What Do You Know About The Day Of The Lord?

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE DAY OF THE LORD?

Relatively new Christians might not exactly comprehend this, but it is that period of time when the Lord will allow His apocalyptic judgment to rain on the earth. This is one of the prophetic themes of Isaiah the prophet. I believe you will find he uses the term "In that day" during his picture painting of how it will be during this yet to be fulfilled prophecy.
Isaiah's first brush strokes are found in Isa. 2:10 - 22, and Paul referred to this day in Thess. 1:7 - 10; "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power;" (2 Thess. 1:7 - 9) Truly this will be a day of punishment for the heathen, the pagan, the false teacher, and the atheist! Note at the beginning of the passage, Paul tells the believers to rest in Christ's return, the rebels are the ones with the eternal problem! John in Revelation also referred to this picture Isaiah began to paint; "And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?'" (Rev. 6:12 - 17) Note the wicked, who are in power on the earth, have great fear within them!

Jeremiah foretold that Jesus would come with judgment and justice; "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth." (Jer. 23:5) "And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, 'We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.' In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel." (Isa. 4:1 - 2) During that time, the wars will be so intense, men will be slaughtered so much that women will want to be self-supporting, wanting to be married, even to the same man, to escape being childless. Isaiah's paint brush continues to paint an ugly picture for those who do evil, and there's more...

"Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger." (Isa. 13:9 - 13) Signs in the heavens and the scarcity of men are again spoken of here, and Joel got in on it; "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come." (Joel 2:31) Our Lord Jesus also spoke on this astrological phenomonae; "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." (Matt. 24:29 - 31) (Mark 13:24 - 26, Luke 21:20 - 27 are similarly worded)

Isaiah continues to illustrate the apocalypse in chapter 24 of his book of the Old Testament. He describes how the coming judgment will occur worldwide, no place of escape, and no class of people will be uncathed, all pleasures of any kind vanish, with only a small survival rate. Believers will rejoice that God is executing justice over the evil, treacherous, and perverse.

"Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? This that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth." (Isa. 63:1 - 6) Here Isaiah describes Christ's second coming in His wrath and paints it as a crushing of grapes in a winepress. "And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs." (Rev. 14:20) Armageddon will be bloody, indeed, over 4 feet deep in blood! Isaiah's picture in this last reference paints a grim crimson picture of Jesus' judgment on the wicked in His day!

So be wary of His day's coming, because who can know it?  Who will be able to stand?  It is as Jesus said, "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." (Matt. 24:42)

HYPOCRISY

HYPOCRISY

A hypocrite; everyone has been one at some time during their lifetime, save Christ Jesus. There's no denying it; life is a complicated thing. We may say one thing, and then find ourselves in a situation where we feel forced to do that which we spoke against! It's part of our human make up; it's part of our sin nature.

Let us see what Paul has to say about the root of hypocrisy. "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." (Rom. 7:14 - 25)

What a unique perspective Paul has of the hypocritical nature of man. He points out that man's (and woman's) personality has sin as a steering mechanism, directed by the human ego to selfishness rather than to serving God. While only real Christians would delight in the law of God after the inward man, yet Paul noted that while with his mind he served the law of God, yet, with the flesh, the law of sin. And so it is, that anyone, try as they might not to sin at all, knowing as much as they do of all God's laws, yet their flesh will force them to sin, and therein hypocrisy is born. I can't stop from sinning, try as I might, and you can't stop from sinning, try as YOU might!

Consider Adam and Eve. The first human couple. Only one way given that they could possibly sin. One commandment to obey. Even only one tree with which to be able to disobey! "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." (Gen. 3:6) Eve was deceived with Satan's lie, true, and Adam knew not to eat, and did it anyway, but the root of the sin was placing their desires ahead of God's. In other words, they rebelled against God's commandment. Another name for this root of hypocrisy could be: pride.

