A National Tragedy

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

Isaiah 6:1

It was a day of national tragedy.  The revival seemed to be over.  Darkness and gloom filled the land.  For nearly fifty-two years King Uzziah had led Judah in godliness.  Though a leper at his death due to the sin of pride (PRIDE—any pride—always goes before destruction unless repented of), Judah had prospered under his reign and the land was free to worship GOD.  Now all of that changed.  Uzziah died.  Judah mourned.  The sense of pain even struck the heart of the great prophet Isaiah.  In the year that King Uzziah died, he mourned.

There is no doubt this man of God grieved much like the people around him even though Jotham, the son of Uzziah, had been the visible king of Judah due to his father’s leprosy.  Already, many were beginning to go astray under Jotham and the future seemed uncertain.  It was written of him, “And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah did: howbeit he entered not into the temple of the LORD. And the people did yet corruptly (2 Chronicles 27:2).”  God needed a man with clear vision to send a message of encouragement—it was Isaiah.

Notice carefully above the word that almost seems out of place.  Most forget to say it when quoted.  It Is the word “also”.  “In the year that King Uzziah died I ALSO saw the LORD.”  In that season of sadness and despair, calamity and woe, grief and sorrow, Isaiah saw ALSO the LORD.  He was not immune to the chaos around him.  He, too, probably had questions, fears, and concern for the future.  Surely the prophet took it to prayer, and then GOD…

It is a day of national tragedy.  The revival seems to be over.  Darkness and gloom pervade the hearts of the servants of the LORD.  A handful of justices brought great sin and reproach on the nation of America.  The sin of Sodom is celebrated in the streets, and national emblems are used as prideful displays of wickedness.  Morality has died.  The sense of pain has struck the heart of every true believer.  On the day that America died morally the godly mourned.

Notice carefully above the word that seems out of place.  Don’t forget it when you quote it.  It is the word “also”.  In the year that America sanctioned ungodliness and sin look beyond the chaos—see the LORD.  There is still a throne where the Judge of Judges sits.  There is still a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins. The LORD REIGNS and every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is LORD.  We all have questions, fears, and concern for the future.  In your mourning, forget not to worship! Take it to prayer, then GOD…

The Immutable One, the Holy one of Israel, God our Savior is not wringing His hands paralyzed with indecision.  No! The angels are still shouting “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY” with every ounce of their being.  God saw this from eternity, and soon will act with, as America’s President said (a prophetic statement much like the prophecy that godless Caiaphas proclaimed in John 18:14 as a leader in Jerusalem), justice arrives “like a thunderbolt”.  We see the chaos, but we also SEE THE LORD!  He is High and lifted up..and HIS Son, Jesus Christ is Soon2Come!

In the Year that America has gone astray I see also the LORD.  He is High and Lifted up and His sovereignty is about to be established worldwide forever.  A bit more darkness may come—but hold on my child because joy comes in the morning!

The Judge of Judges

But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly….And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites…And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.

1 Samuel 15:9, 15, and 33

No other person in scripture is like the Prophet Samuel.  His ministry gives a prophetic picture unparalleled.  Melchizedek was the shadow of Christ the King and Priest.  Joseph was a beautiful shadow of the rejected Messiah, the hidden Egyptian, who rises to sovereign power and saves His brethren, the sons of Israel.  Isaac was the child of promise marked for sacrifice.  Elijah and Elisha were Christ the Prophet in two appearances.  Aaron and Phineas pictured Christ the Priest, while David and Solomon portrayed Christ the King shadowed in two appearances.  Many others were used to show magnificent aspects of Jesus, but Samuel alone shows us a type of Christ as the prophet, priest, and judge.  No other episode of Samuel’s life bears this out any greater than the episode above—the slaying of Agag.

God’s command to Saul was sure and certain.  Judgment was decreed against Amalek and God wanted Saul to be his instrument of justice and truth.  Why Amalek?  Why such righteous anger?  Amalek was the son of Eliphaz who was the first born of Esau, the brother of Jacob who traded his birthright for dinner.  There is a midrash that says Eliphaz was charged by Esau to kill his Uncle Jacob but he failed to follow through with the assignment.  Later, after Esau promised peace between himself and Jacob (Israel), he secretly plotted with Amalek to destroy Israel and his descendants.  Amalek had sworn to be a thorn in the side of Israel. 

