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People of The Living God |
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December 2025
WATCHMEN ON THE WALLS
As A Snare
Randall Walton
Almost two thousand years ago, Jesus warned that there would be a worldwide catastrophe which would come as a snare “on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth” (Luke 21:34-36).
The fact that history does not record such a universal crisis places this dreaded event somewhere in the future. And it remains that no one knows when in the future this will take place. All we know for sure is that it is on God’s schedule and that we are obligated to keep warning of this impending disaster until the time it occurs.
Noah was faced with much the same dilemma. He knew that a flood was inevitable – because God said so. His task was to build a ship and keep preaching, warning the unbelieving people of this destructive force, unprecedented in history! Not until the raindrops kept falling on their heads did the people wake up to the reality of judgment falling from the skies. But by then, it was too late. Too late to believe, to pray, to prepare, to get right with God, to enter into the ark – God Himself closed the door.
The flood came upon them as a snare, and they were all taken away.
Since World War Two, the world has enjoyed unparalleled prosperity, which has cut across the lines of national boundaries, thus including multiple millions of people. This unusual time of plenty has encouraged irresponsible spending all across the globe, especially, it seems, in the U.S.
According to the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, as of November 5, 2025, the national debt is 38 trillion and continues to rise daily. This debt is unsustainable. Congressman David Schweikert has online, a daily debt monitor which shows the seriousness of America’s present economy. According to Schweikert’s report as of November 12th, the debt has risen $68,412.34 per second over the last year. Yet it seems America’s government turns a blind eye to the escalating problem. Many nations have collapsed, not by military might but because of their economic carelessness.
How much further can this bubble of debt/prosperity expand before it bursts? No one seems to know for sure, but in the interim, humanity plunges pell-mell into the unknown future as if a day of reckoning will never come.
In Jesus’ warning in Luke 21, He said, “Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.”
Surfeiting, drunkenness, cares of this life! The U.S. deserves an “F” in all three of these categories. We seem to have become the world’s leader in missing the mark of godliness as described in the Scriptures.
Surfeiting is the sin of overindulgence, an excess of food, drink, sexual activity, or any other of the many activities in which mankind involves himself. Another word for it which is more common, is gluttony. Americans in general are well known for their gluttonous appetites, not only for food and delicacies but also for trinkets and luxuries that are totally unnecessary but many times are the means for distraction from the most important things of life. We must, as Christians, consider priority or preference. To have a close, inti mate walk with God requires that a person spend some quality time in communing with Him. A gluttonous person uses such time in preparing and consuming large amounts of food, much more than is necessary for healthful survival, and neglecting communion with the Savior.
Another form of surfeiting is found in the hours which are spent viewing television. In many homes, the television is turned on as soon as the family rises in the morning and as soon as they arrive home at night. It runs continuously even though no one is watching; it just has to be on for the sound?? While it is true that many folks only turn on the TV switch to watch the news and check the weather, it is equally true that many, if not most, find themselves lost when the electricity is cut off and the television shuts down.
In addition to this is this modern machine called a computer, which has evolved into a slave master of unbelievable proportions. “Surfing the net” is more than a mere pastime. It is an entirely new way of life where hours are indulged in viewing, reading, or otherwise captivating the minds and souls of millions of people.
Jesus’ warning about surfeiting has special meaning for us today because there is such a glut of contrivances for people to become attached to. And it is so easy to rationalize one’s behavior because of peer pressure and an anticipated standard of living (not a moral standard; just a material standard). We, as a nation, have made great strides toward sharing our American dream with millions of people throughout the world. Battling poverty is one thing, but promoting idolatry and gluttony is quite another. The gospel of prosperity, wealth, affluence, and hedonism has just about replaced the gospel of the kingdom of God.
Drunkenness
Drunkenness is related to surfeiting since most drunkenness is a matter of overindulgence of certain intoxicating beverages. But it does not stop there. Alcoholism is an insidious addiction that brings one to a state of oblivion or unconsciousness. An alcoholic yields self-control to a chemical that drugs and controls his ability to make proper and wise decisions. In the event of a crisis of any kind, such a person is incapable of helping himself or anyone else.
We generally believe that alcoholism is a problem only to the unsaved or non-Christian. But this is not entirely true. There are well-meaning, professing Christians who battle with temptation over social drinking, a term usually used to cover up a compulsive desire to imbibe alcohol. Jesus was well aware of this false crutch and warned people to take heed of this diabolical master that has the ability to cloak one’s mental vision and clarity of purpose.
Thus, alcohol becomes a substitute for God and God’s word. It is used as a means of drowning the urgent voice of God for a sinner to repent and yield himself to God. The unrepentant sinner can no longer tolerate the proddings of the Holy Spirit and turns to an opiate, a blotter, a surrogate to ease his conscience and quieten his soul.