Isaiah also spoke of the hypocrite as a vile person whose heart works iniquity; "For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail." (Isa. 32:6) Here is a good place to make a point of the Pharisees and Saducees; Isaiah says that hypocrites utter error against the Lord. Let us visit the most grievous error of the Pharisees of all their utterances. "But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, 'This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.'" (Matt. 12:24) And in answer to this that the Pharisees uttered, Jesus said, "Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." (Matt. 12:31 - 32)

Jesus proclaimed 8 woes against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and scribes in the Gospel of Matthew: "Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to His disciples, saying, 'The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, and love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, "Rabbi, Rabbi". But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, "Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!" Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And, "Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty." Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by Him that sitteth thereon. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, and say, "If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets." Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?'" (Matt. 23:1 - 33) Sorry about the length, but in order to show the scathing tongue lashing Jesus gave concerning their hypocrisy, it was necessary.

As if this warning concerning religious hypocrisy were not enough, Jesus spoke yet more to have all who believe in Him strive to be as little one who practices hypocrisy as possible; "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 5:19 - 20)

Is it any wonder why it is written, "My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation." (James 3:1) It means that teachers will be judged more strictly, since they instruct others, and therefore know better! Paul, too, wrote this of hypocrisy to the Romans; "And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? Thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? Thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written." (Rom. 2:19 - 24)

Herein let us strive because we know these things about hypocrisy, not to be as the Pharisees and scribes. For Paul also said, "(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified." (Rom. 2:13) Let us obey the commandments Jesus gave us. "Jesus said unto him, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.'" (Matt. 22:37 - 40) In obeying these two great commandments, we avoid hypocrisy as much as we humanly can!

WHEN CHRISTIANS MISINTERPRET, ARGUE, DEBATE, OR TRY TO REASON WITH EACH OTHER

When Christians Misinterpret, Argue, Debate, Or Try To Reason With Each Other

I have read comments by a number of Christians now saying that arguing is not from God, and thus insinuating that if someone disagrees with another to the point there is debate, one of those will be considered unChristian, and that to some degree is true, but which one are they going to judge ungodly, since they are setting themselves up to judge a brother or sister? God's people have been arguing, misinterpreting, reasoning and debating one another throughout the entire bible, and if I need to cite instances, I'm fully prepared to do just that!
Let's start with Joshua; Joshua and the tribes. "And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to. And the children of Israel heard say, 'Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the children of Israel.' And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up to war against them." (Josh. 22:10 - 12). You can find this in your bibles and read the entire chapter and understand what I'm saying is true. 9 1/2 tribes on one side of the Jordan heard a rumor, made up the worst in their mind of the 2 1/2 tribes who built the altar, and created a misunderstanding of the intent of the altar to the detriment of the entirety of God's people. Talk about bearing false witness against your neighbor! The 9 1/2 tribes were ready to kill the 2 1/2 tribes without even getting the whole story! Fortunately, the investigation headed by Phinehas resulted in the truth being made known that the altar built by the 2 1/2 tribes was not for idolatrous purposes! But to the point, would you call ready to go to war worse than an argument, and this was between God's people! Is it any different than two Christians today arguing over a biblical issue? I think it's worse! It seems no different to me than one Christian going over the another Christian's house with gun in hand because they think the other Christian committed a serious crime against God! Anyway, this is a case of godly people misinterpreting each other.

Hannah and the priest Eli had an exchange of words, and it was as a mild misinterpretation of Hannah's behavior; "And she vowed a vow, and said, 'O LORD of hosts, if Thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of Thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget Thine handmaid, but wilt give unto Thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.' And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth. Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. And Eli said unto her, 'How long wilt thou be drunken? Put away thy wine from thee.' And Hannah answered and said, 'No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.' Then Eli answered and said, 'Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of Him.' And she said, 'Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight.' So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad." (1 Sam. 1:11 - 18) Note how the priest was quick to trust her answer and cover his misjudgment of her with well wishing for her petition to God. I would that I should be the same as he, should I find myself to misjudge a brother or sister like this.

