“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her! How often I would have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not!”
Matthew 23:37
This verse is called the lament over Jerusalem. Jesus loved the people of this city, and the country and people they represented. Jesus came to rescue and save the Jewish people, His own people, and they rejected Him. The pain of rejection was superseded by the pain of knowing the outcome of their rejection. They themselves would be rejected by God. Jesus is weeping over these people and all who reject Him. He knows the consequences, even if we don’t fully realise it. He is not willing that any should perish and He weeps at the foolishness in us that keeps us away from His love.
It is not just about eternal punishment, but about knowing Jesus and being so happy in His care. The hen cares for and protects her chickens by gathering them under her wing, she is so kind to them and the provider for the family. Even the animals protect their young and gather them to themselves to ensure they are safe. But somehow humans don’t feel their need of this, and think we can manage alone, or with the people and provision of this life. Sometimes it is good if we don’t have these blessings, because it shows us we need much more than bread and water to sustain us.
We are spiritual beings, and need the friendship of God to make us whole people. We cannot have this friendship, because we won’t come to the Lord Jesus and get our sinful ways forgiven and sorted out. He waits to gather is in. He wants to bless us beyond what we can imagine, but we resist. How foolish we are!
When God sends people to help us and show us the way, we reject them too. We can find ourselves despising the message, the messenger and the God who sent them. This was the state of these people in Jerusalem all those years ago, and is the state of too many people today also.
The Lord Jesus wants to bring you into His fellowship and friendship right today. He is offering it to us today. Will He weep over you because you are so foolish to not come to Him, or will He rejoice that you are safe with Him. The place of safety so only in Him, for there is no own else who is able to save us and keep us and bring us safely to heaven and home with Him. The reason people will be lost, and are lost even as they live in this world, is because they won’t come to their Saviour. They are like recalcitrant children who refuse help because they are so foolish and stubborn. The lip is curled, the brow has a frown and the feet are heading in the opposite direction!
If you are sheltering under those mighty wings, you are wise. Those wings will keep you safe from every threat of harm. You will have the confidence of knowing that God is for you and not against you, no matter the circumstances. Snuggle in close. It is the place of rest and protection.
“I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
John 10:28
This verse shows us who Jesus is and His powerful claims for Himself. He is able to save and keep us because of who He is. No one can snatch us away, ever, we are forever safe and sound under the protecting wings of God.
“May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who will also do it.”
“… who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father— to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
Galatians 1:4
Do we recognise that we need to be rescued, or are we satisfied with our lot in this world? Does this world supply all my needs?
This verse from the Scripture suggests not. I need to be delivered from the clutches of this world, which keeps me asleep and insensitive to my deepest needs. I need to be rescued from the mindset of the age, that I find myself living in. I need a new mindset, a new way to look at life and live it differently. This is God’s will for me, that I should not live in thrall to this world’s systems, but be free to live the life He has in store for me.
How can this happen? How can I possibly live in this world and not be a part of all the systems and attitudes and mindsets that abound everywhere? How can my heart life be changed?
God tells us here, that the work needed to set us free has already been undertaken and completed by Jesus the Saviour, on the cross at Calvary. God planned the whole rescue mission according to His purpose to save us, long before the world was made.
“… who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before times eternal…”
2 Timothy 1:9
God purposed the deliverance of His people, in eternity. He thought so much about them, and loved them so deeply, that He made this rescue plan. Jesus the eternal Son of God, would carry out the mission by becoming one of us and suffer and die to pay for the righteous demands of a holy law. Our sin had to be dealt with and every deviation from the law had to be recompensed, so Jesus willingly gave up His life so that we could be free from the power fo sin, and know the power of God. This truth is my trust, if I am a Christian. All my hope is placed on what Jesus has done for me.
Jesus did this freely, out of pure love and has taken the sinful mindset and motivation and actions, and bourne the punishment for them all. We can be free people, forgiven, and unbound from this world’s ways. This is why we love Him so much. He has set us free and give the power to walk this world in a worthy way.
If my trust is in Jesus Christ and who He is and the work that He did on the cross for my sake, I can be free. This is the message of the gospel. If I put my trust in Jesus and what He did, I an be free from the chains that holds me back.