Such a person will be totally unprepared to meet the challenges of which Jesus spoke. The “snare” will certainly overcome them, and they will be carried away. “Take heed to yourselves...”
Cares Of This Life
A person may be well aware of the inherent dangers of gluttony and alcoholism, yet succumb to the enemy called “the cares of this life.” This is not the only time in Jesus’ teachings that He warned of the hazards of the cares of life. In His parable of the sower (Luke 8:5-15), He stated, “that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.”
Cares, riches, and pleasures deal a death blow to the influence of the word of God in the lives of multitudes of people.
While it is true that we all need a few real basics for survival (food, clothing, and shelter), it is also true that mere survival is not the reason God has placed us in this environment. Far greater and nobler pursuits have been given to those who would walk with God. “And that he (Jesus) died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again”! (II Cor. 5:15)
To “live unto him” means that He has become the very center of their own personal universe. They soundly renounce and reject the cares, riches, and pleasures of “this life” and devote themselves 100% to living for Him alone. This means that they apply His teachings to themselves in a personal way. To live unto Him includes a full surrender to Him of body, soul, and spirit; it means that every bridge to the past has been burned and that henceforth, only the will of God is pursued. It means that every idol has been rejected; that Jesus Christ rules and reigns within the heart; that all trust and faith is placed in God and God alone.
It is a matter of putting things in their rightful places. Jesus said it this way: “Seek FIRST the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33). Simply stated, this is God’s priority for every believer. First, the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Doing this takes away the importance of providing for the cares of this life. Admittedly, it takes much faith to seek the kingdom first, but if we are to escape the snare which is about to come upon the whole earth, we must pay attention to the words of the Master.
Jesus knew full well how the human heart reaches out for possessions. An abundance of goods gives people a false sense of security. They think if they have enough money, a good house, one or more fine cars, plus a good retirement plan and medical insurance, with a lay-away of stocks and/or bonds, they will have attained a life of total happiness. But this is a lie. “A man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things he possesseth,” Jesus said (Luke 2:15).
Man puts so much time and effort into acquiring of “the things he possesseth” that he has little time or energy for the kingdom of God, or “living unto Him.” Herein lies the problem of choosing priorities: which is more important, acquiring more possessions, or living unto God?
The answer is obvious. Yet most of us choose to do that which is least important. “Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth,” Jesus ordered. Why? Because where your treasures are, there will your heart be also. And in the time when catastrophe comes as a snare, that will be no time to have your heart set upon earthly treasures.
“Take heed to yourselves that your hearts be not overcharged”!! More serious words have probably never been uttered. Let us not suppose that God will provide some secret way out of the snare for a special order of people who have not met the standards of His word. Jesus Himself has set the requirements for avoiding the great catastrophe which will surely precede His return to earth with power and great glory. The time to prepare is NOW.
We strongly recommend that people take certain positive steps which should help them be prepared for any dire circumstances. These are:
1. Spend much time in prayer seeking God for guidance and direction.
2. Put your financial house in order
1. Get out of debt as soon as possible.
2. Spend no more money than you make. (Read Proverbs 22:7)
3. Budget your expenses and stick to it religiously.
4. If you have credit cards, use them wisely.
5. Have an emergency fund that you can lay your hands on if and when necessary.
3. Seriously apply the teachings of Jesus to your daily life.
4. Pray, pray, pray. Watch, watch, watch (Luke 21:36).
RESTORATION BEGINS WITH TRUTH
Misti Reynolds
There are moments when the Spirit of God speaks with a weight that cannot be ignored. Recently, as I was waking from sleep, a word rose up from deep within my spirit. Before I even fully opened my eyes, the first word that came out of my mouth was Restoration. Immediately after, another word echoed in my spirit with equal force: Exploitation. I sensed the Lord revealing that before restoration can come to families, relationships, or the community of believers, the schemes the enemy uses to bring confusion, strife, and division must be brought into the light. Scripture warns us in Hebrews 12:15 that a root of bitterness can spring up and trouble many. Hidden roots create repeated cycles. Jesus said in Luke 8:17, "For nothing is hidden that will not be revealed." When God exposes what is hidden, it is not to shame His people but to heal them, free them, and break patterns that have carried through generations.
The Spirit is revealing how the enemy works subtly, often through familiar emotions or old wounds. James 3:16 tells us that where strife is allowed to operate, confusion and every evil work follow. This is why Jesus warned in Matthew 24:4, "Take heed that no one deceives you." Deception is rarely loud. It is often quiet, reasonable, and disguised.