Paul, Hymenaeus and Alexander had an uglier disagreement. It was so bad, that Paul mentioned it in both letters he wrote to Timothy, so great was his concern that Timothy not make the same mistake! "This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme." (1 Tim. 1:18 - 20) "And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some." (2 Tim. 2:17 - 18) It would appear from these two pieces of Paul's letters that Hymenaeus was puffed up, and took two others with him, Alexander and Philetus, not only declaring their misinterpretation of scripture, but refusing to bow to Paul's correction! These three were as stiffnecked as the Israelites of old, and Paul was forced to break fellowship with them because of it. Paul states further in his 2nd letter to Timothy why he turned away from these three. "Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." (2 Tim. 3:4 - 7) They were traitors to his fellowship, heady and highminded of themselves, no better than Korah of the book Numbers!

Moses and Korah, Dathan, and Abiram also had an ugly disagreement, a rebellion against Moses and Aaron's leadership! For brevity I won't write the whole Chapter of Num. 16, but in a nutshell, Korah and his group charged that Moses and Aaron took on too much authority over the group, citing that the whole congregation was holy. In their short-sightedness, they failed to recognize that Moses and Aaron were God-appointed leaders, and this was, in effect, rebellion against God! The final word from God was their swallowing up into the earth!

Jesus, the Pharisees, scribes and lawyers always had disagreements, even arguments, and to the hurt of all against Jesus, because they were all blind to the fact He was the holy Son of God! Jesus often rebuked these religious leaders, if not for erroneous statements, for malevolent badgering and complaining that He violated Scripture in some way, not realizing they were judging the Son of God! By now you may have noticed any time there is a disagreement between two who believe in God, one is blind, and the other truly sees. Problem is, God is not around in person to tell which one needs the seeing eye dog, so the one goes off into their ditch, while the other continues on the path!

Jesus said He brought not peace but a sword between family members; "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me." (Matt. 10:34 - 37) And this was also spoken of prior to Jesus! "For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house." (Micah 7:6) Jesus knew that the Gospel and the bible and interpretations of it, and even the very belief in it, would cause tension and persecution between family members, and for some, even death! An example of death would be a Muslim accepting Christ as Savior and trying to witness to their family. An example of tension/persecution would be a nonCatholic Christian trying to explain their interpretation of doctrine as correct over the doctrine of Catholicism.

Then there's Apollos; "And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace: For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ." (Acts 18:24 - 28) Now THIS is the CORRECT way to reason with someone about their faith and the differences we all will have. To have this method of difference about doctrine worked out among Christians in this manner is about as rare as finding fangs on a chicken! I recently saw someone leave a comment on the Facebook social website asking for prayer for someone who had died, and I meekly apologized, and explained it is not logical to pray for the dead. If someone went to heaven, can you pray for them some extra bliss? And if someone is in hell, their judgment is over, you cannot pray them into heaven, and I know many Catholics who have told me they believe in reincarnation, and I mention they should open their bibles and read this piece of Scripture; "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" (Heb. 9:27) The Catholic bible has this, but few Catholics are aware of it, and sadly, most priests don't teach this, nor many other important pieces of Christian doctrine, so many Catholics are ignorant of this. Don't think I'm belittling all Catholics, for I once was one, and ignorant, too!

Church discipline is somewhat rarely brought to bear against heretical babbling, but it happens. The heretic, unfortunately, in this day and age, often has the "luxury" (if you could call it that) of simply going to a different denomination church that agrees with their disputed doctrine! For example, a Baptist who would agree with Jehovah witness doctrine would certainly soon become a reject if they stuck to it, but would feel little hurt of the Baptist rejection, because they would simply waltz into the doors of the Jehovah witness church, and be treated right at home! "But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself." (Titus 3:9 - 11) Now we who believe the truth, that Jesus Christ is the only way to receive salvation, born in the flesh to be our sacrifice for all our sins, that washed in His precious blood, our sins are all gone, would never accept the doctrine that doorknocking is another way to get you into heaven, yet there are churches out there that consider this the truth, and so is it any wonder that we are warned to reject people spouting such false dogma!

