rest.  This is what our LORD will do again.  His arrival sees the end of all of the sorrow, chaos, and confusion that are all around us even now.  In moments, the world will be transformed by His mighty power to a place of perfection, peace, and rest.  Literally, it is the LORD's sabbath!  "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God (Hebrews 4:9)".

Each day seems to bring a bit more heartache.  The hearts of many are groaning as the world's rebellion against the rule of the LORD grows.  Godlessness is at an all time high to the point that the love of many is waxing cold even as Jesus warned.  With the forcing of wickedness upon us from unjust government and immoral judges, things don't seem to be getting better.  There are many who are in fear of what tomorrow holds whether it is an economic meltdown, world war, disaster, or plague.  Maybe you have that sense of fear and helplessness?  Take it to Christ now!  You need not wait until His return.  He can tame the fear and confusion you sense now if you will simply call on Him for salvation.  Consequently, He will also take you out of here before the dreaded days ahead when the unholy trio of the Antichrist, False Prophet, and Satan are given free reign for we have a promise of deliverance.  Call on Jesus now and let Him--the one and only Savior--take you from this place of rebellion to that place of perfection.  All we have to do is cease our own personal rebellion and His presence begins the process.  He still saves and the blood He shed at the cross is still all powerful to deliver!  Call now!  He is surely Soon2Come.

Here is your promise of escape!

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Redemption Songs

"And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."
Revelation 5:13

A very interesting pattern appears as the songs of Revelation 4 and 5 are compared.  In order to do the comparison, let's look at who is singing and what the theme of the song seems to be as we identify each outburst of worship.  

1.  Revelation 4:8 "And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come."
     A.  Who is singing?  Angels
     B.  What is their focus?  God the holy and eternal one

2.  Revelation 4:10-11 "The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."  
     A.  Who is singing?  Angels and the 24 elders
     B.  What is their focus?  God the Creator who is worthy of praise

3.  Revelation 5:8-10 "And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
     A.  Who is singing?  Angels, the 24 elders who are offering the prayers of the saints
     B.  What is their focus?  Christ, the Lamb of God has redeemed us

4.  Revelation 5:11-12 "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing."
     A.  Who is singing?  The angels, the 24 elders, and an innumerable host of those redeemed
     B.  What is their focus?  Christ, who by His sacrifice, is worthy of exaltation

5. Revelation 5:13 "And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever. "
     A.  Who is singing?  Every creature in the universe
     B.  What is their theme? Jesus Christ is LORD reigning forever!      C.  He is then worshiped forever by the 24 elders

Overall, these songs are spelling out the Revelation of Jesus Christ and God's plan for the ages.  We start with a brief picture of God worshiped in eternity by the angels.  Yet, notice the angel's description.  They are the face of a lion, ox, man, and eagle.  These are the shadows of the gospels.  More on this later.

From there we are joined by the 24 elders as representatives of creation and God the creator is honored and praised.  However, things change at the beginning of chapter 5 as we see an interruption to the worship of God.  What has happened?  The creation has fallen from God and no redeemer who can reconcile God and man can be found.  What a tragedy!  John is seen weeping in Heaven at this time as he considers this tragic scenario.  However, he doesn't weep long nor are the prayers of those who would seek God's righteousness ignored.  Christ our King has prevailed as the imperishable lamb of God!

After this, those who love Him, the Redeemed, sing a song of praise and proclaim Jesus to be worshiped above all.  He is the Ascended, Exalted, and Glorified sole Redeemer of Mt. Calvary.  

Finally, all creation joins in as the crowd has steadily built to include every knee, even those under the earth, as every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is LORD.  This is the crescendo of praise as all join in.  Won't it be glorious to see satan bow and confess Jesus Christ as LORD and King.  It's coming!  but only the redeemed will be left to sing His praise for eternity.  Christ Wins!  He is the Amen and last word!  Glory to the LAMB who is a LION!  Of course what began in eternity ends in eternity.  Remember the angels of the 1st song?  God purposed salvation before the foundation of the earth.  And Christ the eternal one has brought that plan to fruition!