This is also why Jesus taught about spiritual readiness in Matthew 25, where the wise virgins kept oil in their lamps. The oil represents the anointing and presence of the Holy Spirit. Without His oil, there is no discernment, no clarity, and no strength to withstand the tactics of the enemy. But those who stay filled with the Spirit recognize deception and walk in truth.
The Word promises in James 1:5 that if we lack wisdom and ask, God gives generously. Jesus said in John 10:27, "My sheep hear My voice." The Lord is awakening families and His people to see spiritual patterns that have disrupted unity, broken relationships, and silenced truth.
And the purpose of exposure, conviction, repentance, and restoration is greater than individual healing. It is because there is power in unity. Scripture declares in Deuteronomy 32:30 that one can chase a thousand, but two can put ten thousand to flight. The enemy fears unified families and unified believers because multiplied authority destroys his plans.
This is why the Word also commands us in Ephesians 6:18 to pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and to watch with perseverance for all saints. The word "supplication" in the Greek is "deesis," meaning an earnest, heartfelt pleading from deep within. This is not casual prayer. It is Spirit-led intercession that pulls on heaven and pushes back darkness. When God's people pray in the Spirit with perseverance, unity strengthens, and spiritual victory increases.
Yet, restoration does not begin outwardly. It begins within. David prayed in Psalm 139:23-24, "Search me, O God...reveal any wicked way in me." When we allow the Lord to expose what is hidden in our own hearts, repentance becomes possible. When repentance comes, forgiveness flows. And where forgiveness flows, restoration can finally take root.
Prayer: Father, in the name of Jesus, expose every hidden root the enemy has tried to keep in darkness. Reveal truth that brings healing. Fill us with the oil of Your Spirit. Unite our families and Your people with supernatural strength. Heal what was broken. Restore what was lost. Let Your peace reign. In Jesus' name, amen.
ARE YOU PREPARED?
Melody Ax
Are you prepared for the times ahead? This is a question many are asking themselves today. The Lord told Noah to prepare an ark (Gen. 6), Joseph was able to interpret Pharaoh's dream to tell him to store food for a seven-year famine (Gen. 41), and there are many more who were warned in the Bible. Jesus is the same “yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Heb. 13:8). If we will only ask our Father and seek His will for our lives, He will show us how to prepare.
There is a preparation that the Lord is showing me that is even more vital than storing food, water, and the basics of everyday living. It is the Oil of Preparation as spoken of in Matthew 25, the parable of the Ten Virgins. Let us read Matthew 25:1-13:
“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”
The people of God must have the oil in their lamp. This is vital to make it! Notice, all the virgins took their lamps (they all had lamps). Psalm 119:105: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” The five foolish had no oil in their lamps. Why is the oil so important? First of all, without the oil, the lamps would not burn. There would be no light. “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (I John 1:5).
The five foolish virgins' light had gone out (Matt. 25:8). They had not been prepared. Let's look at why the lamps had gone out. There was not enough oil in the five foolish virgins' lamps. Why didn't they have the oil? Let's read Exodus 27:20. The Lord states, “And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.” The word beaten in Hebrew means to crush, beat down to pieces. Are we, as the children of God to be crushed so that we can become pure and holy? As Jesus said in Luke 9:23: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Revelation 19:7 states, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.”
The foolish virgins had not prepared themselves. The wise virgins kept the commandments of Jesus. They had received the truth of God's word, they had placed all on the altar and were rid of self. They were in the world but not of the world. They had walked the narrow road and were overcomers. They had been tried with the purification of fire as spoken of in Revelation 3:18: “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see.”
The five foolish virgins came to the wise virgins and wanted some of their oil for their lamps, but as Matthew 25:9 states: “But the wise answered saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.” This tells us that the oil costs something. There was a price to pay. There are just too many believers not wanting to pay the price. They seek the treasures of the world instead of seeking the Kingdom of God!
Proverbs 23:23 states: “Buy the truth and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.” The wise virgins have God's word in their hearts, and there was no longer time for the foolish virgins to prepare; time had run out. It wasn't that the wise virgins didn't want to give them some of their oil, for it was not something they could give. It was something that had to be bought at a price. A man cannot borrow character; he must be clothed in it. For, you see, the oil is the nature and character of Jesus Christ.
The bridegroom came, and the five wise virgins went into the marriage, and the five foolish virgins were left out. As in Noah's day, the door was shut. Jesus told the foolish virgins, “I know you not,” just as in Matthew 7:21-23 when he said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven…Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Let us all strive to be like the wise virgins with oil in our lamps. There is much blessed hope for the wise because they will enter into the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. As Jeremiah 31:12-14 reads, “Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all. Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the Lord.”