I must recognise my need for this forgiveness and freedom and eagerly seek to enter into the reality of it. This is the only way to life and peace. The freedom offered is a real freedom of heart and mind and I must want that. It will mean that I break the chains with this world and it’s ways and follow God. It will be difficult in this world, because I will be swimming against the tide now, but I will know the will of God in my life.
We will be able to bring glory to Him and be thankful for what He has done for us. Unthankful hearts belong to this world, gratitude is the right response to God. We love the Lord Jesus with all our hearts and obey Him and serve Him with renewed souls and minds. His mind becomes increasingly part of our mind and we become more like Him. This is how we are set free from the mindset of this world and set fee to serve God and follow what He wants for us.
As Jesus gave Himself for our sins, so we give ourselves to Him as a daily and ongoing sacrifice of praise to His glory and the glory of the Father in heaven. All this is done through the working of the Holy Spirit in our life, convicting us of our sin and making us desirous to be changed. He guides us in all truth and fills our life with spiritual life, so we can relate to God.
Amen… let it be so. God is doing His work in this world. It is not seen by the people of this world, but one day soon, it will be revealed and the glory will all belong to God.
“Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.
Job 1:10
This is an accusation against God that Satan makes as the “great accuser.” He is always apportioning blame for things and never deals with his part. He is annoyed at God’s blessing on Job, who is God’s servant and faithful follower. Satan accuses God of protecting Job too much and putting a hedge of shelter around Job. The hedge is the presence of God in Job’s life, and Job’s unwavering faith and love for God and His commandments. Also, God has blessed Job with many temporal blessings and Job is a very rich man. He has a family and a business and many possessions, but they don’t seem to have dragged his faith away from God, but remind Job that God has blessed him and is caring for him. Job’s influence has been felt in many places, and God has blessed His faith and love by making Him a blessing to many.
We also have these blessings in a great degree, and are provided for each day. We also have the Word of God to guide and comfort us and can access it at any time. We have a hedge about us too, that God will use to keep us in Him, and encourage us along the pathway to heaven.
“Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or scared of them; for The Lord your God himself is who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6
If this was the only verse we had to look at and read and meditate on, it would be enough. God will never leave the righteous to be severely shaken so that they loose their faith. Faith is strengthened in adversity, so we should not be disturbed if the troubles get greater. God is building us up, not taking us down. He sends the troubles we can stand up against and learn to fight with the tools He has given to us.
“No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
1 Corinthians 10:13
Wether it is temptation or trouble, God’s people will be able to exercise faith against the desire to give up and will be over comers. God never leaves His people in the lurch, but gives the power to fight and gain the victory. We have this victory because Jesus our Saviour has overcome sin and death for us. We can fight because He has fought for us.
“I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble; but cheer up! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33
The fight has been fought and won already, and we will conquer all too, through the intercession of Christ who prays for us, and through the learning of how to use the spiritual tools at our disposal. This is all part of the hedge that has been placed around God’s people and the witness to the world that God cares for us.
If the hedge should be taken away, as it was, seemingly, with Job, we still know we have an advocate with the father, Jesus our Redeemer and our High Priest in heaven, and it is not forever. We all will experience times of oppression and loss, but only for a time. It might seem for our detriment, but if is not. Nothing happens to the Christian that is not for their good.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28
So the fact that God protects us, is always the case, even though we might not think so, or feel so. The hedge is always there, and God is working out His purposes in the circumstances of our lives, for the good of our soul and mind, and for the glory that will be revealed one day. God may take away certain things, especially the physical things we think we need, but He will restore them again and again build us up.
“Trust in the Lord, and do good. Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture. Also delight yourself in the Lord , and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
Psalm 37:3-4
“You, who have shown us many and bitter troubles, you will let me live. You will bring us up again from the depths of the earth. You will increase my honor, and comfort me again.”
Psalm 71:20-21
Faith is the key, as the one thing that please God. Trusting in our God will enable us to do good things, think the right things, and speak truth. As our faith grown in adversity, we become better at this and become strong in the Lord our God. Always the hedge is there, because we need it. We are weak people and no matter how strong our faith, we need the Lord every day, in every way and must never forget it. He will bring our righteousness into full light one day, and He will never let us be finally shaken.
