------------------------Robert J. Wieland Writings DDB1 1 1 Dial Daily Bread, Vol. 1 DDB2 1 1 Dial Daily Bread, Vol. 2 ------------------------Dial Daily Bread, Vol. 1 DDB1 1 1 Chapter 1--The Bible and New Year's Resolutions DDB1 2 1 Chapter 2--Delivered From the "Bondage" of Egyptian Materialism DDB1 3 1 Chapter 3--A Growing-up Process Now Taking Place DDB1 4 1 Chapter 4--"Solomon's Law"--A Lesson for Us Today DDB1 5 1 Chapter 5--The Mysterious Miracle in the Seed DDB1 6 1 Chapter 6--What Does It Mean for the Bride of Christ to "Make Herself Ready"? DDB1 7 1 Chapter 7--A Group Different From Any in All World History DDB1 8 1 Chapter 8--Did God Put the "Brakes" on Paul? DDB1 9 1 Chapter 9--Don't Be Afraid of Your Prosecutors (Or Your Persecutors!) DDB1 10 1 Chapter 10--Anointing--Is There Magic in the Sacred Oil? DDB1 11 1 Chapter 11--Two Great Truths Being Seen Clearly in These Last Days DDB1 12 1 Chapter 12--Living Soberly in Today's World DDB1 13 1 Chapter 13--Does Christianity Have Anything to Offer a Distraught World? DDB1 14 1 Chapter 14--Is It Our Job to Initiate a "Relationship" With Jesus? DDB1 15 1 Chapter 15--Why Repentance and Forgiveness Are So Closely Tied Together DDB1 16 1 Chapter 16--Those 144,000--Are They Special? DDB1 17 1 Chapter 17--An Appeal of Jesus That's Almost Universally Disregarded DDB1 18 1 Chapter 18--How a Pure Gospel Message Can Have Power DDB1 19 1 Chapter 19--What Is, and What Is Not, Genuine Love? DDB1 20 1 Chapter 20--Will the Church Ever Become Pure and Clean? DDB1 21 1 Chapter 21--The Superpower of Revelation 13 DDB1 22 1 Chapter 22--A Book the Savior Commands Us to Understand DDB1 23 1 Chapter 23--How Can We Ever Make Contact With the "High and Lofty One"? DDB1 24 1 Chapter 24--Why Would Jesus Have Faith in Human Beings? DDB1 25 1 Chapter 25--Seriously, Would You Want to "Follow" Paul? DDB1 26 1 Chapter 26--Second-hand Faith DDB1 27 1 Chapter 27--A Message of Healing for the Church DDB1 28 1 Chapter 28--Don't Ever Forget Where the World's Savior Came From DDB1 29 1 Chapter 29--The Light Flashing on Your Pathway DDB1 30 1 Chapter 30--Who Is "Peter"? DDB1 31 1 Chapter 31--God Wants Us to Know When "The Time of the End" Will Come DDB1 32 1 Chapter 32--The Practical Value of Christ's Nearness to Us DDB1 33 1 Chapter 33--"Lukewarmness"--The Universal Disease DDB1 34 1 Chapter 34--A Precious Insight Into the Grace of Christ DDB1 35 1 Chapter 35--The Domino Effect of Spiritual Maturity DDB1 36 1 Chapter 36--The Problem of Unrealized Sin DDB1 37 1 Chapter 37--Don't Think Your Sufferings Are in Vain or Pointless DDB1 38 1 Chapter 38--The Strangest Judgment Ever Seen on This Planet DDB1 39 1 Chapter 39--A Bible Teaching That Sets Apart a Unique Christian People DDB1 40 1 Chapter 40--The Great Nerve Center Where Christ Directs His Final Battle DDB1 41 1 Chapter 41--The Most Outrageous Deed Performed--Ever DDB1 42 1 Chapter 42--"Make Intercession" for Us--What Does It Mean? DDB1 43 1 Chapter 43--On His Cross, Christ Built Something Out of Nothing DDB1 44 1 Chapter 44--What the Father Has Done for "All Men" DDB1 45 1 Chapter 45--If You Must Look