Satan well knows that all whom he can lead to neglect prayer and the searching of the Scriptures, will be overcome by his attacks. Therefore he invents every possible device to engross the mind.
The Great Controversy pg. 519
Tag: Scriptures
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“As soon as you are washed in Christ’s blood and clothed in His righteousness, you must begin to hew your way through a lane of enemies, right up to the Eternal Throne. Every foot of the way will be disputed; not an inch will satan yield to you.“
Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) -
“A familiar acquaintance with the Scriptures sharpens the discerning powers, and fortifies the soul against the attacks of Satan. The Bible is the sword of the Spirit, which will never fail to vanquish the adversary. It is the only true guide in all matters of faith and practice. The reason why Satan has so great control over the minds and hearts of men is that they have not made the Word of God the man of their counsel, and all their ways have not been tried by the true test. The Bible will show us what course we must pursue to become heirs of glory.
As the heart is opened to the entrance of the Word, light from the throne of God will shine into the soul [Psalm 119:130]. That Word, cherished in the heart, will yield to the student a treasure of knowledge that is priceless. Its ennobling principles will stamp the character with honesty and truthfulness, temperance and integrity.”
Our High Calling pg. 31 -
“Christ was the Son of God. He became the Son of man that the sons of men might become the sons of God. Galatians 4:4; 1 John 3:1.”
The Consecrated Way to Christian Character pg.47 -
“…I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
John 8:12 KJVAs the small seedling breaks forth from the soil and strives to find the rays of the sun that it may grow up into a mature plant bearing fruit for the farmer, so must the Christian strive to walk in the light as Christ is in the light, for He is the “Sun of Righteousness” Malachi 4:2 KJV . By following the light of Christ day after day, shall we grow up “unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ”, Ephesians 4:13 KJV, and by this work of transformation and daily sanctification that takes place in us by the Holy Ghost, shall we bring forth fruit for the Husbandman of the vineyard, Isaiah 5:1-3,7; Matthew 21:33.
Scripture teaches us that “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” and if we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, engaging in the works thereof, then “we lie and do not know the truth.” 1 John 1:5-6. Furthermore, Christ has said to us, His Church, that we must follow His example. As He was the light of the world while he dwelt here, working the works of the Father, so are we now called to pick up the baton which He has passed onto us, to work the works of Him that sent us into the world to proclaim the everlasting gospel & His soon return to all men.
Ye are the light of the world…Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 5:14,16 KJVChrist Himself, veiled His divine nature, and took on human flesh and blood when He came to this earth. He was part of humanity like you and I, the Son of Man, tempted in all points such as we are, yet He committed no sin, Hebrews 4:15. He walked in the light of the Father, and came to reveal to mankind the glory and character of God, because no man can see or shall see the face of God and live, for He dwells in light unapproachable, Exodus 33:20; 1 Timothy 6:16.
Following this example of Christ, we are now called to walk in the light, that we may also reflect His character and His glory to the world. We are to walk as Christ walked, and live as He lived and by doing this, the world shall see Christ in us “the hope of glory” and shall also be led unto Him. 1 John 2:6; Colossians 1:27.
O house of Jacob, come ye,
Isaiah 2:5 KJV
and let us walk in the light of the LORD.He that followeth after Christ, shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life. His Word shall be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, leading us and directing us into all truth. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. John 8:12; Psalm 119:105; 2 Corinthians 4:6.
But this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, through Christ and through His faithful, obedient followers, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. For everyone that doeth evil deeds, hates the light, neither do they come into the light lest their deeds be rebuked. John 3:19-20. Satan has covered this world in darkness and has covered the minds of its inhabitants in gross darkness. They refuse to heed the light of Christ and as a result they remain captives of the enemy. Therefore as a plant, because of its inability to receive light for a prolonged period of time and is thus covered in darkness, dies, so do all who refuse to walk in the light of Christ die spiritually.