My family in Christ, let us not be in a hurry to condemn and argue with one another about various interpretations of the word of God that are indeed unprofitable and vain, and not only that, constitute a disruption in fellowship with one another. Agree to disagree on the little stuff, but the important doctrine hold true in your heart, and follow scripture as the Spirit leads you. Remember what Paul said in his 2nd letter to Timothy; "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Tim. 3:16 - 17) Reprove and correct meekly with lovingkindness; treat one another as Apollos was treated where there is a mistake in doctrine. Vinegar never attracted any houseflies, nor bellicose disagreement won over against errant thinking. How is it loving one another if we strive and contend one against another? "Honour thy father and thy mother: and, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Matt. 19:19)

IMPURITY AND SANCTIFICATION

IMPURITY AND SANCTIFICATION

What is impurity? The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as "Contamination or pollution, lack of consistency or homogeneity; adulteration. A state of immorality; sin." Shall we explore the ways a person can be spiritually impure?

1. In The Mind. - Did you note how the dictionary said, "A state of immorality"? That's not just with the body, that's also in the mind! See what Jesus said about a dirty mind, and this can apply to a woman's mind, but here Jesus was talking of a man's mind; "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, 'Thou shalt not commit adultery': But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." (Matt. 5:27 - 28).

2. In The Heart. - The godly men and women are those who obey the command to love God with all their hearts; but the unglodly person rebels against God with all their heart, and that heart is full of impurities! "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Gen. 6:5) "And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in His heart, 'I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.'" (Gen. 8:21)

3. In The Flesh. - Paul wrote of the problem he had between his flesh and his mind. He found that he wanted to obey God in the spirit, but the flesh was weak! He wrote how he wanted to be obedient in all thigs to God, yet his body was causing him to do and say and think things that lent to impurity, while really he wanted to obey God. He found this to be a wretched state! "But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members." (Rom. 7:23)

The Battle Between Impurity And Sanctity - Many Christians know that when we accepted Christ as our Savior, we got involved in a war, a war between good and evil. A war between being impure and sanctified. "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." (Gal. 5:17 - 18)

So what must we do to win his battle between impurity and sanctity? There are things we can do to help us, and living by the Spirit, God is willing to help us! First, let's look at what sanctify means.

What is the meaning of sanctify? The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as "To reserve for sacred use; consecrate. To make holy; purify." So how can we sactify ourselves, and even keep ourselves sanctified to the Lord? The bible, of course, has answers!

1. By Separating Ourselves From Defiling Things. - In the Old Testament, Moses was told by the Lord to be sanctified in this manner according to Num. 5:1 - 31. In this day and age, it would apply to a sort of spiritual housecleaning. We do not live communally as the Israelites did then, but we can sanctify our house. Focus on the concept of "If Jesus came into my house to visit, what would I be embarrassed/ashamed for Him to find?" Going room by room, you may find yourself in a house clearing mode for who knows how long! What a good way to get rid of unneeded things though, yes?

2. By Separating Ourselves From Bad Company. - Ever hear of "Tell me who your friends are, and I'll tell you who YOU are."? The same applies to the godly and ungodly. If you have ungodly friends, you will tend to slip and do/say/think ungodly things. Consider this out of the book of Proverbs: "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:" (Prov. 1:10 - 15)

3. By Separating Ourselves From Evil Locations. - When we have accepted Christ as our Savior, we realize we cannot go to certain places when we enjoyed our worldly ways, either. No more bars, wild party places, brothels, casinos; those kind of places. Proverbs has a sample of what I mean. "For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them. Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth. Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:" (Prov. 5:3 - 8) Here is good advice to stay away from the house of an adulterous woman!

THE SANCTIFICATION PROCESS

Now let us remember that we will still sin. We will still have the sin nature contaminate us with a sin of some sort, some of us still daily, but there is a resolution for that, one that sanctifies us. We have faith that if we confess our sins to God, He faithfully forgives us of them, each and every one, and thus we are sanctified by our confession and His forgiveness! "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it." (1 Thess. 5:23 - 24) "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) This is a joint work, you may notice, for us to sanctify ourselves. First we have to confess to God that we see what we have done as sin the same as He does. We have to agree that what God says in the bible is sin is sin indeed, and that we have committed an error. Then, as the loving Father He is, He forgives us our sins, and by faith we are sanctified by His forgiveness! "For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear Him." (Psa. 103:11 - 13)

CHRISTIANS AND THE OCCULT DON'T MIX!