Through Tears, Remember that God is Your "Abba, Father" DDB1 46 1 Chapter 46--Immortality--Yours for the Asking DDB1 47 1 Chapter 47--Let's Draw Near to the Most Holy Apartment DDB1 48 1 Chapter 48--One Little Word That Turned the World Upside Down DDB1 49 1 Chapter 49--The Same Voice That Spoke to Jesus From the Bible Speaks to You DDB1 50 1 Chapter 50--Must We Seek and Find God, or Is It the Other Way Around? DDB1 51 1 Chapter 51--Jesus Says He Is Seeking Lost Sinners, Not Vice Versa DDB1 52 1 Chapter 52--Patrick the Myth and the Real Patrick DDB1 53 1 Chapter 53--Prayer is Also Listening to Him--Don't Miss the Blessing DDB1 54 1 Chapter 54--The Last Lesson Christ Learned Before He Closed His Eyes in Death DDB1 55 1 Chapter 55--The Greatest Sin of All the Ages DDB1 56 1 Chapter 56--A Tiny Example of the Lord's Goodness DDB1 57 1 Chapter 57--The Solution to God's Biggest Problem DDB1 58 1 Chapter 58--Does It Hurt God for Us to Think Evil of Him? DDB1 59 1 Chapter 59--Transformed From the Inside Out DDB1 60 1 Chapter 60--Why Have an Investigative Judgment? DDB1 61 1 Chapter 61--The Day When Everything Got Straightened Out DDB1 62 1 Chapter 62--"Lifted Up" for All to See DDB1 63 1 Chapter 63--The Boy Dedicated to His Father's "Business" DDB1 64 1 Chapter 64--Is There Biblical Basis for a Pre-Advent Judgment? DDB1 65 1 Chapter 65--A Clearer Vision of Christ's Substitution DDB1 66 1 Chapter 66--How Could There Be "War in Heaven"? DDB1 67 1 Chapter 67--Can We Help Christ Win the Great Controversy? DDB1 68 1 Chapter 68--A Special Day of Listening to the Lord DDB1 69 1 Chapter 69--A "Princess" and the Good News of the New Covenant DDB1 70 1 Chapter 70--Why Was Daniel So "Greatly Beloved"? DDB1 71 1 Chapter 71--The Only Man in Eternity Who Can Say, "Look to Me ..." DDB1 72 1 Chapter 72--Thank God for Love! DDB1 73 1 Chapter 73--"Blessing" or "To Bless"—What's the Difference? DDB1 74 1 Chapter 74--Must the Triumph of the Gospel Await a Future Generation? DDB1 75 1 Chapter 75--A Fresh New Revelation of Grace DDB1 76 1 Chapter 76--Sin Has No "Home" in the Vast Universe of God! DDB1 77 1 Chapter 77--The "Sheep" and the "Goats"--Did They Have It Backward? DDB1 78 1 Chapter 78--A Message That Will Always Lift You Up, Never Cast You Down DDB1 79 1 Chapter 79--A Sanctifying Message That Will Finally Be Full-blown DDB1 80 1 Chapter 80--Is It Possible … ? DDB1 81 1 Chapter 81--Could Time Go on Endlessly and Still Be "In the Last Days"? DDB1 82 1 Chapter 82--The Door Standing Open in Heaven DDB1 83 1 Chapter 83--Keep Your Heart Alert to What the Bridegroom May Do DDB1 84 1 Chapter 84--The Final Work of the One True High Priest DDB1 85 1 Chapter 85--The Most Important Activity Going on Today DDB1 86 1 Chapter 86--Revelation 13 Is Beginning to "Roll" DDB1 87 1 Chapter 87--How Does Christ Win the Final Battle? DDB1 88 1 Chapter 88--A Tiny Inquiry Into the Gospel DDB1 89 1 Chapter 89--How Does One Get This "Full Assurance of Faith"? DDB1 90 1 Chapter 90--A Change in the "Christian Experience" DDB1 91 1 Chapter 91--A Very Special Blessing Assigned to Women DDB1 92 1 Chapter 92--How Near Could