But to those who heed the call of the Spirit and receive the Word of God in their hearts the Prophet Isaiah says, “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light:
they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” Isaiah 9:2. Paul in agreement with this also says that we “are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” 1 Thessalonians 5:5. We are children of the light for we are children of God, for “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” , “Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us, that we should be called the sons of God.”Therefore let us continue to strive towards the light as the plants of nature strive to follow the direction of the sun’s rays, for it is only by this that they shall grow up into their full stature producing fruit. Likewise, as we keep following the light of Christ, pressing on and persevering despite the conditions of life, so also shall we grow up unto the fulness and stature of the True Light, Jesus Christ, bearing fruit for the Master, for by beholding, we become changed.
Jesus is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. His children are the children of light. They are renewed in His image, and called out of darkness into His marvellous light. He is the light of the world, and so also are they that follow Him. They shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. The more closely the people of God strive to imitate Christ, the more perseveringly will they be pursued by the enemy; but their nearness to Christ strengthens them to resist the efforts of our wily foe to draw them from Christ.
Testimonies for the Church, Volume 1, page 405, paragraph 2Loud Cry Compendium
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For I AM the LORD, I change not…
Malachi 3:6 KJVThroughout the Scriptures, we always find that before God pours out His judgments upon the wicked, He always sends a message of warning, that the wicked may have opportunity to turn from their wicked ways and be saved.
Whether it be Noah preaching to those living before the Flood, Lot warning the inhabitants of Sodom & Gomorrah, Moses admonishing Pharaoh before the great Exodus, Nahum warning those of Nineveh, or the Prophet Jeremiah, warning the children of Judah before their fall to Babylon, God is the same yesterday, today and forever more; He never changes.
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
Hebrews 13:8 KJVWith that being said, do we not expect the God of all the universe, to proclaim a message of warning to this final generation? Will not God have a faithful people living upon the earth in these last days who shall proclaim the present truth for this time, as He had with the Patriarchs and Prophets of old?
Of course He will! For He never changes His ways of working. Therefore, it behooves us to find out what is this message of warning that God has given to us and to heed its call, for “the great day of the LORD is near, it is near and hasteth greatly. Zephaniah 1:14 KJV
By a careful study of the Old Testament, one would observe the way in which God operates when He gives a message of warning to wicked. He first gives the message to His faithful people, who in turn share that message with that particular sinful nation; it is usually always a message of repentance. Generally, we find that the people refuse to repent except a small remnant and God then brings destruction upon the unrepentant whilst saving that remnant who did heed the message and turn from their ways.
We are told that Noah was a preacher of righteousness, 2 Peter 2:5 KJV. He proclaimed to the world a message of repentance in his day, admonishing them to turn from their sinful ways and to seek refuge in the ark because destruction was imminent. However, unfortunately only seven others apart from Noah heeded the call and God destroyed all the others by a global, catastrophic flood. 2 Peter 3:20 KJV.
But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Matthew 24:37 KJVLikewise, as it was in Lot’s day, so shall it be in the day when Christ is revealed and the unrepentant receive their reward. Luke 17:28-30 KJV. Lot was sorely perplexed by the apostasy that surrounded him day by day as he dwelt in Sodom. 2 Peter 2:7-8 KJV. He preached unto those that dwelt in the land, including his family members, Genesis 19:14 KJV, yet they heeded not the call. Therefore, “the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all“ Luke 17:29 KJV, only Lot and his two daughters were saved.
And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly…
2 Peter 2:6 KJV/Jude 1:7 KJVDid not Moses give countless warnings to Pharaoh to let God’s people free from bondage or else He would destroy them?
Did not the Lord send countless Prophets, time after time unto the children of Israel, warning them of their harlotries and to turn from their sinful lives? But they rejected the call and even killed many of the Prophets that were sent unto them.
Says the Lord ” O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee…” Matthew 23:37 KJV.
God is merciful and long suffering with us all. He does not wish that any of us should perish but that we all should turn from our unrighteous deeds and be saved through His Son Christ Jesus, For He is the way, the truth and the life. It is for this reason, that He sends countless messages of warning to mankind, throughout all generations.
Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?
Ezekiel 18:23 KJVOne may say that yes, God warned those in the past, but what about us today? Where is the message to this final generation? Friends, God does not change.
This message is found in the Book of Revelation. It is the final message of warning given to mankind before Jesus comes to harvest the wheat and to uproot and destroy the tares (weeds). It is one message with three parts, found in Revelation 14:6-12 KJV. It is the three angel’s messages, a message which must go to all the world, to “every nation and kindred and tongue and people”, Revelation 14:6 KJV.