CHRISTIANS AND THE OCCULT DON'T MIX!

Ever see palmistry signs up for reading your future? Ever hear of people wanting to hold a seance? Know anything about Ouija boards? These are things God doesn't want us having anything to do with! Fortune tellers and the like were not anyone to associate with in the old days of the Old Testament, nor are they acceptable to God now. Let's look in the bible at what I'm talking about...
"A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them." (Lev. 20:27) Seems clear enough; you didn't buy all those Harry Potter books, did you? Go to a Harry Potter movie? Wasted money. I knew of this law in Leviticus and stayed away from anything associated with Harry Potter, but when I was ignorant, I didn't find anything wrong with Mary Poppins, that magical nanny of the 60s How many of you have seen all kinds of movies or read stories of witches? "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." (Exod. 22:18) Puts a damper on the story of the good witch of the West, doesn't it? When the U.S. started out as a Christian nation, is it any wonder why the Salem witch trials happened for all those early years? Those people were trying to live by the Old Testament law!

When man or woman have anything to do with the occult, such as human sacrifice, or divination practices, such as an omen interpreter, which would be a palm reader, or practices witchcraft and wizardry (BAD Harry Potter!), or a medium who inquires of the dead, God finds all these practices an abomination! "When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee." (Deut. 18:9 - 12) We are to put these types of people out of business by avoiding contributing to their business! Harry Potter books have proven they are the way of the world; look how great a best seller it has been among the nonChristians! Sadly, even some who profess to be Christians have some copies of the books.

People who invoke the service of palm readers and mediums often end up with a negative experience of it. Consider what happened when Saul made the mistake of disobeying God's commandment concerning mediums: "Then said Saul unto his servants, 'Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her.' And his servants said to him, 'Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.' And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, 'I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.' And the woman said unto him, 'Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?' And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, 'As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.' Then said the woman, 'Whom shall I bring up unto thee?' And he said, 'Bring me up Samuel.' And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, 'Why hast thou deceived me?' For thou art Saul.' And the king said unto her, 'Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, 'I saw gods ascending out of the earth.' And he said unto her, 'What form is he of?' And she said, 'An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle.' And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself. And Samuel said to Saul, 'Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?' And Saul answered, 'I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.' Then said Samuel, 'Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David: Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day. Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.' Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night." (1 Sam. 28:7 - 20)

People who practice the occult tempt the Lord to anger, and it is written so in the bible. Consider what it says concerning Hephzi-bah's son, Manasseh, who was king in Jerusalem for 55 years: "And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger." (2 Kings 21:6) Many in this country practice a similar evil to Manasseh's passage of his son through the fire, only many in our nation cause their children to pass through the fire of a doctor's abortion tools! Just as God pronounced His judgement on Jerusalem and Judah in 2 Kings 21:12 - 15, so it should come to no surprise if God do the same with many nations of the earth today, which have practiced many abominations to tempt the Lord to anger!

Isaiah spoke several times against giving any heed to people who practiced the occult. Horoscopes are an abomination, and making and reading them and giving them any belief go against God's statutes. Isaiah recommended going to God for answers, not these charlatans! He also spoke against Egypt, because they sought help from foolishness that is found in the occult practices. He even warned of judgment against Babylon for their foolish involvement with occult practices! "And when they shall say unto you, 'Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter': should not a people seek unto their God? For the living to the dead?" (Isa. 8:19) "And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards." (Isa. 19:3) "Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee. Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it." (Isa. 47:13 - 14)

For any who read this who have Harry Potter books, or horoscope booklets, or even worse, books on occult practices, or who have even performed these black arts which God condemns, the bible has an example of what to do therein! "And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed." (Acts 19:18 - 20) Note that while they knew the worldly value of the books, yet they held them as trash to be burned, and that's what I would do if someone gave me a Harry Potter book or some horoscope booklet of the month!