the Second Coming Be? DDB1 93 1 Chapter 93--"Understanding"--A Key Word That Permeates the Book of Daniel DDB1 94 1 Chapter 94--Another Opportunity for Repentance DDB1 95 1 Chapter 95--Does God Care About "Time"? DDB1 96 1 Chapter 96--The Greatest "Evangelism" of All Time DDB1 97 1 Chapter 97--Reconciling the World to God DDB1 98 1 Chapter 98--A Giant Leap Forward, by Faith DDB1 99 1 Chapter 99--A Link to the Heart of Jesus DDB1 100 1 Chapter 100--We Need to Know About the Day of Atonement DDB1 101 1 Chapter 101--Counterfeits—How Can We Tell the Difference? DDB1 102 1 Chapter 102--"Bloom" Where the Lord Has "Planted" You DDB1 103 1 Chapter 103--Hellenistic Ideas That "Watered Down" Agape DDB1 104 1 Chapter 104--The Crisis of the Ages DDB1 105 1 Chapter 105--The "Gospel" the Apostles Preached DDB1 106 1 Chapter 106--Can God Alter Our "Birth Certificate"? DDB1 107 1 Chapter 107--What Was the Death of the Cross? DDB1 108 1 Chapter 108--Confused About Conflicting Views? Take Heart! DDB1 109 1 Chapter 109--The Lord Does Not Overburden You DDB1 110 1 Chapter 110--The Friend of Lonely People DDB1 111 1 Chapter 111--Joined to Christ by Faith DDB1 112 1 Chapter 112--Hands of Love DDB1 113 1 Chapter 113--Judgment Day Is Not Afar Off--It's Today! DDB1 114 1 Chapter 114--A Strange Story in the Bible That Will Help Children DDB1 115 1 Chapter 115--The Seal of a New Creature in Christ DDB1 116 1 Chapter 116--Our Planet--"Growing Old Like a Garment" DDB1 117 1 Chapter 117--The Godhead--A Truth Beyond Our Understanding DDB1 118 1 Chapter 118--What's Happening Behind the Scenes DDB1 119 1 Chapter 119--Is There "Justice" in Today's Warfare? DDB1 120 1 Chapter 120--What Role Will God Play in the Final Judgment? DDB1 121 1 Chapter 121--"Beholding" Christ, Our Only Hope DDB1 122 1 Chapter 122--A Forgotten Detail About Noah DDB1 123 1 Chapter 123--The Probing Ministry of the Holy Spirit DDB1 124 1 Chapter 124--God's "Special Angel" DDB1 125 1 Chapter 125--One Thing That the "Almighty" Can't Do DDB1 126 1 Chapter 126--It's Impossible to Be Afraid of the Judgment , If ... DDB1 127 1 Chapter 127--Who Is Christ? DDB1 128 1 Chapter 128--The Core Message of the Bible DDB1 129 1 Chapter 129--We Have a Choice—Live Under the Old Covenant or the New DDB1 130 1 Chapter 130--Truth Always Unites--It Never Divides Honest People DDB1 131 1 Chapter 131--What the Holy Spirit Did at Pentecost DDB1 132 1 Chapter 132--Is the Gospel "Soft" on Works? DDB1 133 1 Chapter 133--A "Bulletin" From Heaven's Media Office DDB1 134 1 Chapter 134--Some Refreshing News in Peter's Sermon at Pentecost DDB1 135 1 Chapter 135--Entrusted With an Unusual Gift DDB1 136 1 Chapter 136--The "Shaking" DDB1 137 1 Chapter 137--Discovering How Close Jesus Is to Humanity DDB1 138 1 Chapter 138--How Can a Hard-hearted Person Become Tender-hearted? DDB1 139 1 Chapter 139--The Built-in Power of the Apostles’ Message DDB1 140 1 Chapter 140--Do You Share the Joy? DDB1 141 1 Chapter 141--Fear? Those Who Believe in Jesus Won't Know It DDB1 142 1 Chapter 142--The Special Objects of Jesus' Compassion DDB1 143 1 Chapter 143--Each New Generation Has