Believers, we must be prepared, we must sound the alarm, we must have the oil in our lamps! “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Rev. 3:22). The King is coming! Amen.
THE GLORIOUS LIFE FOUND IN CONSECRATION
Alfred King
The glory and uniqueness of knowing and walking with God in a personal and real manner is something that Jesus Christ made available for all those who find salvation at the foot of the cross. When Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30), all the Father intended for His Son to accomplish was complete. His life, His ministry, His death and resurrection were all very important elements for the atoning of man’s sins, redeeming, justifying and reconciling fallen man. If one part of Jesus’ life were altered, the whole plan of salvation for man would have failed. So salvation was made available for mankind in the perfect and complete work of Jesus.
It is a sad commentary on the part of most Christians that they feel salvation is nothing more than kneeling at an altar and repeating a “sinner’s prayer.” How much is lost in such an elementary understanding of the work of Jesus Christ? It is like going into a large library and picking up and reading one book and thinking you have all the knowledge contained in the library. The provision of the cross is not that one merely begins attending church and takes on the title “Christian” and so lives happily ever after. The provision offered through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ makes available the means by which men not only meet the Savior but begin a lifelong relationship with Him. The new believer begins a journey, which takes him into a deeper and more abundant spiritual life, a life empowered by the Holy Spirit, and a life that brings him ever closer to Jesus Christ. Jesus called this life the more abundant life.
The abundant life begins when one is born again and becomes a new creature by a supernatural working of the Holy Spirit within the heart. Paul most aptly expresses it in I Cor. 5:17 where it reads, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Anyone who has been genuinely born again will testify that this is the case; he is a new creation. However, the glories of God and the provisions of Christ don’t stop with initial salvation. Jesus holds out to these new creatures an “abundant life,” a life of spiritual growth, development, understanding, and experience, a life that carries one “from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (I Cor. 3:18). The Christian is first cleansed from all his sin by the blood of Jesus, which was shed at the cross and, because of that cleansing, he is made clean by which the Holy Spirit gains entrance into the life to be a constant companion to encourage, lead in paths of righteousness, strengthen, teach, comfort, bring God’s word to our remembrance and reveal Christ more clearly to the heart. (John 14:16-17, 26; John 15:26; John 16:7-14)
To find this glorious walk, one must walk in faith. Hebrews tells us in the fourth chapter and verse 3, “For unto us was the gospel preached, a well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” Hebrews goes on to tell us that there remains a rest for the people of God. The rest is the glorious walk, the abundant life, afforded us in Christ Jesus. But notice the reason Israel entered not in: it was because of their unbelief. So it is evident that faith lies at the root of the problem as to why so few believers ever find this glorious life in Christ.
When we define faith, we find it to be an absolute trust, confidence, and reliance upon Christ and His word. Faith is: to believe exactly what God says to be true and that His words and commands are God’s best for the believer, and by the application of those words to his life, he finds that abundant life promised and provided. If you desired to become a doctor, you would go through all the teachings in college and medical school to learn how to be what you desire to be, a doctor. The same is true in every career. But believers have somehow thought that they can be disciples of Christ and give little regard to His word, little effort towards spiritual growth, and very little time to the maintenance of their spiritual lives. It appears they feel they can just slip through life as believers, merely attending church a couple of times a week, thinking the glorious and abundant life is something they will someday find when they get to heaven. How sad to think such. How much the believer suffers with such an elementary understanding of the Gospel. How feeble one’s walk with God must be with so great a deception. How successfully the god of this world has not only “blinded the minds of them which believe not” (II Cor. 4:4), but has also blinded so many who call themselves “Christian” who in their juvenile state, walk apart from “the light of the glorious gospel of Christ”.
But, you may ask, “On what grounds do you make such statements? What evidence can you produce to verify these comments?” Let me give you an example that emphasizes exactly what I desire to express. When recently talking to a brother, he told me that it was asked of several members in the church he attends, “What is the first thing you do in the morning when you get up?” One might expect that they would let the dog out or turn on the coffee pot. But primarily, you would hope they would go to their place of communion with God, feeding on God’s daily manna and communing with Him, Who can keep one from falling throughout the coming day. But such was not the predominant answer. Rather, it was either the television or the computer that ranked first in priority. While I cannot in any self-righteousness be the first to cast a stone, let us be honest enough to address an issue when it binds the believer to a life of, at best, dangerous lukewarm Christianity and tragically enslaves one to the sins of his own heart, leaves him weak and malnourished and with a daily experience void of the life that is in Christ Jesus.