The bible has more advice for the wayward person who now realizes the folly and error of having to do with the occult; "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." (James 4:7 - 8) God wants you close to Him. He loves you. He doesn't want any of us to get involved with things that are wicked and evil and mean us wrong and harm. The work of the occult is the work of the devil, and it is HE that means us harm! Therefore let us not rebel against our blessed Creator, and let us eschew these evil works!

KNOCK! KNOCK!

KNOCK! KNOCK!

In this world of so many different beliefs and religions, I am in awe that so many place their eggs in the wrong basket. Ever watch that game show where there are three doors with two of them having prizes behind them, and one had a dud prize behind it? Well, when it comes to where to place your faith, there are a myriad of doors to choose from instead of 3, and they ALL have a dud prize behind them...except one; Christ is behind the correct door to place your faith. As a matter of fact, Christ Himself said He IS the door!

Some might ask where in the bible He calls Himself a door...  "Then said Jesus unto them again, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."" (John 10:7 - 10) The sheep, of course, are we believers, but who are the thieves and robbers? They are false messiahs and teachers, and Israel knew many then, and the world even now has seen many of all kinds. Even now there are millions of false teachers, many come knocking on your door; they believe even for themselves that all their doorknocking will earn them a place in heaven. Misplaced faith. Dud prize door. Wrong door. John warned us of these people, and also taught us how to know them and thereby avoid them; "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world." (1 John 4:1 - 3)

Jesus also compared Himself to a gate: "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." (Matt. 7:13 - 20) Jesus is the strait gate, the only way to the Father. All the others here are lumped into one broad dud gate. Wrong gate. Misplaced faith. Yet many are they who place their faith in one of the dud gates. Any wonder why He said the gate was wide to destruction? There are so many dud gates, and so many choose one of them. False teachers are like thorns and thistles, and they are good for naught to Jesus except to be thrown in the fiery furnace!

So if someone comes to you with another way to heaven, and often they have another publication other than the bible, it would be wise not to believe what they have to say. "If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds." (2 John 1:10 - 11)

There is only one way to heaven, and that way is the door, the strait gate, and He said of Himself that He was the way; "Jesus saith unto him,

'I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me. If ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also: and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him.'" (John 14:6 - 7) After Jesus' death, Peter preached this same thing in Jerusalem. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

There is no other god with this special offer, nor with this unspeakable gift, His sacrifice for all who would believe on Him. Our God gave us a door to heaven, a gate with the greatest prize we could ever hope for: salvation in Christ Jesus, our Messiah, our Savior, who loved us so much, as our Father does, too, that He came to earth at the Father's bidding to give us a door to salvation. To heaven. To the Father. The veil between man and God was torn in away forever, that we should have a living way to the Father! "Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;" (Matt. 27:50 - 51)

Now one more time Jesus will refer to a door, but not the door as being Himself, but YOUR door!  And He's knocking! "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne." (Rev. 3:19 - 21) Christ here is appealing to the worldly, compromising believers in the church to come back to Him, open their door, and enjoy fellowship with Him. We must remember that even as we believe on Him, we are still sinners who need to realize our sins as we still make them, confess them, and come to Him as the children of God whom we are, and how exhilarating it will be to actually sit on His throne with Him! So much unconditional love from our wonderful God!  Knock!  Knock!