Had to Face a Cross DDB1 144 1 Chapter 144--Read Colossians--and See the Good News There DDB1 145 1 Chapter 145--Jesus' "Lightening Storm" Sermons DDB1 146 1 Chapter 146--Developing a Special Oneness With Christ DDB1 147 1 Chapter 147--The Most Terrifying News in the Entire Bible DDB1 148 1 Chapter 148--There Is No "Do-It-Yourself" Salvation DDB1 149 1 Chapter 149--A Message That Comes Like "A Still Small Voice" DDB1 150 1 Chapter 150--Sharing a Kinship of Soul With Paul DDB1 151 1 Chapter 151--What Does Prayer Tell Us About the Character of God? DDB1 152 1 Chapter 152--"Evangelize"--A Misunderstood Word DDB1 153 1 Chapter 153--A Truth Worth Living For DDB1 154 1 Chapter 154--How Does the Blood of Christ "Cleanse" and "Purify" Those Who Believe In Him? DDB1 155 1 Chapter 155--Atonement--Nothing Mysterious or Complicated DDB1 156 1 Chapter 156--The World's Greatest Days Are Just Ahead DDB1 157 1 Chapter 157--The Soul-Winning Work of the Fourth Angel DDB1 158 1 Chapter 158--Good News For You Today DDB1 159 1 Chapter 159--Does Jesus Love Some People More Than Others? DDB1 160 1 Chapter 160--Like Jesus, "Rest in Hope" DDB1 161 1 Chapter 161--The 23rd Psalm Was Written Especially for You DDB1 162 1 Chapter 162--The Path that Will Lead You Into Real Happiness DDB1 163 1 Chapter 163--How Does One Make Sense of the Sanctuary DDB1 164 1 Chapter 164--Jesus Christ Is Very Busy--Cooperate With Him! DDB1 165 1 Chapter 165--The Tremendous Power Locked Away in Agape DDB1 166 1 Chapter 166--Two Basic Ideas About Destiny DDB1 167 1 Chapter 167--Remembering "Katrina" DDB1 168 1 Chapter 168--Our Real Test of Character DDB1 169 1 Chapter 169--What Will Give Power to God's Last Days' Message? DDB1 170 1 Chapter 170--God is Agape--He Gives Everyone Freedom to Choose DDB1 171 1 Chapter 171--Does New Covenant Faith Make a Difference? DDB1 172 1 Chapter 172--God Will Know How to Grip the World's Attention! DDB1 173 1 Chapter 173--"Through the Lord's Mercies We Are Not Consumed" DDB1 174 1 Chapter 174--The Bible is Clear--We Are Living "In the Last Days" DDB1 175 1 Chapter 175--God Wants Every Teen to Hear His Promise DDB1 176 1 Chapter 176--Those Who Love the New Covenant Never Persecute Others! DDB1 177 1 Chapter 177--"Sighing and Crying" Positively Reaches Out to Bless Others DDB1 178 1 Chapter 178--What Does It Mean to Be a True Christian Today? DDB1 179 1 Chapter 179--Encouragement From Jacob DDB1 180 1 Chapter 180--Jesus Is Seeking to Save Us, Not Seeking an Excuse to Condemn Us DDB1 181 1 Chapter 181--Is Prayer Really Necessary? DDB1 182 1 Chapter 182--The Joyous Labor of Helping Someone Else DDB1 183 1 Chapter 183--Does It Make Any Difference What One Believes? DDB1 184 1 Chapter 184--The "Secret of the Cross" DDB1 185 1 Chapter 185--The Essence of the New Covenant DDB1 186 1 Chapter 186--Do You Feel You Are Praying for Nothing? DDB1 187 1 Chapter 187--When the Lost "Perish," Will God Still Love Them? DDB1 188 1 Chapter 188--Problems With Pride and Arrogance--Let's Find a "Self-starter" for Humbling Self DDB1 189 1 Chapter 189--How Every Loaf of Bread Is Stamped With the Cross of Christ DDB1 190 1 Chapter 190--A Prayer God Has Promised to Answer With a Yes! DDB1 191 1 Chapter 191--What It Means to "Glory in the Cross" DDB1 192 1 Chapter 192--Our Biblical Poet Laureate DDB1 193 1 Chapter 193--The Unnecessary Prayer DDB1 194 1 Chapter 194--The Good News in Suffering DDB1 195 1 Chapter 195--An Alternative to Being "Under Law" DDB1 196 1 Chapter 196--A "Student" in Christ's School DDB1 197 1 Chapter 197--Confused by Conflicting Ideas of Righteousness by Faith? DDB1 198 1 Chapter 198--According to Jesus, There Is Only One Thing We Must Do DDB1 199 1 Chapter 199--The Savior Needs Your Willing Cooperation DDB1 200 1 Chapter 200--Christ's Prayer Must Be Answered DDB1 201 1 Chapter 201--When Jesus Almost Returned DDB1 202 1 Chapter 202--Progress Will Become Phenomenal--In One Generation DDB1 203 1 Chapter 203--The Miracle of Unity DDB1 204 1 Chapter 204--God's Unwilling Messengers DDB1 205 1 Chapter 205--Sharing the Savior's Joy in Telling His Good News DDB1 206 1 Chapter 206--Does God Ever Smile at Us? DDB1 207 1 Chapter 207--The Miraculous Repentance Yet to Come DDB1 208 1 Chapter 208--Building a House? Think of Psalm 127 DDB1 209 1 Chapter 209--Ask the Father to Lead You to His Son's Cross DDB1 210 1 Chapter 210--"Abide in Me," Stay Where I Have Put You DDB1 211 1 Chapter 211--Nehemiah--We Are Inspired by His Devotion DDB1 212 1 Chapter 212--The Voice That Embraced Humanity DDB1 213 1 Chapter 213--Does Jesus Limit His Healing Grace Only to Good People? DDB1 214 1 Chapter 214--Is There Ever a Time When a Church Member Should Confront a Leader? DDB1 215 1 Chapter 215--A Lesson From the History of David DDB1 216 1 Chapter 216--A Glimpse Into the Heart of Jesus DDB1 217 1 Chapter 217--You Can Tell the Story of the Cross--Only If You've Had Your Isaiah 6 Experience DDB1 218 1 Chapter 218--New Covenant Good News That Melts the Angry Heart DDB1 219 1 Chapter 219--It's a Winning Message DDB1 220 1 Chapter 220--Letting Pure Gospel Sunlight Get Through DDB1 221 1 Chapter 221--Thanks Be to God for His "Unspeakable Gift" DDB1 222 1 Chapter 222--Can We Make the Good News of the Gospel Too Good? DDB1 223 1 Chapter 223--"Your Truth"--The Only Way to Unity DDB1 224 1 Chapter 224--Can You Overcome a Handicap That Has Been Yours Since Childhood? DDB1 225 1 Chapter 225--Abide in Christ Seven Days a Week DDB1 226 1 Chapter 226--Will Christ Really Find Faith on the Earth? DDB1 227 1 Chapter 227--A Rock-Solid Understanding of the Prophecies of Daniel and Revelation (Part 1) DDB1 228 1 Chapter 228--A Rock-Solid Understanding of the Prophecies of Daniel and Revelation (Part 2) DDB1 229 1 Chapter 229--Does the World Know What Christ Accomplished? DDB1 230 1 Chapter 230--The Greatest Election Ever--God Is Voting for You DDB1 231 1 Chapter 231--The Prophetic Drama Is Starkly Simple DDB1 232 1 Chapter 232--The Devil Made Me Do It? DDB1 233 1 Chapter 233--Moses’ Tragic Mistake—And an Update on Fred Bischoff DDB1 234 1 Chapter 234--The Only Way the Holy Spirit Can Reach the Heart of the One You Are Praying For DDB1 235 1 Chapter 235--The Best Good News You Will Ever Hear From the Lips of