How can one keep silent about such an important and primary issue that slowly starves the believer of his daily manna from heaven and which hinders one from possessing this glorious Christian life that Jesus died to procure for those who would follow Him? How can one who loves God and God’s children remain so indifferent:
while the god of this world lures multitudes into the broad way that leads to destruction?
while the strait and narrow way that leads to life is labeled old-fashion and not important
to Christians of the 21st century? while multitudes, who are in the valley of decision, are encouraged to embrace a Christianity that:
* appeals to the carnal nature?
* promotes get-rich-quick doctrines that cater to the fleshly appetites of sinners?
* lessens the seriousness of sin?
* strives to serve both God and mammon rather than the truth that the believer
is called upon; to crucify the affections and lusts and forsake all the gods of this world?
- while God’s way, which He so graciously set before us, is set aside for a lie that will leave the cancer of sin to continue its depraved and diabolical work till eternal death takes possession of the soul?
Where are the saints who not only cry and sigh for the abominations within the church but also for their own short-comings and sin, and who seek God with a burden for the church to awaken and begin to see that there is a glorious life provided by Christ’s passion, which has yet to be obtained by most who call themselves “Christians”? Where are those seven thousand who have not bowed their knee to Baal?
Some may have caught a glimpse of this abundant life and desired to find it and live in the glories of it, but have not been able to discover its reality. The believer may have been enlightened to the wonders of the cross and may have even experienced that abundant life for a season only to have it slip away and seem as though it will never be found again. Look closely at the question the apostle Paul asked in Romans 7:24 and consider the answer he gives to his own question in verse 25.:“O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” The answer comes immediately. “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Every Christian must realize that help has been laid on One that is mighty (Psalm 89:19). It is He Who first died on the cross for man’s sin. It is He Who rose for our justification. It is He Who makes intercession for us. It is He Who is not willing that any should perish. It is He Who, with great desire, intercedes that you and I might find the glorious life of knowing Him and walking with Him in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is God the Father Who, “spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all,” and declared, “how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32)
How then do we find this glorious life? The answer lies alone in Christ. Jesus is “the way, the truth and the life.” The Christian’s part is that of consecration. It is the giving of oneself totally and completely to Christ. He must accept God’s way as the best and only way to this abundant life. It is a life lived in abandonment of the past life and lived unreservedly for Christ. But as you contemplate this surrender and feel the totality of it you may say, “I cannot make this commitment, it is beyond my understanding. It is not within my abilities. It is high; I cannot attain to it.” This is a good place to be, for as long as ‘I’ can do it, ‘I’ will not surrender to Him Who is able. I will continue to fight a battle which cannot be won. I will not and cannot enter this life until I come to the place where I know my hope, my only hope is in Christ Jesus alone.
Consider: God, Who first drew you to Himself and by His grace saved you, is also able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory (Jude 24). As believers, we must not stand in our own strength but in the strength of Christ. Stand upon the promises of God. We cannot trust in our own abilities, for they will fail us. But remember that “God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. (I Cor. 1:27)
Look not at what is seen but look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Consider the promises given in Ezekiel 36 and see what God promises He will do: “I will sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you.” I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will cause you to walk in my statutes. I will save you from all your uncleannesses.
Look what God has promised to do. Embrace the provisions of the New Covenant, those established upon better promises. Behold what the cross of Christ has provided for those who trust God. If this be clearly understood in the mind and in the heart and soul, consecration then becomes desirable so that one might enter this glorious walk, a life more abundant and free than any experienced or offered in this world around us. A walk that can totally satisfy that longing in any believing heart. As F. B. Meyer so aptly describes the life of one who has found these truths: “Our Lord Jesus is a perfect reservoir of everything the soul of man requires for a blessed and holy life. To make much of Him, to abide in Him, to draw from Him, to receive each moment from His fullness is therefore the only condition of soul health.”
Reader, don’t let your soul draw back in fear or let your mind be plagued with carnal reasoning. Don’t let your heart be captivated by the unbelief of this blessed life being yours. Don’t let the god of this world blind your mind from believing all that Jesus Christ provided for you. So easy it is to believe these promises might be for the preacher or teacher or a deacon or elder or for others, but they cannot be for me. God, who is no respecter of persons, gives to all men liberally. Don’t exclude yourself from this divine walk because of some seemingly inadequacy you feel, but come today in the strength and power of the cross. Come today and lay everything down at the foot of the cross. And come believing, for it must be everything. How much we suffer and miss the glorious life because we hold on to some idol to which our hearts bow. It is as though we dare not trust God with those things most precious to us, be it wealth (as the rich young ruler) or loved ones, or be it career or that security we so trust in (as Lot’s wife).
George Whitefield writes concerning his own consecration to Christ, which took place at his ordination, with these words. “I can call heaven and earth to witness that when the Bishop laid his hand upon me, I gave myself up to be a martyr for Him who hung upon the cross for me. Known to Him are all the future events and contingencies. I have thrown myself blindfolded and without reserve into His almighty hands.” This is the faith that was once delivered unto the saints (Jude 3). This is the faith that causes one to rest in God in all things, be it prosperity or poverty, be it health or sickness, be it joy or pain, be it happiness or disappointments, Christ is all and in all, and rest is found in that faith that God works all things, in His divine providence, for our good.
“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:32-39)
How can one who fully grasps the promises of these verses not lay down his life in total consecration and renunciation of all other gods and rest in the finished work of the cross? How can he who has touched the hem of His garment and been made whole not desire all that He has offered and therefore lay all at His feet? The glorious life is not without its testings and trials but as the apostle Paul found his strength in Christ, who knew how to be abased and how to abound, to be full and to suffer hunger, to abound and to suffer need; we also must learn those lessons and we, as Paul, can find that strength in Christ, for he concludes, “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.”
The Christian begins a walk with God where he is inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit to walk in righteousness in a dark and evil world. This glorious walk is not one which, as has been stated, is void of trials, but in those trials, the Teacher instructs the believer how to come through victoriously and gain spiritual maturity as he proceeds through each. The glorious walk is in realizing that it is for his own good that God leads him through the valley of the shadow of death, where he learns to trust God in the worst of conditions and behold the wondrous power of God to bring him out as gold tried in the fire. Jesus offers to those who would follow Him all the riches and glory of His kingdom, the blessings of His peace, His joy, His love, and His holy and righteous character.
Can the glorious life be possessed by going to the television or the internet? Can the glorious life be found apart from feasting on God’s manna each day and spending time getting to know Him in the prayer closet? I think not. Let me close with these words from F.B. Meyer and may it encourage us all to spend time alone with God: “As you give, He takes. As you open the door, He enters. As you roll back the floodgates, He pours in a glorious tide of fullness - fullness of spiritual wealth, of power, of joy.”
THE TRUE TEMPLE
Curtis Dickinson
Christians in America have been raising millions of dollars to aid Israeli Jews to destroy a shrine sacred to a billion Muslims and replace it with a great Jewish temple, which they call the “Third Temple.” A late 1998 Israeli newsletter posted on a “Voice of the Temple Mount” website says its goal is “the liberation” of the Muslim shrines and the building on that site of a Jewish Temple. This activity encourages the militant Zionists in Israel and helps to make peace in that country an impossibility. It also stokes the fires of false prophecy and hinders a true understanding of God’s word and His purpose.
Solomon’s Temple, which replaced the portable Tabernacle, had been the pride of Israel until its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 B.C. Five centuries later King Herod, the same Herod who later sought to destroy the infant Jesus, completely rebuilt the temple. He used 1000 specially trained priests as masons, and the work took 44 years.
It was this temple of which Jesus said, “There will not be one stone left upon another” (Matt. 24:2). He spoke of the day of Israel’s judgment, which took place in 70 A.D. The order of worship and sacrifice in the temple had already become obsolete. Christ’s death on the cross ended the need of putting blood on the mercy-seat in the temple, and Christ himself became the High Priest and mediator between God and men (I Tim. 2:5).
Modern Israel has no relationship to Biblical Israel. It was not established by Semites, but by descendants of the Khazars, who converted to a form of Judaism (based upon the Talmud, not the Bible) in the 8th century, and eventually were found all over Europe. These were not Jews “returning to their homeland,” but political Zionists whose ancestors had never been in the land of Palestine.
Many Christians ignore these facts and promote the effort to “rebuild the temple,” thinking this will fulfill prophecy and hasten the return of Christ. Classic premillennialism teaches that animal sacrifices will be reinstated.
Instead of a future temple in Jerusalem fulfilling prophecy, as many erroneously teach, there is already a temple in existence in fulfillment of Prophecy.
Zechariah prophesied that the man whose name is the Branch “shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and shall be a priest on his throne” (Zech. 6:12,13).
Peter, on the Day of Pentecost, showed that Jesus was the longed-for Messiah and King, and had been seated on the throne as David had predicted (Psalm 89:3; 132:11). “Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him (David) that of the fruit of his loins he would set one upon his throne, he foreseeing this spake of the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he left unto Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus did God raise up, whereof we all are witnesses. Being therefore by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured forth this, which you see and hear” (Acts 2:30-33).
Jesus has become a “high priest who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heaven, a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man” (Heb. 8:1,2).