It is a message of love, for God wishes that we should all accept salvation in His Son and be saved, yet it is also a message of justice because all who refuse to heeds its call, will, like the ancient people of old, be destroyed.
The first message calls us to the time of judgment. It points us to the final work that our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ, is doing for us in the Most Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary. He is blotting out our sins and examining the Books to see which of us are fitted for the Kingdom of Heaven, for He says, “Behold, I am coming soon and my reward is with me to give to every man according as His work shall be” Revelation 22:12 KJV. It is quite evident that if Christ is returning to reward every man, both righteous and unrighteous, then there must be a work of investigation before hand. That work of investigation is quickly coming to a close as we can see that Christ’s Second Coming is soon upon us.
This message also points us back to God’s title as the Creator of “heaven and earth and the sea and the fountains of waters”, and all that is in them, Revelation 14:7 KJV.
Know ye that the LORD he is God:
Psalm 100:3 KJV
it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves.What better way to remember the Creator than by observing that day which He has sanctified and made holy, “because that in it He had rested from all His work” He created and made, Genesis 2:3 KJV.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God… For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it (made it holy).
Exodus 20:8-11After heeding the first message, we are directed to the second. It warns us of the moral fall of Babylon, that great harlot, who commits fornication with the kings of the earth and by whose trade the merchants of the earth wax rich and the inhabitants of the world are deceived by her false teachings. Revelation 17:1-5 KJV. The warning message goes forth, “Come out of her my people” , Revelation 18:4 KJV. It must be then that God has many people in Babylon, and as result, when His people shall hear the call to come out which shall be preached by His servants, they will then heed the message and come out.
I would suggest a read of our Beginners Bible Study Guide on The Harlot which is free for download. This guide will help to give a better understanding on who is Babylon in our day.
The final message goes forth, warning the inhabitants of the earth not to bow the knee in submission to the beast and its religious laws which shall be set up, for if any do this, then they shall receive the mark of this beast and ultimately shall be destroyed as the wicked inhabitants of the pre-flood world were also destroyed.
The first message calls us to worship God, the third warns us against worshipping the beast & his image for we are to have no other gods apart from the one true God, Jehovah.
Trying times are about to come upon all of God’s people. A time of trouble such as never was, since there was a nation is to come upon all of us that dwell upon the earth, Daniel 12:1 KJV. The serpent is wroth with God’s people and will seek to make war with them to destroy them, Revelation 12:17 KJV, but we must keep our eyes on Christ. No matter the circumstances, let us remain faithful by God’s grace, and give the message of warning to this dying world, which God has given to His faithful servants to give to all mankind.
When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
Ezekiel 33:8-9 KJVRepent for the kingdom of God is nigh.
Loud Cry Compendium
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Onward Christian soldiers, marching onto war, with the Cross of Jesus, going on before.
S. Baring Gould, 1865The faithful Christian is a soldier in the Lord’s Army. Clothed in the full armour of God, he or she is to go forth under the Blood stained banner of Prince Immanuel, step by step and day by day, gaining the victory until the glorious Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Christian world today under-estimates the power of the enemy and as result they step foot onto the battle field of life unprepared and Satan makes a mockery of them, accusing them before the Lord “day & night”. But hear the words of the Apostle Paul as he writes these words under the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God:
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6:11-12 KJVSatan despises the children of God. He was not able to defeat Christ at the Cross, for He, Christ, rose again on the third day in glory. Therefore, Satan turned his wrath from Christ, to those who faithfully follow Christ, that is, His Church, His Bride. Throughout the ages of the Christian Church, whether it be during the time of the Apostles and the Early Church, the Middle Aged Church or even today, Satan, working through his various agents, has sought to wipe out the Church of God from upon the face of the earth. Says the Apostle John in the Revelation:
And the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 12:17 KJV‘The great dragon….that old serpent called the devil and satan’, Revelation 12:9 KJV, has been exceedingly wroth with the Woman or the Bride of Christ throughout all ages and as we near the closing of this earth’s history and the Second Coming of Christ, he seeks to make war with the faithful believers, called the Remnant, that he may destroy them and wipe them from the face of the earth.