Jesus DDB1 236 1 Chapter 236--How Much Does God Love You, Personally? DDB1 237 1 Chapter 237--The Light That Will Blaze Across the World DDB1 238 1 Chapter 238--Thank God for the "Religion of the Baby Jesus" DDB1 239 1 Chapter 239--The Lord Will Help Us Save Our Children DDB1 240 1 Chapter 240--Can We Dwell Too Much on the Sacrifice of Christ? DDB1 241 1 Chapter 241--Only Luke Tells the Beautiful Story of the Birth of Jesus DDB1 242 1 Chapter 242--A Marvelous Passage in Philippians DDB1 243 1 Chapter 243--Jesus Begs You to Let Him Give You His New Covenant Promises DDB1 244 1 Chapter 244--A Special Final Message of Heart-Union With Christ DDB1 245 1 Chapter 245--How Close Has the Son of God Come to Us? DDB1 246 1 Chapter 246--A Resolution Is Not the Solution DDB1 247 1 Chapter 247--More Abundant Life--The Good News Is He Gives It to You DDB1 248 1 Chapter 248--The Book of Revelation--Where Christ Exposes His Heart DDB1 249 1 Chapter 249--Hungering for the Word of God More Than You Hunger for Breakfast DDB1 250 1 Chapter 250--Christ, A Savior FROM Sin DDB1 251 1 Chapter 251--The Shape of Things to Come DDB1 252 1 Chapter 252--The Great NEWS Behind the News DDB1 253 1 Chapter 253--Light Is Stronger Than Darkness DDB1 254 1 Chapter 254--Elijah--A Man of True Love DDB1 255 1 Chapter 255--Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation Illustrates What Christ Has Done DDB1 256 1 Chapter 256--"Evangelism" in God’s Design DDB1 257 1 Chapter 257--A Change in the "Christian Experience" DDB1 258 1 Chapter 258--What Does It Mean to Follow Christ During This Cosmic "Day of Atonement"? DDB1 259 1 Chapter 259--The "Elijah" Message Is Here--Don't Overlook It! DDB1 260 1 Chapter 260--Don't Abandon Your Confidence in the Lord's Great "Day of Atonement" DDB1 261 1 Chapter 261--Don't Be Fooled Into Thinking This World Is Your Home DDB1 262 1 Chapter 262--Can We Make the Good News Too Good? DDB1 263 1 Chapter 263--Standing Alone for Truth DDB1 264 1 Chapter 264--The Next Item on the Agenda: Repentance for God's Own People DDB1 265 1 Chapter 265--A Savior Who Truly Blots Outs All Our Iniquities DDB1 266 1 Chapter 266--Do Precisely What Jesus Said to Do--Read Daniel for Yourself DDB1 267 1 Chapter 267--The Entire Book of Revelation Is Concerned About This Issue DDB1 268 1 Chapter 268--The Storm Is on the Way DDB1 269 1 Chapter 269--The Seventh Angel Is Sounding His Trumpet DDB1 270 1 Chapter 270--Death for Christ Is Not a Tragedy DDB1 271 1 Chapter 271--The Beginning of a Deep Conversion DDB1 272 1 Chapter 272--The Teachings of Jesus Separated the People Into Two Classes DDB1 273 1 Chapter 273--Jesus Was Asked the Really Hard Question DDB1 274 1 Chapter 274--One Justification, Accomplished by the Savior of the World DDB1 275 1 Chapter 275--One of the Strangest Mysteries in the Bible DDB1 276 1 Chapter 276--The Challenge to God's "Remnant Church" DDB1 277 1 Chapter 277--Does Anybody Want the Reign of Sin to Go On and On? DDB1 278 1 Chapter 278--The Direct Fruit of Justification by Faith DDB1 279 1 Chapter 279--Are the Old and New Covenants Dry-as-Dust Theology? DDB1 280 1 Chapter 