“Cease from anger, and forsake wrath. Don’t fret, it leads only to evildoing.”
Psalm 37:8
Our anger may burn against injustice and hurt, but we lay it aside so that we might know Christ more and be like Him in His sufferings. Our wrath leads to evil, so we put it away from us, and exercise our faith in the Lord our God, who will deliver us from all evil.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?…
No! in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:35-39
Love for our Saviour in our hearts is as strong as death and will hold us fast, even as the grave holds the body of the deceased person. There is no way we can be separated from Him, even though we should loose all we have. We bind ourselves to Him, who we love, and keep ourselves in the love of God. We work out our own salvation story with fear and trembling, watching and being careful that we remain in the love of God.
Our jealousy should be real when it comes to our Saviour, and we should let no other love take His place. We should guard our hearts jealously, so that all other things do not get in the way, and when they threaten our devotion, they are dispatched quickly. We need to keep the balance in our lives between love for others, including family, and our love for God. Other loves can quickly take over, and we can neglect our Saviour and not value His company any longer. To guard that love for Jesus is the thing that must take a top priority in our lives, and to know that as we serve other, we are serving Him.
The woman in the love story recorded in the Song of Songs, knows that an unhelpful jealousy can destroy a relationship.
“Jealousy is as cruel as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a very flame of the Lord.”
Song of Songs 8:6
We must keep all things in balance. If we have family responsibilities, we cannot spend all our time serving God in some worthy cause and ignoring our family. We must spend the time and effort with those we love and who are closest to us and serve God in that regard also. Jealousy must not be allowed to raise it’s head, and spoil relationships and people feel aggrieved and left out from our lives. It is ideal that families should work together in the work of God, but this does not always happen. As we serve our Lord, we must not neglect our loved ones, and provoke jealousy.
Gossip must be kept at bay, so that people are not excluded and kept out of things. It is so easy to put someone down, and if it happens continually it will affect the attitudes of the people involved. This is why gossip is so wrong. It promotes petty jealousies and is not conducive to good personal relationships. Gossip about and jealousy towards another person is like a fire that rages. It rages like the wrath of God and will destroy everything. We guard our hearts against it. We repent from it.
Jealousy for the holiness of God is also a fire that rages like a huge flame and purifies everything. We need this positive jealousy in our lives to make us the people we should be. The negative jealousy will only destroy and the two cannot exist together.
“For the Lord your God is a devouring fire, a jealous God.”
Deuteronomy 4:24
This verse is a warning against putting anything before the personal relationship and walk we have with God. When we look for help from other sources other than God, we get into the mindset of unfaithfulness. It’s like saying we don’t really trust God and we need extra help. It is good to have Christian friends to talk with, but we must reason things out with God and through the understanding of His Word, the Scripture. God is holy and we must be holy too. Turning from our sinful mindset is crucial. This is why we need our Saviour Jesus. Only He can rescue us for this evil world and our own evil desires, and present us faultless before God on that last great day.
We set Christ as a seal on our heart, in the hidden spirit of love and we also wear it on our arm, the outward expressions do love towards Christ and His people, through service towards others. This will sustain us and keep us from sin. Let no temptation into your heart, but resist it and it will flee from you.
Keeping jealousy at bay, in regard to others and what they might have or be able to do, and keeping a jealous guard over our hearts, that God is magnified in our lives, will give us the right attitude as we run from evil.
“…for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Is it possible for a sinful, imperfect human to choose the holy God? Am I free to choose the right thing? Or am I bound in sin and death and insensible to how much trouble I am in with God?
The Scripture teaches that in my natural state, my body is alive, but the core of me, my soul, is dead.
“You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience; among whom we also all once lived in the lust of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”
Ephesians 2:1-3
God teaches me that without Him, I am dead. We walk this world as dead souls, until God awakens us and causes us to think as He thinks. If my soul is dead, it is incapable of choosing anything. My sin has so overcome me that I am not able nor willing to choose God, and need a resurrection experience to make me willing and bring me into a mindset of repentance. Indeed, more, my very nature drags me down into sin and the eternal consequences of it.