Christian Fellowship

CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

What is Christian fellowship about? Is it just a good title for the name of a church? Is it a nebulous concept that some people don't understand exactly? Is it something anyone can participate in, or are some uninvited? in this study, I would like to make it a little plainer for those who are interested, but not sure. For those who are versed in what it means, the edification will make them smile, I would hope.
"I was glad when they said unto me, 'Let us go into the house of the LORD.'...Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good." (Psa. 122:1, 9) So many believe in Christ Jesus in the world, and those of us who believe in Him, we enjoy each other's company, because we have a Christian love for one another, not as the world loves, but as family in Christ. David's psalm here says that he was happy when he was invited into the house of the Lord. Of course, nobody would "uninvite" king David, but here is given the idea that we can invite fellow believers into the house of God to enjoy worshipping together, giving thanks to God together, and praying for our needs together. When we do these things together, we edify each other with each other's presence and united prayer for the same needs. If we pray for each other's protection from the devil, for example, we edify each other in our speech, because we speak to the Father on each other's behalf, and the love of God is betwixt the three of us, for indeed, God is with us! "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matt. 18:20)

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore." (Psa. 133:1 - 3) To be in the presence of others who treat you like family, whom you can trust your care in, indeed, this is a pleasant moment!
Again I say, that when we are gathered together in Christian love, we are having Christian fellowship, and we are also being obedient to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for it is written that He said; "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:34 - 35) Love to one another includes such things as eating together, even the Lord's supper, and praying together for one another, and acts of compassion, such as rendering services of one kind or another to those feeble and/or in distress in some way. "And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers...And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." (Acts 2:42, 46 - 47) So here is more ensample of the behavior known as Christian fellowship; they went to each other's houses, and ate meals together, and prayed together, and praised God together.

Part of the fellowship in Christ is the oneness of mind and judgment. While we know there are divisions that are nowadays called denominations, yet even each denomination has oneness in what they believe for doctrine as to their interpretation of the Scriptures. Paul even experienced divisions as early as not even 50 years after Jesus death, in Corinth! "God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord." (1 Cor. 1:9) Right after this verse in the first of his letters to the Corinthians, Paul attacks the matter of divisions in the church there, which goes against the concept of fellowship. If you and I disagree on doctrine, how is that fellowship? Paul points this out to the Corinthians: "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, 'I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.' Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?" (1 Cor. 1:10 - 13) There is no love in division, so nor is there fellowship.

"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." (Heb. 10:24 - 25) The bible has lots of examples of good works. Jesus Himself gave examples often, such as feeding the thousands. Loving good works goes by another name: compassion. When we are thoughtful of the needs of one another, we are demonstrating compassion, because we see what another needs, and we fill it with service to them, which is a demonstration of love and is therefore an example of Christian fellowship in each service we render. Paul also says not to forsake the assembling of ourselves, as the manner of some is, and it is a sad truth that some experience a situation between them and another in the assembly, and they wax cold, so that they do indeed forsake assembling. These people need called back! Visitation is in order to see if reconciliation can be made! If at all possible, bring the sheep back to the fold! I know of someone that left a church for a number of reasons, and it took 5 years for their church to realize they were missing from the pews! By the time their old church finally called them, they were well-vested in a more biblically correct church that knew how to demonstrate Christian fellowship. And there is logical reason to assemble; for how will we know the needs of one another, that we might perform the good works that demonstrate love and fellowship?

"That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. 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. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1:3 - 7) John wrote the beginning of his first letter here with the theme of fellowship. He gave invitation to all believers to have fellowship with the apostles and ultimately, with the Father and His Son, our Savior, Chirst Jesus. Now when we act with fellowship toward one another, John explains here that our joy may be full because of the experience shared among us, filling the needs of one another. He also explains that we will know who does not have fellowship with us, for they will NOT walk as one in the light, as the rest who believe, but rather will be seen as one who walks in darkness, according to the ways of the world, as the prince of this world would like us all to, but for the glorious knowledge of the gospel that we all are aware of. While we walk in the light, however, we have fellowship not only with one another, but with Christ as well, and His blood keeps us continuously washed from all our sins.

So let us walk as Jesus would have us walk, into assemblage with one another, edifying each other in our faith in Christ, giving the services of good works one to another as He commanded, and thereby loving one another, demonstrating to all men, even the heathen and atheists who rebel and hate the one true God, that we are the disciples of Jesus Christ, because we love not only one another, but Him who commanded us to do so as well, for He said, "If ye love Me, keep My commandments." (John 14:15)