5 songs--the number and story of grace!  Blessings

Are You Rapture Ready?

And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.

2 Kings 2:1-2

The story of Elijah's translation is chock full of meaning.  It is one of those uplifting portions of scripture that remind us of the catching away of the bride of Christ as this is the second "catching away" found in the Bible (Enoch being the first).  In short, this is also a picture of the twofold coming of Christ in that Elisha comes back across the Jordan doubly anointed.  These men comprise the shadow of Christ's prophetic ministry being two-fold (Aaron and Eleazar at Aaron's death type Christ's two-fold priestly ministry while David and Solomon type His ministry as King of Kings. In each case, the second one had a greater ministry.)  You think Jesus was greatly anointed in His first appearance, just wait until He returns as the Lion of Judah.  Sorry!  Getting excited!!  This very real story of the rapture of Elijah should inspire us all, but did you notice what the prophet did before the event?  He visited 4 places:  Gilgal, Bethel, Jericho, and Jordan.  Why?  He was showing us that He was ready to go at a moments notice!

2 Kings 2:1 as shown above tells us that as Elijah perceived the coming of the LORD for him was near, he went to Gilgal.  This was the place of fulfilled promise!  A lot of great things happened to the nation of Israel here. It was the first place they encountered when they came into the land of promise as they entered by the miracle of the Jordan being rolled back.  Gilgal means "a rolling away," so we read this,"And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day."  How far did the waters roll back?  Joshua 3:16 says all the way to Adam.  Jesus is our Gilgal!  His atoning sacrifice, which we trust alone, rolled our sin away all the way back to Adam.  Bless the Lamb!!

You see, Gilgal was the place where the Jordan was dried.  For those who simply trust Jesus by faith, death's power has been dried up.  This is where the nation renewed the covenant by circumcising all of the men who had been born in the wilderness.  This seems to be the place where people break down, but our reasonable response to such a gracious act as the atoning death of Christ should be to wholly offer ourselves that God may glorified in our lives.  Next, the manna dried up as they began to eat the fruit of the land at Gilgal.  This speaks of obtaining the promises of God and feeding on them.  Finally, at Gilgal, Joshua had 12 stones placed as a memorial of God's fulfilled promises.  Elijah may have even visited this very place as a reminder of the grace of God that makes us ready for the rapture.  Have you experienced this place of promise in Christ?

Elijah then went from Gilgal to Bethel.  This is the place of relationship.  The first time we encounter Bethel in scripture is when the LORD appears to Abraham, the friend of God, in Genesis 12 and gives the promises of being a great nation through whom all of the earth will be blessed.   This is where Abraham returns to offer sacrifice after his sojourn in Egypt during the famine.  Bethel, which means "house of God" is also the place the Jacob dedicates his life to God when he sees the ladder into Heaven.  Bethel speaks of dwelling with GOD in an ongoing abiding relationship.  It, then, seems significant that Elijah took time to visit this place of relationship as God prepared him for his departure.  These pictures are  literally the  promises concerning the cross of Christ from which we obtain salvation and through which we receive a relationship with God, like Abraham, by faith.There is nothing more important in this life than your personal relationship with God in Christ.  Have you accepted Him and entered into His house?

Jericho is the next stop.  This is the place of a walk of faith and witness.  For 7 days the people marched around this city looking at how seemingly impregnable and foreboding its walls were.  But on that 7th day after that 7th silent march around Jericho, they let out a victory shout of faith and the LORD brought the walls crashing down.  Faith in the promises of God brought the victory.  However, this is not the only event of note here as faith always brings the presence of Christ as a witness.  Where?  There was a woman in this town whose life was less than a stellar example of righteousness.  However, the witness of the Israelites began to tug at her heart. Hebrews 11:31 gives us the specifics, "By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace."  It is certain that a walk of faith always brings a witness to a lost world.  Also, it is important to note that Jesus as a man is a direct descendant of Rahab.  He was there saving even the worst by grace through faith!  Elijah surely reviewed his walk of faith to prepare for Heaven.