Salvation is of the Lord, it is He who has procured it for us, and it is the work of the person of the Holy Spirit to bring my mind into repentance and faith, and breathe life into my dead soul. We turn from serving our flesh, to turning to serve God, being thankful for His many blessings, that help us to be glad in Him. We treasure the Word of God and enjoy communion with Him, being stirred up to serve and witness for Him.
Having spiritual life is a completely different mindset from our natural inclinations, and comes from God and not us. We seek Him because He seeks us, as we love Him because He loves us.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ; even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without blemish before him in love…”
Ephesians 1:3-4
Our only hope is in God. He has provided the way and when He speaks to us we must respond. He promises every spiritual blessing in Christ to those He has chosen. If He had not chosen us, bought our forgiveness and taken us up, we would never choose Him or come to Him.
But when I do turn and believe, I gain a quality of life not known before and I gain a liberty not dreamed about. I become free to choose the right thing and to do what pleases God and not myself. God overcomes my natural desire for wrong and makes me a holy person. The rest of my life is the outworking of that work of God in my psyche and soul, and growing in godliness so that I become like Jesus, my Saviour and friend. Only the redeemed and changed soul has such desires.
I am also set free to love other people, and not to worry about how I am perceived all the time. I will not be worried about other people getting the better of me, or of what they might think about my motives and ideas. I will obey God and follow what I know He wants me to do. My motivation will be the whole good of the people I serve, and especially the salvation of their souls. To do good works without this is just social work, and not the work of God. People live forever, so their standing before a holy God is of prime importance.
“… that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints…”
Ephesians 1:17-18
The work of the Holy Spirit in our lives will change us completely and conform us to the image of God, which is why He made us. We are meant to enjoy God forever and walk with Him in all goodness and truth. The Spirit opens our minds and hearts to the truth and enlightens our understanding so that we grow in grace and the knowledge of God. We can know the riches of the glory of our inheritance and the joy that will come in the heavenly kingdom, because God will reveal it to us as we walk with Him. Such is the blessings of being a Christian believer and following the Lord Jesus closely.
We choose Him, we choose life, we choose to be like Him… this is free will. To choose anything else is to choose the slavery of a sinful mindset and the bound up psyche of a lost person.
We should choose what we like and be honest about our decisions, not just following the prevailing taste or the choice of the people in change of things. We should be able to accept each other and wait for the work of God in peoples lives in a direct and honest way. It is too easy to blend in and go along with prevailing cultures and think we are sincere. The compliance issues is great and it affects the following generations significantly. We look for true faith in ourselves and others and ensure we are sharing the whole gospel truth and people are believing in the true God. This is a great responsibility and we must be secure in ourselves about what we believe and how we present it. Love will persevere and make sure the message remains clean and clear, so that it is easy to understand and take in and believe.
“… preach… the unsearchable riches of Christ… and to make all men see what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God…”
Ephesians 3:8-9
This is the purpose of our Christian lives, to show Christ to a lost and unbelieving world and to show the mystery of the gospel in all its glory, that people might have life and be saved. Free will, will then hold sway and we will choose rightly and choose what God wants. That we might be holy, because He is holy.
“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”
Ecclesiastes 1:2
Vanity is meaninglessness. Emptiness. Apathy. Our world is full of these curses, that blight the human psyche and render us useless and hopeless. How can we live with a hopeless outlook? What kind of teachers in our collective social mindset, inflicted theses ideas on the precious people of this world, that infiltrate all our communities and social settings? Is it a true and accurate philosophy, that it is all hopeless, or are there other things to consider? This is the point of this incredible book of Ecclesiastes.
The word “vanity” is used three times here in this verse. The pointlessness of life is going to be explained in this text. We are going to examine what is meant by this word and related words. We are going to see the effect of this vanity and the outcomes of meaninglessness. It will not be pretty, as we can gather. For the way this idea is being presented here, it is a meaninglessness beyond meaninglessness. It is utter futility. Everything about life is completely pointless. The reasons we do things is of no consequence and not worth spending the time to think about what we are doing and why we do it. Apathy takes hold of the human psyche.
The fact that we die is a key element in this discourse and adds to the pointlessness of what people do in their lives. We are born, we live a life and we die. If life is too difficult, it is hard to carry on. This way of thinking has deeply infiltrated Western philosophy in recent history. Philosophers have run to the logical conclusion when we consider that this world has no God, no point and no future. It has moulded our society and many live for the “now” with physical comfort and success as the chief motivation for doing what they do. We have lost much in terms of morality and social concern for other people. This is the logical conclusion of this book and is studied for different aspects through eleven chapters.