While they were in the wilderness, Amalekite soldiers plagued the Israelite by killing the weakened stragglers.  In Exodus 17 we read about one of their attacks at a place called Rephidim (resting place in Hebrew).  They gave the Israelites no rest.  Joshua was called to battle and Moses went up the mountain to pray having his arms upheld by Aaron and Hur.  The Bible then states, “…LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation (Exodus 17:16).”  Saul, as mentioned above, was to finish them off.  Finally, Amalek is an enduring shadow of our continual battle against the flesh.  (See note 3 on this post, YHWH who…)

King Saul only obeyed to a minor degree.  Notice above that he kept all of the good things of Amalek while destroying what the people deemed vile and refuse.  Read it again, “But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.”  In essence, the people disobeyed the command of the LORD and kept back what they considered important.  Samuel, the last great judge of Israel, shows up and he is not happy.   He followed the words of the people while ignoring the commands of God.  "And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice (1 Samuel 15:24)".  He followed the justice of the people and was then spit out of the mouth of God.  (Jesus promised the same thing for the Laodicean church--Laodicea means "the people's justice").

Saul, like the US Government today, disobeyed God and chose for himself a new truth.  “I’ll bless myself”, Saul thought.  “This will be a victory for Israel”, he stammered.  “We will placate the Almighty and offer Him some of the booty”, he planned.  But God and His commandments never change.  To quote the US President from his gay pride “victory for America” speech this morning justice arrived, “like a thunderbolt”.  When Samuel was finished, the command of the LORD was executed in totality and Saul would eventually be out of a job.  Want to guess who finished Saul off later?  It was an Amalekite.  The final thing that Saul heard from the Prophet/Priest/Judge of Israel was,“ The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.  And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent. (1 Samuel 15:28-29).”  Jesus is not returning as a meek lamb but as The Roaring Lion of Judah!

Human government cannot overstep its bounds.  Judgment now is certain for the United States, and the Judge of Judges, Jesus Christ will wholly fulfill the commandments of the LORD in time across the Land.  Saul had a few years left, but that day was the beginning of the end.  Remember this saying America, “justice delayed is not justice denied.”  “There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD (Proverbs 21:30).”

Finally, Samuel did something very interesting that every blood bought saint of God now needs to do across the land.  He spent agonizing hours in prayer for Saul.   The LORD would then say, “How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons (1 Samuel 16:1).” Church, it is time to mourn for America and the world, but it is also time to look skyward.  The Greater Son of David is about to appear without sin unto salvation.  The SON of GOD is soon2come and every knee shall bow.  Witness while you can as the LORD is just about to recall His ambassadors. His name is GOD!

His Voice--God's Great Equalizer

“…the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness…Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low;
Luke 3:2b & 5a

As a preparatory voice for the coming of the Messiah, John’s message focused on the Messiah’s work.  To put it another way, His message was Christ centered.  Again, this is not John’s message but GOD’s.  He is His voice crying out to lost humanity preparing them for the only remedy for sin—Jesus Christ.  Since he must decrease and Christ must increase—his ministry would always put Jesus first.  Having a prophetic ministry as directed by Isaiah 40, we get a glimpse of what Jesus will soon do from this passage as John would share.  Jesus Christ will make all men equal at the foot of the cross.

 Jesus would lift the lowly, hurting, shunned, and oppressed.  It seems that in John’s day many were disenfranchised from the grace of God.  Salvation was for the whole and not the sick.  As a result, many were overlooked and without hope.  Widows, orphans, the poor, the sinful, and many others were consigned to a lower status than those who saw themselves as the cream of the crop.  Jesus came to change all of this.  He fills every valley.  What was it like to be the woman caught in adultery when she looked into the eyes of God our Savior and heard, “Woman, where are those thine accusers? ...Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more (see John8:9-11)?”  Imagine being the woman who was overlooked by all when she threw her entire living into the offering plate.  Her deed did not escape His eye!  How would you like to be like Matthew?  He was branded as a traitorous tax collector for Rome but he encountered Jesus and heard, “follow me (Mark 2:14).”  Yes, Jesus fills every valley!

Jesus also would be the humbling one because, “every mountain and hill shall be brought low”.  A certain Pharisee learned this the hard way.  In an effort to be the talk of the town he had invited Jesus to dinner.  He failed to offer Jesus even the common courtesies of the day.  When a woman of ill repute entered and began to wash Jesus’ feet with her hair, the Pharisee thought, “if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.”  Imagine how he felt after being upbraided by the Lord for his lack of compassion and respect.  It doesn’t matter that your prayer starts out, “…God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess (Luke 18:11-12).”  If you don’t humble yourself at the foot of the cross you will not be justified in His presence. Yes, Jesus brings every hill and mountain low.