The devil is called ‘the prince of this world’ by Christ in John 14:30 KJV. He usurped the dominion of this earth from Adam, who was first given dominion over it, Genesis 1:26 KJV. As a result, he takes this world to be his own and the inhabitants of it he numbers as his subjects; all prisoners and slaves to sin. However, God always has a faithful people upon the earth who refuse to give their authority unto Satan and it is those faithful individuals throughout all the ages of the Church and more so now at the end of time, that the dragon is wroth with and seeks to make war with them.
A faithful remnant of believers fix their eyes upon their Commander, the ‘Captain of the host of the Lord‘ is their leader. They are clothed in the full armour of God: their loins are girt about with truth, they have on the breastplate of righteousness, their feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. With the shield of faith equipped and the helmet of salvation furnished, they stand firm in the faith of Jesus, bearing arms with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and they follow the Lamb, withersoever He goeth. Ephesians 6:14-17; Revelation 14:4 KJV.
John tells us that “the devil is come down unto you , having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time”, Revelation 12:12 KJV, therefore, it behooves us as professed Christians to be fully clad in the armour of God, that we “may be able to stand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand”, Ephesians 6:13 KJV.
Christ is our Commander, He “shall fight for us and” we “shall hold our peace” Exodus 14:14 KJV, but we need to be fully equipped in the armour of God that we may be able to stand upon the battlefield of life. No one can be victorious without this armour.
We see in the Christian Church today many professed believers who refuse to put on the armour of God. They neglect Bible study, they sit under ministers of the gospel who are not preaching the truth, they do not fix their eyes upon Christ, striving to live as He lived and walk as He walked, their lives do not align with the Biblical standard, rather they follow the worldly standard and they presumptuously run onto the battlefield claiming “we are not under the law but under grace”, as a result satan shoots his fiery darts at them and takes them as his captives. They have no root, their foundation is not built upon Christ, who is the Rock upon which we must stand, but rather they are likened unto the foolish man who built his house upon the sand.
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Matthew 7:26-27 KJVFriends, now is the time is to awake out of sleep, for now our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light as faithful soldiers in the Lord’s Army.
Loud Cry Compendium
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“And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
Ephesians 4:24 KJVSo, you have heard the good news of salvation in Christ Jesus and the message has stirred your heart. You have become convicted of your sins and believe with all your heart that “Jesus Christ is the Son of God” Acts 8:37 KJV. You decide to surrender your life to Christ and be baptised, choosing to become a disciple of Jesus and walking along this new path that God has laid out for you to follow. But what does this all mean? What does it mean to “walk in the newness of life?” Romans 6:4 KJV. Who is the old man? and what has happened to him? All these and more are the questions we sometimes have when we first accept Christ and to have a better understanding of these principles, would help to cement in our mind why we decided to follow Christ and why we continue to endure despite the many difficulties and afflictions.
For by grace are we saved through faith, says Paul, and not of our own works, lest any man should boast. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, was sent to us as a gift, that we might have eternal life in Him and be saved from our sins, if we believe. Ephesians 2:8; Romans 6:23 KJV; John 3:16 KJV.
When we accept by faith the righteous merits of Christ and His atoning sacrifice for our sins and we are baptised into Christ, we are baptised into His death. As Christ died upon the cross and was laid in the tomb, so we, when we are baptised into Him, we die symbolically. The old man is dead, the fleshly nature is deceased as Christ in His human body also died.
“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptised into Jesus Christ were baptised into his death? Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death…”
Romans 6:3-4 KJVAs Christ died in the flesh, so are we to die to the natural, fleshly, sinful nature which we inherited from our first parents, Adam & Eve, Romans 5:12 KJV. But this death is not just a one-off event, this death is a continuous dying to self each and every day. Notice the words of the Apostle Paul:
“…I die daily.”
1 Corinthians 15:31 KJVHowever, Christ did not stay dead forever, said the angel at the tomb, “He is not here, He is risen” Matthew 28:6 KJV. Therefore, “like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:3 KJV.