The prophet then went to Jordan--the place of death.  The funny thing about salvation is that in order to escape death we must die.  What?  Listen to Jesus from Luke 9:24, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it."  Elijah's last stop came to the very place the journey started, the Jordan.  Gilgal was on the banks of Jordan.  Jordan, which means "descender" is that place where we die to self and raise in newness of life by faith.

Are you ready for the LORD's return?  Accept His pardon by faith and begin a relationship with Christ.  Walk daily by faith as you die to self.  Simply trust the LORD to do what you yourself cannot do.  Trust the Savior Jesus so that when He does come soon, you too will go to be with Him.  Remember, He is Soon2Come.  

Lost Something? There Is A Place To Find It!

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Revelation 3:19

In the prior post, Lost Something,  it was noted that of the 7 churches, 5 had received rebuke from the LORD. Also, the concept that there was a sense of progressive steps towards apostasy considered.  Epehesus was seen as unloving.  Pergamos fell into accommodating false doctrine.  Thyratira compromised wholly with worldliness.  Sardis was unable to correctly witness to the world due to their dead spirituality, and Laodicea was terribly apathetic.  Let's look just a bit more at this pattern again.

Ephesus was the church with a heart problem.  Their love for Christ was not center place anymore, yet automaton service for the LORD went on.  There is nothing, NOTHING more important in your life than a loving relationship with God.  How many folks are there that attend church, host Bible studies, or work excessively in the fields, yet they have become like the brother of the prodigal son?  Conversely, those who have a deep passion for Christ just live the Word, no questions.  How fervent is your love?  Is there any sign of a heart problem in your devotion?

Pergamos was the church with the head problem.  They began to corrupt the pure teaching of God's word and replace it with men's opinions.  They already were not listening to the Spirit of God nor the Word of God.  It is certain that those who always wish to change the Bible are already suffering from a heart problem.  This has carried over into a severe head cold.  The whole body is getting ill as the virus of a lack of personal devotion and prayer has set in.  Isn't this the same with human interaction as well?  Close friends know one another and seek to know more, but when that relationship grows distant, then all sorts of bad thoughts follow.  Look to see if you are closely studying and following the word or are there signs of a head problem?

Thyatira was the church with a walk problem.  When the heart is sick and the head is not thinking clearly then one will more than likely begin to reel and stumble about.  Thyatira stumbled so badly that they allowed gross immorality to set in.  This is best heard from the Word.  "Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols (Revelation 2:20)".  It all started with a lack of love and has now descended to evil in the house of GOD!  Look at your walk and see if there are signs of problems.

Sardis was the dead church.  "I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead," Jesus said.  What much more can be said at this point.  One who is sick inside and  out and from top to bottom is in serious shape.

Laodicea is not only dead but they are putrefying.  They smell like the world and Christ is not even welcome.  In the midst of this there is hope.  Nothing the LORD says nor does is done with spite, malice, or ill will.  He always has redemption on His mind.  To all of the erring churches Jesus gave the prescription--repent.  Turn around and head in the right direction!  No wonder the devil hates to hear someone use this word!  Liberal preachers sure would not use it nor see it necessary, and yet Jesus did.  What do the gospels tell us is the first message Jesus preached after He returned in the Power of the Spirit from the wilderness?  "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:17)."  Don't listen to those who say that a repentant life is not necessary.  Listen to Jesus!

In short, the LORD will turn things around for us.  He will heat our heart with ardent love.  You see, to be salt and light you need your heart right, your head fed, your walk straight, alive in Christ and zealously burning for the LAMB who died for you. May the LORD bless you!  Remember, He is Soon2Come!

Lost Something?

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

Revelation 2:4

Jesus' letters to the churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3, like all other portions of scripture, are saturated with meaning.  They spoke clear messages to the churches of that day using peculiarities specific to each town addressed.  Also, many have noted that these letters seem to be an outline of church history.  There are warnings involved that can speak to each individual believer at a personal level as well as speak acutely to whole congregations.  It is somewhat interesting to note that the letters containing the 5 rebukes also build on one another in such a way that they can show us why those who leave their first love, Jesus, end up lukewarm over time.  Ironically, these 5 rebukes also align themselves with the 5 things that were not found in the 2nd temple.  Their absence after the return from Babylon is conspicuous in scripture.