Only in chapter twelve do we reach the most important point. The Creator is real and without Him, it is all pointless. A world without God, is a monstrous creation, and it cannot sustain the spiritual aspect of the human person. Without God we are lost.
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace…”
Romans 8:5-6
Many in our world are just dead men walking. Their bodies are alive, but the soul is dead to God, and a kind of, hopelessness is the result. We live for self and feed the monster of self within and we get worse and worse – more and more flesh orientated and further and further away from God. It affects us as individual people and as a social group too, families, friends and the wider society. Everything is corruption without the Lord. Only the refining work of the Spirit of God can stop the rot in the the human heart and community.
We keep goodness in our minds then goodness will come out.
If we let this philosophy in to our mindset, apathy will result. That only leads to futility of purpose and fallen outcome in our lives. Many turn to other “spiritual” ideas to try to find a meaning, but unless it is “real” and “true” it will never suffice for us. People were made for God and without Him, it really is pointless. We were made of enjoy Him forever and be righteous creations that bring joy everywhere. We have come a long way from that exalted position, but there is a way back to God for those who seek it and seek God. We don’t need to walk in the dark, for the light has come and the darkness is dispelled.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t overcome it.”
John 1:1-5
Jesus, the Word is our hope in the darkness of this world, and our Light that makes us right with God and full of the hope, for the kingdom has come.
“Let us go early to the vineyards to see if the vine has budded, if the blossom has opened, if the pomegranates are in bloom—there I will give you my love”
Song of Songs 7:12
This seems very forward. There is deep familiarity there, and deep trust. The woman wants to go back to the vineyards to see if there is to be any fruit there. The blossom is the forerunner of the fruit, and if the blossom is out, there is fruit to come. She especially singles out the pomegranate, a fruit of luxury and opulence, full of sweetness and promise. They have spent the night in the fields in the open country and now it is time to seek the sustenance of the vineyards, the restfulness of the green plants, and the sustainance of the fruit. They are living of the land and living of love.
She goes with her beloved everywhere, and will not be parted from him. She seeks refuge, love and refreshment with him, and is content with him alone. So also the Christian and so should also the church seeks Christ alone, knowing Him in the power of His resurrection. If we seek another love, life becomes problematic and we often bring many difficulties on ourselves. If the church seeks other strategies rather than Christ, or alongside Christ, it will come to nothing. The Christian is happy in Christ and with Christ. His power alone is what saves and keep us and will sustain our love right to the end, until we see His face. Other loves create dilemmas and situations that have to be sorted out. This is human society.
We need other people, so it behoves us to choose carefully who we want to speak to and share with. It should be people who will do us good, like the Lord does us good.
We care for each other as this woman cares about the plants she has tended and wants them to flourish. We care about the burdens other people bear and seek to help them. God gives to each of His people a ministry in well doing and we should pursue it. No token gestures and one off grand flourishes, but a commitment to help other and the body of Christ will grow and flourish. Without this we will fade away and become less and less.
Without Christ, our true love, we face away and die. Unless He should claim us, we remain alone all our lives, and we never experience the reality of true love. Unless the Beloved takes the beloved woman as his own, there will be no relationship and no love will take hold. Unless the woman is ready for him when he calls to her, then she will miss the opportunity and no love will be true. This cannot be, since love wins the day and Christ will have His church. The longer the reunion of Christ and the church goes on, so the agony of waiting grows. The longing for the great consumption day becomes unbearable and the features of the life of this world become less and less and we loose attraction for it. We long for Christ and to be with Him, which is far better.
“O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
Psalm 63:1
Every soul that belongs to God has this longing. It is forever satisfied in Jesus Christ and He walks with the believer every day and restores them continually. It is a true love story and has a glorious ending. This is the destiny of all who believe.
“Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
John 4:13-14
This is the true, all-encompassing love of Christ that wells up in the life of the Christian as a well of living water, even the fruit of the Holy Spirit, that strengthens and emboldens us to persevere and grow in our faith. Passion for Jesus also grows and we seek Him diligently and continually. His presence is all we seek. We seek the intimacy of the vineyard and there we give Him our love. Love so strong and deep that nothing and no one can come between us and a passion so great that nothing is counted as worthy, except knowing Him.