The old man has been crucified as Christ was also crucified and as He also rose again, so we also rise a new man, a new creation. Says the Apostle Paul, “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold all things are made new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV. It is no longer us that lives, but Christ that lives in us, both to will and to do of His good pleasure in our lives.
It should be noted that because of the death of the old man, sin no longer has power over us. Christ’s death and resurrection broke the chains of bondage to sin and guaranteed that in Him, that is, in Jesus, we can have the victory over sin; through Christ we have been set free from sin.
“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin…. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”
Romans 6:6-7,18 KJVThis is all good news. But the question begs to differ, how am I to live now that the old man is dead?
Well as mentioned before, this dying to self and casting off of the old man, is a daily process; we must “die daily”. We must continuously put to death the fleshly nature through the strength of Jesus, for in us dwelleth no good thing, however, we can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us. Romans 7:18 KJV; Philippians 4:13 KJV.
The new man is guided by the Spirit of God.
As we make that daily surrender to Christ in prayer and devotion and invite God’s Spirit into our lives, He comes in to dwell in our hearts and our minds, to lead us and direct us in the way which we should go. In the Psalms, God says, “I will instruct thee & teach thee in the way which thou shalt go, I will guide thee with Mine eye.” Psalms 32:8 KJV. God will teach us to do His will and His Spirit will direct us.
The children of God are led by His Spirit and when He leads us we are to walk in the way which He directs. No matter how rocky the path may look, no matter the trials and afflictions we may face on this Christian walk, let us remember Romans 8:28 KJV, ” …all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.“
As we are led by God’s Spirit we will be transformed into the image of Christ, reflecting His character to this dark and sinful world; by beholding Christ, we will become like Him in character. This is true Bible Christianity, not that which we see today.
“He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.”
1 John 2:6 KJVWe must live as Christ lived, we must walk as Christ walked. This is the characteristic given in the Bible of a true Christian, and the only way that we can live and walk like Christ is if we die to self daily, putting to death afresh the old man and walking in the newness of life being led continuously by the Holy Spirit.
“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth”
1 Peter 2:21-22 KJVChrist left us an example. We are to follow in His steps. Living as He lived, walking as He walked. Putting away sin from our lives by the power that He has promised unto us, and walking in the newness of life. May we ” put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
This is what it means to be a new creature. This is what it means to put to death the old man and to put on the new man. The question is are we still living as the “old man” or are we striving daily to live as the “new man”. Maybe you have been a Christian for many years, and all these concepts seem to new to you or maybe you are not a follower of Christ but you aspire to be deep down in your heart. Think upon these things friends; put off the old man, put on the new.
Loud Cry Compendium
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Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?
Luke 18:8 KJVIn the parable of the persistent widow of Luke 18:1-8 KJV, Jesus taught His disciples the importance of persistent prayer and enduring faith. This message was not only spoken to the disciples in His day, but it was spoken unto all generations and with more emphasis unto those followers of Him that shall be upon the earth when He comes.
Scripture teaches us that a woman in prophecy represents the Church, Jeremiah 6:2; Isaiah 51:16 KJV; Revelation 12:1 KJV, Ephesians 5:25-27,32, KJV, Isaiah 54:5-6 KJV, and therefore, symbolically, this widow represents the Church, living in the time of trouble and tribulation, who is constantly harassed and afflicted by the great adversary, Satan. Using his agents in these last days, he will be ‘wroth with the woman’ and will go out to ‘make war with the remnant of her seed, those who keep the Commandments of God and have the Testimony of Jesus Christ.’, Revelation 12:17 KJV.
She is a widow, for in the time of trial and tribulation that is soon to befall God’s people, it will appear as if God has forsaken His people; it will appear as if He has left the marriage covenant and divorced His Bride. Satan will seek with all wrath to wipe those faithful Bible believing Christians off of the face of the earth, for they refuse to depart from the truth found in God’s Word and refuse to worship the beast and its image or receive his mark in their forehead or in their hand, Revelation 14:9 KJV; Revelation 13:15-17 KJV.
Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed:
neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame, for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth,
and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name…For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit…
For a small moment have I forsaken thee;
Isaiah 54:4-8 KJV
but with great mercies will I gather thee.