Jesus' rebuke to the church in Ephesus is found above--they had left their first love.  What a stunning indictment!  It was as if they were a production machine set to run without any caring or emotion involved.  They were losing the most important aspect of Christianity, a personal loving relationship with the Creator of all.  Had they forgot Jesus' answer to the question of the scribes, "Which is the first commandment of all (Mark 12:28)?"  His answer was definite, "thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment (Mark 12:30)" ?  Like Israel after the return from Babylon, the Ephesians had lost the place of relationship.  It has been well documented that the 2nd temple was missing the Ark of the Covenant and Mercy Seat which was the place where God would graciously meet with His people.  They too were going through with religious devotion without the very foundation of loving GOD at the core.  The LORD does wants us to maintain fervent love in our relationship and not have cold, mundane, and mindless devotion.  Ephesus no longer loved GOD with all that was within them and they needed to repent.

The people of Pergamos had many who were faithful to the LORD even in the face of the enemy, but He upbraided them for allowing some in their midst who were beginning to adhere to false doctrine.  This accommodation of that which is false adds to the idea of leaving your first love.  When closeness to Christ becomes second place it seems that false notions about GOD and His Word shortly follows.  A downhill trend towards lukewarmness has grown to a loss of fervency to a point where things God would not teach, say, or do are tolerated.  Israel also experienced this with the loss of the sacred fire that came down from Heaven as recorded in 2 Chronicles 7:3.  The fire burnt perpetually upon the brazen altar of the 1st temple from that point onward.  When one's love for God wanes and error is accommodated, be sure and know that the fire of the LORD of Truth is missing!  Pergamos no longer maintained truth while rejecting error, so they needed to repent.

Whereas Pergamos allowed the teaching of foolishness to start, Thyatira wholly compromised with worldliness.  There was such a lowering of standards that outright sin was tolerated in this church.  When a church loses love for Christ coupled with that which is false being taught, then compromise certainly will follow.  Thyatira looked so much like the godless world around them that they most certainly lost their witness and they ceased being salt and light.  Likewise, the 2nd temple lost something as well, the Glory of the LORD often referred to as the Shekinah Glory.   The cloud of His presence could surely be seen by all even from a distance.  All the way back to the time of the tabernacle when the cloud and fire followed Israel, the glory of the LORD was evident to all, but compromise always compromises the Glory of the LORD.  Pergamos no longer shined brightly to a lost world and they needed to repent.

The next logical step after compromise is corruption:  no fervency of a relationship, to tolerating error, to maintaining sin, to total corruption.  Sardis lost its voice to the world because they acted like the world.  Jesus told them that things had gotten so bad, " that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead."  In similar fashion, the Spirit of Prophecy was said to be missing from the 2nd temple.  Prophecy is much more than just telling what will happen, it is also telling folks what they need to know at that time.  In essence, it is speaking what GOD is speaking.  How could any church speak to a lost world if they were so much like the world that they seemingly are dead?  Sardis lost their ability to communicate the gospel to a lost world through compromise with sin and they needed to repent.

This brings us to the last church in the spiral called apostasy--Laodicea.  Its very name is incriminating as it means "the justice of the people".  They no longer even try to maintain fellowship with God as He directs but make up the rules to suit themselves.  Their apathy towards truth and GOD's word has poisoned them to the point that Jesus says He will vomit them up!  This slippery slope started by simply putting Christ in second place.  It grew to the point that the folks of Laodicea, pleased with themselves, no longer cared what GOD thinks and Jesus is seen outside knocking to gain access.  It was like the 2nd temple that no longer had the Urim and Thummim which were used to discern the will of GOD.  Who wants to learn what GOD wants anyways when apathy sets in?  Maybe this is why the church today cannot seem to settle matters that are clearly already settled in the Bible, things like murder (abortion), perverseness in all of its variant forms, and so on.  Only an apathetic and careless people who want things their way would pervert God's clearly defined statement on marriage.  Laodicea no longer cared about the will of GOD nor cared to discern truth--would they even want to hear the Spirit of the LORD call to them to repent?  How could they hear the knocking of the Redeemer and His concern for a world in rebellion on a collision course with final judgment if all they cared about was themselves?  They truly needed to repent.