“But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
Philippians 3:7-11
This is the passion of the true believer and the true love. To count everything as a loss compared to the gain for the love of the Beloved, is a recklessness that is sanctified to God and will not go unrewarded or unfulfilled. The consummation is coming and so we remains faithful to the end that we will receive our hearts desire and eternal continuance of the love story.
There has always been a “spirit of the age.” Each generation has its own vibes and informal codes of conduct to mark out their own place in history. The end times will be no different, but may not be obvious in its deviousness and deception. There is much debate about the Anti-Christ and if it is a person or a spirit that invades thinking and action.
The Scripture also talks about a “strong delusion” that will overtake the thinking patterns of the last generation. It will be so effective that it could almost trick God’s people. What this delusion will be is not specified in Scripture, but it will be so subtle as to be nearly truth. There are many false gospels around today, and those who believe them are lead astray. But perhaps the delusion will not be particularly religious in nature, perhaps it will be a subtle change in the world’s mindset that will open up the way for a world- wide sophisticated lie, that will dupe everyone, except those who truly know God and are devoted to Him alone.
For an idea like that to take hold, people would have to be more accepting and less suspicious of the powers that be. They would have to be able to obey orders and not question the motives or implications of what they are asked to do, or the outcomes of what they are being asked to do. Blind adherence is a very good commodity for the establishment of a dictatorial system. We can establish this through the education systems in our societies, and many have used this throughout history for their own ends. At the end time, it will be a world wide delusion of this sort and because we don’t see clearly nor question big reasons anymore, we are taken in by this great lie.
We have a world wide pandemic at the moment and we are being asked to give up huge civil liberties in the name of safety and security. This is rather worrying to some people. Is this some kind of softening up process for the last great push of evil in our world? The amount of fear that has roamed the streets has been palpable. The levels of fear that have resulted in people being shut in their homes, voluntarily, and covering their personal identity, has been huge. We have succumbed to it, and now a precedent has been set. We are being asked to do things without debate and following the necessary orders of authorities without question, in the name of safety. We generate fear and social compliance follows very easily.
Our education systems have been changed dramatically over the past recent decades, and we are now totally outcome orientated. Education is all about examinations and job opportunities, and not the development of the person. We have all acquiesced to this too, and we have generations that will follow orders easily and will avoid the fear element in difficult issues, and take the obvious remedy offered at any given time. Social engineering has taken place, but we do not see it that way. We see “progress” and “homogenous thinking” which makes a seemingly better situation in social terms, as first, but breeds compliance and complacency, on a grand scale. It also oversees the rise of prejudice and exclusive attitudes, which keep people who are different from our particular group, out of favour.
We can see how this leads to the possibility of misuse and the certainty that one day, someone, of something will turn this to their own personal advantage. We do not only fight the folly of humankind, but powers and influences that we cannot see.
“For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Ephesians 6:12
The end times will show this Scripture in all its full force. The whole world will be affected and even the elect people of God could almost be deluded. They will only be rescued by putting on the full armour of God.
“Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand…”
Ephesians 6:13
This error that is coming is already in the world, always has been. It is our natural inclination to reject God and His ways, and go after folly.
“Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will kill with the breath of his mouth, and destroy by the manifestation of his coming; even he whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deception of wickedness for those who are being lost, because they didn’t receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. Because of this, God sends them a working of error, that they should believe a lie; that they all might be judged who didn’t believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
2 Thessalonians 2:8-12
This “man of sin” has always been around, waiting in the shadows for his day when he will be used by evil forces to delude humankind. All will acquiesce to the temptation to believe this lie, except those who are safe in Christ. Only if we are believing the truth of God are we safe from swallowing this monumental error. It will be subtle and not necessarily obviously religious. It will be an acceptable social mindset that keeps us in fear and takes away the ability to say “No” to whatever current acceptable decrees are being meted out. We will not want to be different or stand out against anything much, and the idea of disobeying orders, that are wrong, or refuting evil laws, will have been undermined effectively.