John’s message is simple, we must all come equal to the foot of the cross.  That cross and the Savior who hung on it is God’s great equalizer.  Without it no man can be justified in the LORD's presence.  Do you feel so low that you think God couldn’t possibly love you?  Good news! He does so rise up and take a stand at the feet of Jesus.  Are you so high and mighty that you think you don’t need God’s plan of salvation or you are so holy that you need not His assistance?  Fall quickly on your face before the King of Kings and seek His mercy.  It is better to stand at that even place at the foot of His cross than to stand at the great sea of glass before His throne where there will be no place to hide your sin.  Hurry and call on Jesus—He is Soon2Come.

Psalm 83--The Gideon Connection

Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna: Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession. O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind. As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire; So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.

Psalm 83:11-15

Who in the world are Oreb and Zeeb?  Have you ever heard of Zebah and Zalmunna?  The worship leader/prophet, Asaph, mentions these kings being defeated by God’s chosen in his work, Psalm 83—a very prophetic passage.  In this worship song prophecy Israel’s immediate neighbors attack with the sole purpose of annihilating them, “that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance (Psalm 83:4b).”  There are those who see this battle, which is also found in many other scriptural passages such as Obadiah, Zephaniah, and Ezekiel to name a few, as possibly one of the next events on the prophetic horizon.  It is certain that Israel’s neighbors have the same intentions that these historic Midianite kings had, “Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession (Psalm 83:12).”

These four kings are all associated with the victories brought about by Gideon the Judge.  Ironically, there are many parallels to modern Israel, the story of Gideon, and the defeated kings.  First, these kings, immediate neighbors to the east of Israel, rode under a crescent symbol.  Notice this passage from Judges 8:21, “Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels' necks.”  The word translated “ornaments” is very interesting.  In Isaiah 3:18 it is translated as, “…their round tires like the moon.”  The word, saharon, means an ornament with a crescent shape.  One might wonder what the armies of Israel’s current neighbors may use on their battle flags?

Second, the use of Gideon’s enemies is noteworthy because of the name by which God revealed Himself to Gideon as He called him to battle.  What is the central issue today with Israel and its neighbors?  Peace.  Of course, Israel’s neighbors in the days of Judges wanted plunder and not peace.  They wanted, “the houses of God in possession (Psalm 83:12).” If their demands were not met then war was inevitable.  Gideon wanted peace too when God called him.  We find him in a winepress trying to thresh a meager portion of wheat while maintaining the status quo.  After a pack of excuses by Gideon who is called a mighty man of valor while hiding from his enemy, he built an altar and worship God by the name YHVH Shalom, the LORD our Peace!  Did you catch it?  God is calling Gideon to battle against his neighbors who are stealing covenant land and harassing the population while calling Himself, the LORD our Peace.  It is certain the land for peace will utterly fail.  Israel’s current enemies don’t want peace—they want to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.  Man wants land for peace, but the LORD alone is Israel’s peace!  HE will direct the upcoming battle and its certain outcome which will cause Israel to triple in size!

Next, Gideon is a turning point in the book of Judges (see Gideon--Israel's Turning Point linked below).  All judges before him are good judges while those after him are compromised in their walk with God and conflicted with their values and beliefs.  For more on this see the old series about the structure of the Book of Judges (links below).   Maybe God is going to reverse this pattern.  Maybe the Psalm 83 War will be a turning point in Israel’s history.  It may be the impetus of a great future revival of Judaism.  In essence, the pattern of apostasy is being turned in the end of days rather than apostasy turning Israel around in their beginning of days.  Also, a greater judge than Gideon may be on the way.  Maybe God will send another Othniel—Israel’s first Judge from the tribe of Judah?  Othiniel’s name is peculiar.  It means the Lion of GOD.  It is certain that the Psalm 83 War will be a sign that Israel’s greatest Judge is on the way.  Is He not called THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH—Jesus Christ the Righteous?  There is no salvation outside of Him!!!

Finally, of all of the victories the Holy Spirit inspired prophet could have used, he chose one during a time when Israel had no temple.  Personally, I think that the Psalm 83 War will bring about the opportunity for Israel to build the next temple.  Sadly, this will be the antichrist temple, but hold on my child because joy comes in the morning.  Jesus Christ is Soon2come!