Please listen!  Can you hear the loving rap of Christ at the door of your heart?  Do you have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches?  Repentance is not a one time thing--it is a lifestyle lovingly lived at the foot of an old rugged cross!  It is not in a vain attempt to earn salvation but is the reasonable thing to do is view of the overwhelming grace of our LORD as Romans 12:1-2 suggests.  Listen, Jesus Christ is Soon2Come!

  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Revelation 3:22

Cut Off?

And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men. And they found Adonibezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites. But Adonibezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes. And Adonibezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.

Judges 1:4-7

I read a news article today that reminded me about one of the events recorded in the Book of Judges, the defeat of Adonibezek.  This king was notorious for capturing his victims and maiming them.  Specifically, he would cut off the big thumbs and toes of those he captured in battle.  From there, the kings were chained under his table.  Imagine going into a royal court and seeing 70 kings chained like animals and eating the scraps falling from the table.  A sight such at that might engender great fear!  This is exactly what Adonibezek did to those kings whose armies he had defeated in battle.  The good news is that the children of Israel, led by Judah, conquered this evil king and brought his own folly upon his head.

So what article made me think of this?
Trial Begins for Christians Arrested for Reading Bible Outside California DMV | Christian News Network

It seems that Adonibezek is still at work in many ways.  Not the one whose demise is found in Judges, but the one whom he shadows.  You see, Adonibezek's name is directly translated into English as "Lord Lightning".  Lord Lightning is still attempting to cut off the great thumbs and toes of mankind as well as chain his victims under the table.  This ex-anointed cherub, also know as the prince of the power of the air as stated in Ephesians 2:2, wants desperately to do just that--cut humanity off from the Word of God and destroy their ability to walk with God.  The fact that the historic man in this scripture tried to attack Israel reminds us that society's adversary the devil will also come against believers and try the same thing.

So what is the big deal about cutting off some one's thumbs?  Believe me, it had a very practical purpose.  Look at the picture above.  What do you suppose would happen if that opposable digit we call a thumb were not there?  You could not hold a sword of course.  That would mean that your enemy would always have an advantage over you.  Doesn't the Bible say that the gospel is hid to those who are lost by the working of Satan?  Of course!  He is effectively hiding the word from the lost so that the gospel will not reach them.  That is the very reason that a man reading a Bible would ever be arrested.    Yet, what about a believer?  There are so many Bible illiterate Christians today that many are not able to hold forth the promises of the Almighty against the enemy.  Rather than boldly wielding the power of the Sword of the Spirit, they give the devil their opinions or the opinions of others.  Take time daily to sharpen the sword.  Should the Bible ever become illegal, and it already is in many places, would you have enough memorized to effectively engage the enemy?

As the thumb assists in holding, the toe assists in balance.  It is near impossible to maintain a balanced walk without your big toe.  Those that Adonibezek maimed were unable to stand, walk, or run into battle; therefore, the removal of their toe also had practical applications as well.  Because most believers do not spend enough time in the Word of God, their walk with the LORD is catywampus.  They swerve from one extreme to another never able to correct their balanced walk with Christ nor are they adequately able to stand in opposition against the devil and his devices.  Maybe that is why Paul noted in Ephesians to have the preparation of the gospel as sandals on our feet?

The end result is sad.  Men and women chained under the liar's table and groveling over tiny morsels.  Christian, that is not you allotment.  You have been called to dine at the table of the Great King, the Lion of Judah.  You are a child of the Most High who needs not grasp for scraps.  Get yourself in the WORD and eat the good things of GOD.  Eat the sweet and the bitter--it is all important.