The temple, its priest and sacrifices were only types of the true spiritual things of the New Covenant established by Jesus. They are called “copies” (Heb. 9:24) and “a shadow of the good things to come”(Heb. 10:1). The sacrifices would not take away sins, so Jesus, the Lamb of God, “offered one sacrifice for sins forever” (Heb. 10:4,10,12). Under the law (shadow of good things to come), only the High Priest could enter the Most Holy place, the second room of the temple. But Jesus became “a great priest over the house of God” (Heb. 10:21), and after His resurrection “sat down on the right hand of God” (Heb. 10:12), and now all Christians are exhorted to have “boldness to enter in to the Holiest of all, by the blood of Jesus” (Heb. 10:19).
With the perfect sacrifice made “once for all” (Heb. 10:10) and the High Priest having entered “once” into the heavenly Holy Place, the temple in Jerusalem was rendered useless. As Jesus died, the temple veil to the Holy Place was ripped from top to bottom (Matt. 27:51), indicating that it was of no further significance to God.
Should the Zionists, with their misguided Christian supporters succeed in building their temple in Jerusalem, it would be a counterfeit and could serve no spiritual purpose.
The true temple in which God dwells is the redeemed believer, for He “dwells not in temples made with hands” (Acts 17:24). Peter wrote, “You also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (I Pet. 2:5). The earthly stones of the Jerusalem temple are replaced by living Christians, “in whom every building, fitly framed together, grows unto a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built for a habitation of God in the Spirit” (Eph. 2:21,22).
“Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have from God” (I Cor. 6:19).
“We are a temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them” (II Cor. 6:16).
Only Christ could build the true temple, of which the material temple was only a type, for it is Christ who transforms and gives life to the new creature; it is He who “adds” to the church living stone upon living stone to become the spiritual house of God.
So, what does it mean to be the temple of God?
It means that you do not go to the church house to be with God. You do not go anywhere to meet God, because He is with you and abides in you through His Spirit. You do not enter the house of God when you go to church; you entered the house of God when you became a Christian. Nor do you leave the house of God when you go home from the assembly. You are part of the house of God wherever you happen to be.
It means that you are in constant fellowship with God and with His Son Jesus. “Our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ (I John 1:3). This is a personal day-to-day relationship with Almighty God, and with Jesus His Son and our Lord, the creator of the universe.
It means that God is always as near as your breath. If you are “in Christ” then God abides in you through His Spirit. It is His desire to be near you, for He created you for His own pleasure (Eph. 1:5). If you are thinking that maybe you don’t want to be quite that close to God all the time, then perhaps you should heed Paul’s advice: “Try your own selves, whether you are in the faith…Or know you not your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you? Unless indeed you are reprobate” (II Cor. 13:5).
It means that the temple, whether individually or as the entire congregation of God’s people, does not depend upon material embellishments, cathedrals, forms, prestigious dignitaries of the world, nor upon the favors and works from the hands of men. The true glory of the temple is the beauty of holiness seen in the lives of Christians.
Rather than speculate on what might or might not happen in the nation that calls itself Israel, it is better for Christians to concentrate on keeping the present and true temple of God holy and fit for His spiritual service, remembering that “if any man destroys the temple of God, him God shall destroy; for the temple of God is holy which temple you are” (I Cor. 2:17). The material temple was to be kept from pollution and reserved for those things which are pure in God’s service. So the Christian. His life is not to be a mixture of serving the world with service to God added as a Sunday activity. Rather, it is to be fully consecrated for God’s presence and work.
“For it is God who works in you both to will and to work, for His good pleasure” (Phil 2:13).
THIS COULD BE THE YEAR REVIVAL COMES
A.W. Tozer
Everywhere I go these days among religious persons they are talking of revival. There seems to be a notion abroad that if we talk enough and pray enough, revival will set in like a stock market boom or a winning streak on a baseball club. We appear to be waiting for some sweet chariot to swing low and carry us into the Big Rock Candy Mountain of religious experience.
Well, it is a pretty good rule that if everyone is saying something it is not likely to be true; or, if it has truth at the bottom, it has been so distorted by wrong emphasis as to have the effect of error in its practical outworking. And such, I believe, is much of the revival talk we hear today.
My reason for doubt of the soundness of it is that we appear to conceive of revival as a kind of benign miracle, a feverish renaissance of religious activity which will come upon us, leaving us morally just as we are now, except that we will be a lot happier and there will be a great many more of us. It's a good talking point and it has an aura of superior godliness about it; but the trouble is that it is just not true.
Our mistake is that we want God to send revival on our terms. We want to get the power of God into our hands, to call it to us that it may work for us in promoting and furthering our kind of Christianity. We want still to be in charge, guiding the chariot through the religious sky in the direction we want it to go, shouting “Glory to God,” it is true, but modestly accepting a share of the glory for ourselves in a nice inoffensive sort of way. We are calling on God to send fire on our altars and not God's. And like the prophets of Baal we are working ourselves into a frenzy as if we could by violence command the arm of the Almighty.