Related Links:
Gideon--Israel's Turning Point

Will the Real Men of God Please Stand Up!  Deborah, Barak, and Abimelech

Stay Focused On The Word: Ehud and Jephthah

Relationships Do Matter!--Othniel and Samson

A Starting Point

His Voice--The Wilderness Call

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.

Luke 3:1-2

God called John when the world around him could not get much worse.  Perverse rulers reigned over both secular and religious life and the morality of the people could not digress much more.  This was established in the previous post in the series, His Voice –Evil Times.  While the world around him seemingly spun out of control, God calls John to be His voice.  When did this call come?  His call came when John was in the wilderness. 

The wilderness was a lonely place so desolate that shepherds could not graze their flocks.  The Greek word, eremos, also signifies the wilderness to be a place where there would be few or no people.  It would be so remote that it would be devoid of human interaction, aid, or assistance.  Strangely, the word is also used for women who had been depreciated by her husband.  In a place where no one could help, where no human hand could help, a place of solitude and loneliness, and where one might feel neglected, God called John to prepare the way for the Savior of all humanity.

Moses received his call while in the wilderness.  Like John, Moses also had a sense of divine destiny but probably felt like a failure after fleeing from Egypt. “For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not (Acts 7:25).”  He is now 80 years old and in a wilderness place.  It was a place at the end of himself.  He would be at the end of any hope to ever be used and devoid of any strength in himself, but that is where God called.  Was this where John was too?  Did he feel that his usefulness to God was over?  One thing is certain.  To be His voice we must understand that we can do nothing with the arm of flesh.  We must be at a point where our only hope is the Lord and His might. It is at this exact place God needs us to be to be mightily used of Him.  It was the wilderness school that prepared Moses and maybe John too.  

Was John led by Holy Spirit to this wilderness place?  That is what happened with Jesus.  “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil (Matthew 4:1).”  It was this place of testing that prepared Jesus for ministry too.  Testing is not a bad thing but a preparatory thing.  It is the proving that makes us durable and strong in Christ to complete all God has set before.  Like steel that is tried, the heat of the wilderness hardens us to not throw in the towel when the future battles get tough.

Was it John’s way of getting alone with God to better hear God?  Jesus did this as well?  “And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed (Luke 5:16).”  To hear God we often must find a place of solitude to enjoy His presence and to hear His direction.  To be His voice we must hear His voice so can speak His mind. 

Don’t worry about the wilderness place you may be in.  It may be God’s way of preparing you.  Look to Him and lean not on your own understanding.  Listen for that call and help to prepare the hearts of those he sends you too.  Remember, Jesus is Soon2Come. 

His Voice--Evil Times

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.

Luke 3:1-2

It is certain that we are living in an evil time.  Signs of impending danger due to the wickedness of the heart of man are seen continually.  When this wretchedness becomes an excuse, however, to stop being a vibrant witness for the Lord we need to reevaluate and reconsider human history while observing God’s intervention.  One such window into the heart of God and history is seen in the call of John the Baptist—God’s voice sent to prepare for the coming of the Lord.  Is that any different than what we are called to do today?

Luke, the physician who was also an outstanding historian, details precisely the timing of the call of John.  This was God’s call.  It was the Lord who broke in at this specific time to bring everlasting change.  He called John when society was at its worst.  Was this not a time so godless that the Son of God, Himself, was brutally beaten and nailed to an old rugged cross?  Before we consider our day, let’s consider John’s.

God called John when Tiberius Caesar was nearing the end of his reign.  This was a leader who Pliny the Elder called, “the gloomiest man of all.”  An outstanding military leader, he had divorced a wife he dearly loved only to marry a woman he hated at the request of Augustus for political gain (she also had divorced and remarried twice for political gain).  Did I mention that she, Julia, was the step sister of Tiberius?  She was such an adulterous woman that her list of lovers had to be exiled often to counter the scandals she created.  Yet, she was not to be out done by her perverse step-brother/husband.  He was a blatant pedophile who raped babies and young boys.  “Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar… the word of God came unto John…”

Tiberius Caesar

John received his assignment when Pilate reigned.  Need I say more?  “…Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea…the word of God came unto John…”

What about God’s word coming when Herod Antipas was Tetrarch?  Like Tiberius, he too divorced and remarried for political gain.  His new wife, Herodias, was also a relative.  She was married to his brother Phillip, but divorced him to marry Herod.  Herod was known for his wild and perverse parties.  The Bible tells us about one where the daughter of Herodias and Herod II danced to the applause of all and the affection of Herod.  Prompted by her mother for calling her out, John’s head on a platter would be Salome's pay.  Did I mention that Salome became the wife of Phillip also mentioned in Luke’s list?  Phillip married the daughter of his ex-wife who was now married to his brother!  “…and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis… the word of God came unto John…”

This was a time when evil men even ruled the “church”.  It was Annas and Caiaphas who hatched the plot to kill Jesus.  Need I say more?  Should I discuss the persecutions they oversaw which are spoken of in Acts?  “Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.”