In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment;
but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee,
saith the LORD thy Redeemer.Christ desires nothing so much as to redeem His heritage from the dominion of Satan. But before we are delivered from Satan’s power without, we must be delivered from his power within. The Lord permits trials in order that we may be cleansed from earthliness, from selfishness, from harsh, unchristlike traits of character. He suffers the deep waters of affliction to go over our souls in order that we may know Him and Jesus Christ whom He has sent, in order that we may have deep heart longings to be cleansed from defilement, and may come forth from the trial purer, holier, happier. Often we enter the furnace of trial with our souls darkened with selfishness; but if patient under the crucial test, we shall come forth reflecting the divine character. When His purpose in the affliction is accomplished, “He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.” Psalm 37:6.
Christ’s Object Lessons page 174Many fear the time of trouble spoken of by the Prophets and by the Apostles which is to befall the world before the Coming of Christ, as a result this has lead to many false teachings in the Church today to calm those fears. But perfect love cast out all fear.
Let us take encouragement from the persistent widow, who, in the time of her affliction and in the time of grave trial, held fast and endured, persistently coming before the judge, exhibiting that unshakeable faith, until she was avenged. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith, holding on to Christ, coming before Him day in & day out, seeking deliverance from our adversary.
Yes a time of trouble such as never was is soon to come upon all who dwell upon the face of the earth, Daniel 12:1 KJV; Luke 21:31-32,35 KJV; Mark 13:19 KJV, but we have the countless promises in Scripture not to fear, for Christ will never leave us nor forsake us.
It is in a crisis that the true character is revealed. It is in the time of trouble that all of the ‘fair weather’ Christians shall be shaken out and the true believers shall remain.
When we walk through the fire, we shall not be burned, the flames shall not kindle upon us, Isaiah 43:2 KJV, for Christ shall be with us as our Great Protector, He will not cast off His people, neither will He forsake His inheritance, Psalm 94:14 KJV.
Therefore, let us have a faith that endures, let us pray without ceasing, let us fight the good fight and stay the course, for we have a crown to gain, whom the Lord Jesus Christ shall give to all those who endure unto the very end, James 1:12 KJV; 2 Timothy 4:7-8 KJV.
Here is the patience of the saints, here are those who keep the Commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, Revelation 14:12 KJV
Loud Cry Compendium
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For the living know that they shall die, but the dead know not anything…
Ecclesiastes 9:5 KJVDeath is a subject that affects us all in this life; we are born, we live and grow and eventually we die but what actually happens to us after death? This is the question that man has been asking for millennia.
We live in a world where there are so many conflicting views & theories. Some say we are reincarnated and come back to life in another person’s body, others say nothing happens at all, that when we die that is the end of us for all eternity. In addition, these conflicting views are seen not only in the world but also in the Church. Christianity today teaches that when a person dies, they go immediately to heaven or to hell and some say one even goes to a place called purgatory: a sort of limbo, where you remain for a time.
But with so many different views, which one is correct?
As a Bible believing Christian, I believe that we must allow the Bible to have its say on the topic, for it, the Bible, is the inspired Word of God, it is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path Psalm 119:105 KJV, “the entrance of” God’s Word “giveth light, it giveth understanding unto the simple” Psalm 119:130 KJV, therefore, we are to live “by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” Matthew 4:4 KJV.
To understand this topic of what happens after death, we must lay a foundation that things may be made clear.
Scripture teaches us that when Eve was first approached by the devil, who appeared unto her as a serpent, he deceived her with the first lie ever told.
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.
Genesis 3:4 KJVSatan basically insinuated that it was fine to disobey the word of God, Genesis 2:17 KJV, and eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. For if you eat from it, said he unto Eve, you shall not surely die, i.e., you shall live forever and have immortality, death does not exist.
This first deception sounds a lot like what we hear today, some thousands of years later. How many of us have gone to funerals of deceased loved ones, only to hear that our dead friend or relative is looking down on us from heaven? It is even taught in the secular new age teachings of the day that our dead loved ones become part of the “life force”, whatever that is, to live on in nature. Not to mention the amount of times we see these conflicting views of death in mainstream media and in Hollywood. These are the common teachings of the day.
But what does Scripture say?