The whole error results from a confused notion of revival and a failure to recognize the moral laws that underlie the kingdom of God. God never moves whimsically; His ways are never impulsive or erratic. He never sends judgment unless there has been a violation of His laws, nor does He send blessing apart from obedience to those laws. So precise are His movements both in justice and in mercy that an intelligent observer, aware of the circumstances, could predict with complete accuracy any visitation of judgment or grace God might send to a nation, a church or an individual.
Of this we may be certain: we cannot continue to ignore God's will as expressed in the Scriptures and expect to secure the aid of God's Spirit. God has given us a complete blueprint for the Church and He requires that we adhere to it one hundred per cent. Message, morals and methods are there, and we are under strict obligation to be faithful to all three. Today, we have the phenomenon of a company of Christians solemnly protesting to heaven and earth the purity of their Bible creed, and at the same time following the unregenerate world in their methods and managing only with difficulty to keep their moral standards from sinking out of sight. Coldness, worldliness, pride, boasting, lying, misrepresenting, love of money, exhibitionism – all these things are practiced by professedly orthodox Christians, not in secret but in plain sight and often as a necessary part of the whole religious show.
It will take more than talk and prayer to bring revival. THERE MUST BE A RETURN TO THE LORD IN PRACTICE BEFORE OUR PRAYERS WILL BE HEARD IN HEAVEN. We dare not continue to trouble God's way if we want Him to bless ours.
Joshua sent his army up to conquer Ai, only to see them hurled back with bloody losses. He threw himself to the ground on his face before the Ark and complained to the Lord. “And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou...upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have...transgressed my covenant...therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies...because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you” (Joshua 7:10-12),
If we are foolish enough to do it, we may spend the new year vainly begging God to send revival, while we blindly overlook His requirements and continue to break His laws. Or we can begin now to obey and learn the blessedness of obedience. The Word of God is before us. WE HAVE ONLY TO READ AND DO WHAT IS WRITTEN THERE AND REVIVAL IS ASSURED. It will come as naturally as the harvest comes after the plowing and the planting.
Yes, this could be the year the revival comes. It's strictly up to us.
The Alliance Weekly
THE CATHOLIC COMMUNION SERVICE
Randall Walton
From the book, The Faith of Millions: The Credentials of the Catholic Church, by Fr. John O’Brien of Notre Dame University:
“The supreme power of the priestly office is the power of consecrating. “No act is greater,” says Saint Thomas, “than the consecrating of the body of Christ.” In this essential phase of the sacred ministry, the power of the priest is not surpassed by that of the bishop, the archbishop, the cardinal or the pope. Indeed, it is equal to that of Jesus Christ. For in this role the priest speaks with the voice and authority of God Himself.
“When the priest pronounces the tremendous words of consecration, he reaches up into the heavens, brings Christ down from his throne, and places him upon our altar to be offered up again as the victim for the sins of man. It is a power greater than that of monarchs and emperors: it is greater than that of saints and angels; greater than that of Seraphim and Cherubim. Indeed, it is even greater than the power of the Virgin Mary: For while the Blessed Virgin was the human agency by which Christ became incarnate a single time, the priest brings Christ down from Heaven, and renders Him present on our altar as the eternal victim for the sins of man – not once but a thousand times! The priest speaks and lo! Christ the eternal and omnipotent God, bows His head in humble obedience to the priest’s command.”
Need we say more? The obvious blasphemy of the above is unbelievable. What arrogance, what presumption! Of course, the theology which supports this insult of Jesus Christ is based upon the claim of infallibility of the R.C. hierarchy in faith and morals. The doctrine of transubstantiation has no Scriptural foundation at all, but is the invention of the R.C. church. To illustrate the implausibility, if not the impossibility, of bread and wine becoming the actual, literal, real body and blood of Jesus, remember that the Catholic mass is performed simultaneously by hundreds, if not thousands, of priests. So how can one literal, physical body be present in hundreds or thousands of different locations at precisely the same moment?
Furthermore, if the bread and wine are the actual, true body and blood of Jesus, how does the priest appropriately dispose of the leftovers? Or do the leftovers suddenly revert back to their original state?
The above is one more example of the vomit spewed forth from the mouth of the dragon. The R.C. church is guilty of promoting many abominable doctrines and practices which are contrary to the plain teachings of Jesus and the apostles. This is not to state that all Roman Catholics are lost, for there are most certainly some very devout and sincere people in the R.C. membership, but their only hope is to “come out of her” before the judgments of God sweep away the refuge of lies. It is incumbent upon us to pray that these souls be delivered from their bondage.