This is the breeding ground for the man of sin, who will take the people of this world, and use them for his own ends. He will destroy their human sensibilities and depravity will result. We will become more and more accepting of evil, presented in the form of “goodness.” Bad will become good and good bad, and we will change language to fit our fallen human mindsets. Everyone will be for themselves, yet held together by this fearful thinking that makes us imagine we are free and able to choose.
“But the Spirit says expressly that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, through the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron; forbidding marriage and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with thanksgiving. For it is sanctified through the word of God and prayer.”
1 Timothy 4:1-5
We have here the rise of legalism. Rules instead of repentance and therapy instead of the rejection of our transgressions. Righteousness becomes an unknown word and concept, and we do as we please. Yet, we are bound by unspecified rules, that keep us chained to doing what we are told by the prevailing authorities. It is a strange dilemma and illogical. The powers of reason have been put to flight and we are at the mercy of personal whim. This is a good situation for the establishment of an over- arching system of control. Divide the heart, rule the head.
The gospel of repentance and faith is no longer preached or even spoken about. Jesus will heal your diseases, physical and social, and make you feel better. There is no need to turn from sin and make any kind of sacrifice of yourself to God. Do what you think is ok. The social gospel has almost completely taken over and the people of God are entertained.
But some will turn back. Turn back the error and turn back to the Living and true God. They will not be popular. They will persist in the truth and God will honour them.
“These things have I spoken to you, so that you wouldn’t be caused to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time comes that whoever kills you will think that he offers service to God. They will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.”
John 16:1-3
Those who follow Christ are not necessarily or maybe ever, included…
“To the angel of the assembly in Smyrna write: “The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life says these things:
“I know your works, oppression, and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews, and they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Don’t be afraid of the things which you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested; and you will have oppression for ten days. Be faithful to death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. He who overcomes won’t be harmed by the second death.”
Revelation 2:8-11
The true Christian will have deep and searching testing times. There will be personal oppression and persecution. People will not understand, even those who call themselves Christians, but are really not. They will be church people, and seem good in many ways, but lack the personal power of the Holy Spirit to overcome the evil in their own lives. This is the breeding ground for error and the infiltration of the enemy in the church as in the personal life. Evil church leaders will be complacent and accepting of rules and regulations that oppress the saints of God and cause them grief and eventually exclusion from the social setting, reserving the membership,of the group for the totally compliant.
We must be strong in the Lord our God alone, and serve Him only.
Jannes and Jambres (ancient sorcerers in Egypt) opposed Moses, the man of faith, and mimicked his miracles from God. They were shown to be imposters, since they couldn’t do some of the things Moses could do. Mimicking God’s ways and making counterfeit miracles is a good way to infiltrate the house of God and lead people astray. We recognise them through their hardness of heart.
“But know this, that in the last days, grievous times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no lovers of good, traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding a form of godliness, but having denied its power. Turn away from these, also.”
2 Timothy 3:1-5
If I look at certain people around me, wherever they are, whatever they are involved in and I see these traits, I know they are not the Lord’s people. It doesn’t matter what code of conduct they sign up to, or declaration of doctrines that they say they hold, if the Christian character is not there, they are false people. We need such courage in these days to stand for God, often alone, and be true to Him. Don’t be deceived, God will work all things out for His Beloved people. And we will not loose out.
“But let each man test his own work, and then he will take pride in himself and not in his neighbor. For each man will bear his own burden. But let him who is taught in the word share all good things with him who teaches. Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”
Galatians 6:4-8
We work out our salvation in the fear of God, so that we will be secure in our faith. We share and build each other up in love and faith…if I sow in faith, I will reap in faith, and have a bumper harvest for the Lord. We must ensure our harvest is spiritual and not for our flesh, or just the flesh of another. I must be particular about my allegiance to causes, my cause is Christ and no other. If we stick to the tenets of the Holy Word, we are fine and happy. When we go against conscience and justify ourselves, we become unhappy. We leave ourselves open to error creeping in and we will be deceived.