…our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality…
1 Timothy 6:14-16 KJVBefore the mountains were brought forth,
Psalm 90:2 KJV
or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world,
even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.The Word of God teaches us clearly that God is the only one that has immortality, and man, being created by the very Creator Himself, is not immortal, he is a mortal being, that returns to the grave at death.
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
Genesis 3:19 KJVShall mortal man be more just than God?
Job 4:17 KJV
Shall a man be more pure than his maker?But having said all this, what actually happens to us when we die? This is the topic of discussion today.
The Bible teaches us that when a person dies, they are in a state of sleep in the grave. They return unto dust to await their reward. That reward is given by Christ to every single person who has ever lived upon the earth, according to our works done in the body.
As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away:
Job 7:9-10 KJV
so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.
He shall return no more to his house,
neither shall his place know him any more.Consider and hear me, O LORD my God:
Psalm 13:3 KJV
lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
John 11:12-14 KJVAnd, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Revelation 22:12 KJVBy accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, the only acceptable offering for our sins, John 1:29 KJV, and by living a life that reflects the principles of God’s kingdom and His character, in total obedience to Him, we shall receive the reward of eternal life at the Second Coming of Christ.
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.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 KJV…for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1 Corinthians 15:52-53 KJVBut the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished…. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Revelation 20:5,11-13 KJVIf the dead are indeed already in heaven or hell, why then would they need to be raised again? It’s a serious question to consider because if one is already in heaven for example, why then is Christ returning?
On the other hand, if we reject the call of mercy to surrender our lives unto Christ, and to repent of our sins and continue to live a life of wickedness, then we shall receive the reward of eternal death and punishment in the lake of fire and brimstone.
For, behold, the LORD will come with fire,
Isaiah 66:15-16 KJV
and with his chariots like a whirlwind,
to render his anger with fury,
and his rebuke with flames of fire.
For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh:
and the slain of the LORD shall be many.Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
Jude 1:14-15 KJVThe primary reason for this teaching that our loved ones are already in heaven and not in the graves as Scripture makes clear, is that many misinterpret the meaning of what a soul is. A popular teaching among Christianity today is the the soul is a distinct and separate entity from the human body. However, this is contrary to the Scriptures.
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Genesis 2:7 KJVWhich sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
1 Peter 3:20 KJVThe soul that sinneth, it shall die
Ezekiel 18:20 KJVThe Bible shows us that man and the soul are not separate, but in fact, the lifeless body plus the breath of life which coms from God creates a soul. The soul is the living person. It is not a free flowing spirit floating around as we see taught today. Notice what God says.
The soul that sinneth, it shall die
Ezekiel 18:20 KJVThen shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 KJVAs we can see, when the breath of life, also called the spirit, is removed from an individual, that person or soul ceases to exist. The physical body with the breath of life in it refers to the living soul; the soul in itself is not a separate entity as is falsely taught.
All the while my breath is in me,
Job 27:3 KJV
and the spirit of God is in my nostrils.If persons, therefore, had a much clearer understanding on what the Bible says on this topic, they would not be deceived by a lot of these false teachings that are in the world today, which have also found themselves in the Church. We need to study the word of God more and make the effort to search the Scriptures for ourselves, for it is “a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path”, making clear the way which God would have us to walk.
If we open up ourselves into believing that the dead are in fact not truly dead, then we are no different that Eve, who believed the word of satan, who said that “you shall not surely die.” Not only this, but we open up ourselves to be deceived by the many spiritists and mediums in the world, who claim that they can communicate with the dead or even worse off giving the devil an opportunity to deceive us even further by manifesting himself to us in the form of one of our dead relatives or loved ones.
Friends, Christ is coming and coming quickly and He has a reward with Him to give unto all of us according to the works done in this life. Some of us may die before that time comes for we don’t know when God will require the breath of life from us, therefore, let us turn to God and put away the sinful pleasures of this life. Let us set our minds on things above, that heavenly reward, and not upon the fleeting things of this earth which shall pass away.
Surrender your lives over to the Creator of the heaven, the earth, the sea and all that in them is, that we may receive “the crown of life which He has promised to them that love Him.” James 1:12 KJV
Loud Cry Compendium
Loud Cry Compendium 