There are many ways that folks end up chained.  No study or Bible reading, a lack of devotion, confusion brought by contradictory ideas, always something else more important to do (like frivolously wasting time watching the latest TV show while the world around you dies and goes to Hell), or a whole host of other reasons.  Be sure and know that the enemy of your soul has not stopped his attempt to cut you off from the Word.  One of his biggest tricks today is to get believers arguing about the finest of details so that many hearing or seeing these arguments are confused and discouraged (like the myriads of negative comments "Bible experts" always seem to post on Facebook when any scripture is given.  They feel the need to argue about everything.  That is more about pride than truth!) .  In this battle,  "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).

God news!  Jesus wins!  He, Star of the tribe of Judah, already went up first and spoiled Lord Lightening at Mount Calvary!  Be of good cheer, He has over come the enemy and He also is Soon2Come!

And he (Jesus) said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Luke 10:18-20

The Sun Shall Be Darkened

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Matthew 24:29-30

The Almighty has used the sun to speak to men throughout the ages.  He speaks, in accordance to Psalm 19, through the sun and the heavens that He alone is the creator, savior, and source of life.  One could make a good argument that the sun and the moon are types and shadows of God's relationship to Israel or Christ's relationship with the church.  Whose brilliance causes the church to shine forth the glory of God anyways?  It is certainly not from the church itself.  It is also certain that those calamitous times in church history were of men and not of Jesus!

Do you realize how important the sun is to us all?  Without sunlight, no photosynthesis--without photosynthesis, no food--without food,...enough said!  How did you get to work today or the store last week?  Probably, you used a car which ran on gasoline, a fossil fuel.  The energy from that fuel was stored in antediluvian life forms buried during the flood.  Those life forms also received that energy from the sun.  In a round about way, you went to work or the store on stored sunlight energy found in gas or oil.  As the sun is our primary source of energy, food, and light, so is Christ.  However, Christ is not just primary--He is the one and only source.  I wonder if that is why we have but one sun?

The LORD has also historically used the sun to signal His power.  During the time when God spoke through Moses, He put the sun out for 3 days to show the sun worshiping Egyptians who really was the Omnipotent One. God later spoke to all humanity in the days of Joshua when He caused the sun to stay in place for nearly 24 hours.  He assured a doubting King Hezekiah who was promised healing by the prophet Isaiah.  The sun went backwards 10 degrees on the sun dial as a confirmation of the promise.  When Jesus died upon the cross for our redemption, the Father spoke a clear message when darkness enveloped the world.  Julius Africanus quoted the 1st century historian, Thallus, who recorded the event found in scripture when he wrote, "on the whole world there pressed a fearful darkness, and the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down."  However, it is what the sun will say during the Tribulation that is our concern today.  God said that the sun shall be darkened, after exhibiting other anomalies, immediately prior to the return of Jesus.  Could GOD be using the sun now to warn an unsuspecting world that dire days are ahead?   Is He showing the attentive that the Day of Redemption is near?

During those last fateful 7 years before the return of Christ the sun will do unusual things.  Revelation 6:12 says that it will become as black as sackcloth after a massive earthquake rends the planet.  In chapter 8, the sun's light is diminished by 1/3 power.  Later, it becomes so hot that John wrote, "And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory"  (Revelation 16:8-9).  Finally, the sun darkens again prior to the return of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ.

So how could God be speaking to us that these events might be near, even at the door?  Could He be signalling that Jesus Christ is Soon2Come with a news item from NASA  and others such as these few following? Of course, one might argue that solar pole reversals are rather normal, but the idea that the sun may be shutting down is far from normal  (Again, scripture definitively says this will happen).  Also the timing of this event given all that we are seeing is another curious thing to note. The Sun's Magnetic Field is about to Flip - NASA Science *******
The Weakest Solar Cycle in 100 Years - News Blog - SkyandTelescope.com

Is Our Sun In The Very Early Stages Of Shutting Down? - | Intellihub.com

Is the Sun About to Fizz Out? : Discovery News
Is the Sunspot Cycle About to Stop? - News Blog - SkyandTelescope.com

Keep your eyes to the sky and focused on the SON--He is Soon2Come!