The Man of Sin will attack small things first and slowly attack bigger issues as we become more and more complacent. Soon we will be overcome with error and we will not notice. It won’t be all doctrinal heresy, but the undermining of our Christian lifestyle, mindset and character. We will be like the world, only worse. We will harden our hearts against the needy and those who are perishing and hide in our enclaves of religious duty and habit. It will destroy us. We will build our own empires in the name of God, and become our own stumbling blocks…
But we are not children of the law, children of Sinai, but children of the promise. We are set free by Christ to live righteous lives in the power of the Holy Spirit of God, and to love others, as we love ourselves.
“Stand firm therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and don’t be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”
Galatians 5:1
We stay away from sin and all semblance of it. Keeping ourselves in the love of God and in obedience and faith. Dealing with out sin and keeping our lives pure. We spread the good news that through repentance and faith, we receive the promise of eternal life and the daily comfort of the Spirit of Gods within us. This is the life of peace. There is no other way.
“I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and givings of thanks, be made for all men: for kings and all who are in high places; that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; who desires all people to be saved and come to full knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all;”
1 Timothy 2:1-6
Perhaps this world will go on some time longer, and more people will be brought into the kingdom, but it is only through personal faith in Christ that this will happen. Only Christ can save us, and it is His work, so we live godly lives before God, walking in a living and active faith and proclaiming Christ to everyone we know.
It is so personal. It is the expression of her heart, that she should belong to her beloved and be claimed as His prize. There is something wonderful about belonging to another person, and belonging to a family. There is a loneliness to be experienced that only single people really understand. Some are called to this life, and the Lord draws particularly close to them. There may be little physical closeness but great spiritual and inner felt warmth from the Holy Spirit. Maybe this is a better state to be in, and one we should consider when thinking of marriage.
The Apostle Paul speaks about remaining single, as a blessed estate, and one that is a good choice.
“But I say to the unmarried and to widows, it is good for them if they remain even as I am. But if they don’t have self-control, let them marry. For it’s better to marry than to burn. But to the married I command—not I, but the Lord—that the wife not leave her husband (but if she departs, let her remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband not leave his wife.”
1 Corinthians 7:8-11
To be unmarried and remain a single person, or to leave an abusive marriage and be a single person, is permitted here. It is not presented as a disgrace to the person, or a judgment about the value or suitability of the person. It is a personal situation and choice.
But this book of Songs, is about the true love of two people who love each other so deeply, that these outrageous expression of love and devotion are real. There is such a thing. Not least, in the kingdom of heaven, between Jesus the Beloved and the beloved woman, who is His body, His people, His church. The love between Jesus and the church, is the greatest story every told. His love reaches to us in all our need and lifts us out of ignominy and grief and sin, and sets us up on high, as He is, and to reign with Him forever in unspeakable glory.
The love of the people of God should be so rich and deep. We should be so devoted to the Lord, that nothing is so hard to give up, or to deny ourselves, that it causes us grief. We should be so in love with Him, that all other things fall away and we belong to Him completely. Nothing of self remains, only Christ.
If the desire of Christ is towards you, you should be the happiest person on the whole planet. His love should overwhelm you and make all the difficulties easy. We give ourselves to Him again, the lover of our souls, and only one. He puts all other loves to flight and takes our eyes of the things of this world, and puts them on His own dear self. He will never oppress us or deny us what we need, and will supply all wants and wishes that will encourage us and lead us safely into the life God wants for us.
Jesus the saviour and Lord, claims His people and no one can take them away. We are secure and safe in His beloved care and we can rest on him entirely, no matter what our circumstances might be.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”
John 10:27-29
In comparison with the love of Christ for our souls, the love of others is cold. There is no heat without the love of the Lord Jesus burning in your heart. All other loves are substandard and we must recognise this. Without His love we have no hope, no God and no salvation and no love. All who posses this love are blessed beyond blessing and are completely safe no matter what happens to them, or what people say about them. The love of the Beloved is always towards them and will keep them everlastingly. We bear our burdens knowing that He bears us up and will bring us safely to our destination at the end.
“Blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to those who love him.”
James 1:12
If your trials are painful and deep, count it a privileged to suffer for His sake, because He will certainly bring you through. There is no other power can do so, for there is no other name given in heaven or earth that is able to save and keep us.
“None other Lamb, none other name, none other hope in heav’n or earth or sea, none other hiding place from guilt and shame, none besides Thee…”
Daughters of the Kingdom 