Truly this is an evil day, but what has changed?  Men have always been evil.  To combat this God sends His servants to be His voice crying out with a message of Hope in Christ.  Is He calling you to speak for Him?  Listen carefully!  You may hear that small still voice calling you to proclaim Christ; consequently, being a part of the solution and not the problem. He wants you to prepare the way of the LORD by warning those who may be in His path—calling them to reconciliation.  Speak quickly since Jesus Christ is Soon2Come! 

More on this another day…

Wide is the Gate

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Matthew 7:13-14

No excuses!!! It has been too long since I wrote.  I want to thank those who kept on me to write more.  Thank You!!

Have you ever wondered what gate Jesus was speaking about in the passage above? Of course we know He is symbolically speaking of Himself in that He calls Himself the door (or gate) in other passages such as John 10.  Yet, it still seems that He had a specific gate in mind.  It is quite possible that he actually did, and it was a gate that was a type of Himself given early in the history of Israel.  Let me explain.

First, consider the setting.  Jesus has gathered a large crowd and was in the closing portions of His famed Sermon on the Mount.  The people were absolutely in awe of the Lord's teaching.  They even said He taught as one having authority and  not like the other teachers of their day.  However, was Jesus just another itinerant rabbi sharing His insight about the Word of God?  No!  This is the Lord's only Savior--the Word made Flesh--the Lord our Righteousness.  He is the Aleph and the Tav (Alpha and Omega), an allusion to the sum total of all knowledge.  Many looked at Jesus that day, God's only savior, and saw Him as just a good preacher never realizing that He alone is the only way to the presence of the Father.  They were looking deep into the things of GOD's salvation only to turn away and exit towards the broad path of destruction.

Second, look at the immediate context.  Just prior Jesus discussed asking of God for His blessings.  What is the greatest blessing a soul can receive anyways?  Is it not salvation?  After the verses dealing with entering the straight gate we are warned to beware of false teachers.  What do these false teachers do?  Do they not lead men away from Christ and the truths of His salvation?  In essence, this entire passage is very related even to the place that after the warning Jesus says, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven..."  Do you not enter a door?  Let's consider what door He may be speaking of--the wide gate that leads to a broad, open way as opposed to one that leads to a narrower walk.

Maybe we need to put "third" here.  As a man, wasn't Jesus very much Jewish--a descendant of Judah and an heir to King David?  Of course He was.  That means that as a man He would think on and teach from familiarity.  Having read the law many times as all other men His age had, He was very familiar with the instructions for the tabernacle.  There were three distinct entrances in the tabernacle.  The first was the only access to the sanctuary, the outer gate.  Of the three, it was the widest at 20 cubits.  It's colors; crimson, blue, and purple all pointed to the threefold ministry of Christ as prophet, priest, and king.  If you turned around at this point you were exiting back into that wide world with its many idols, traps, and snares.  Jesus was the gate!  Next came the veil which was directly behind the brass laver, and it was less than 10 cubits wide being held up on 5 pillars.  Finally, there was the veil of the Holy of Holies which was also less that 10 cubits wide and it had four pillars holding it.  Did you notice that the further one went in to access the presence of God the narrower the doorways were?

The Savior of all humanity was there teaching that day--God the Creator was in their midst. How many looked at the Door to Life and walked back out into the broad open expanse of the world that day? It is apparent that much of Jesus' message was on accessing the Kingdom of God, but many chose to turn from the hope they saw in Him and walk away to their own destruction.  It was as if they entered the tabernacle, looked around dissatisfied,  and then turned to leave through the widest of the gates never to return.  Truly, that is the path to ultimate destruction. To see Jesus and then to walk away is a tragedy!

If you happen to see Jesus for who He is today--seek to pass on to the altar God set up in the cross and leave your sin there.  Press onward and never seek to leave.  Jesus is GOD's only acceptable tabernacle!  Remember, He is soon 2 come!