280--The "Mosquito" that Causes the Disease DDB1 281 1 Chapter 281--"Read" the Word! DDB1 282 1 Chapter 282--Can the Gospel Ever Lighten the Earth With Glory? DDB1 283 1 Chapter 283--Why Does God Demand Exclusive Worship? DDB1 284 1 Chapter 284--Why Does Addiction Have Such a Vise-Grip on Human Beings? DDB1 285 1 Chapter 285--How Can Jesus Save People Who Don’t Want to Be Saved? DDB1 286 1 Chapter 286--Our "Bread" to Share Today DDB1 287 1 Chapter 287--What Is the "Everlasting Covenant"? DDB1 288 1 Chapter 288--Reading the Ten Commandments With "New Covenant Eyes" DDB1 289 1 Chapter 289--Why Do People Who Love Truth Feel Motivated to Tell It? DDB1 290 1 Chapter 290--The Root of All Religious Falsehood DDB1 291 1 Chapter 291--The Grandest Revelations of "Christ and Him Crucified" Since Pentecost DDB1 292 1 Chapter 292--The Gift of Repentance DDB1 293 1 Chapter 293--Is It Easy or Hard to Be Saved? DDB1 294 1 Chapter 294--Didn’t Abram’s Obedience Contribute to His Salvation? DDB1 295 1 Chapter 295--The Addiction of All Addictions DDB1 296 1 Chapter 296--Have You Ever Thought What Your "Birthright" Is? DDB1 297 1 Chapter 297--The "Gospel of Self-esteem" vs. the "Gospel of Self-respect" DDB1 298 1 Chapter 298--What Does It Mean to Live Under the New Covenant? DDB1 299 1 Chapter 299--Will the Time Ever Come When the World’s Inhabitants Believe “The Everlasting Gospel”? DDB1 300 1 Chapter 300--On the Cross Jesus Was Thinking Especially of Children DDB1 301 1 Chapter 301--Why Is the “City” Called the “New” Jerusalem? DDB1 302 1 Chapter 302--Let Your Speech Be Full of Grace DDB1 303 1 Chapter 303--Perfect Theological Harmony DDB1 304 1 Chapter 304--The New Covenant for Your Soul DDB1 305 1 Chapter 305--A Glimpse of Brighter Scenes to Come DDB1 306 1 Chapter 306--What Exactly Is This Great “Day of Atonement"? DDB1 307 1 Chapter 307--Are We Mature Enough to "Sympathize" with Jesus? DDB1 308 1 Chapter 308--Can Children Understand Righteousness by Faith? DDB1 309 1 Chapter 309--Insignificant “Self” Choices Today Build Up a Massive Case of Self-condemnation DDB1 310 1 Chapter 310--Is the Bible as a Book Destined to Become Outdated? DDB1 311 1 Chapter 311--Do We Really Believe in Three Gods? DDB1 312 1 Chapter 312--A Statement That Was Revolutionary DDB1 313 1 Chapter 313--God's Ideal for His Church DDB1 314 1 Chapter 314--Faith AND Works or Faith WHICH Works? DDB1 315 1 Chapter 315--The Last Soul-winning Ministry of All Time DDB1 316 1 Chapter 316--Christ's Bride-to-be--Can He Trust Her to Be "With Him" in That Last Trying Hour? DDB1 317 1 Chapter 317--You Have Been Given Your "Measure of Faith" DDB1 318 1 Chapter 318--The Heavenly Father Will Never Give Us a "Stone" DDB1 319 1 Chapter 319--You Must Take Time to "Look" DDB1 320 1 Chapter 320--What Has Kept God Busy Since Creation? DDB1 321 1 Chapter 321--Whom Do We Truly Worship? DDB1 322 1 Chapter 322--"Protesting" in a Christlike Way DDB1 323 1 Chapter 323--Can Satan Force Us to Continue to Sin? DDB1 324 1 Chapter 324--A Smart Philosopher's Challenge DDB1 325 1 Chapter 325--Who Is "The Light of the World"? Is There a Contradiction? DDB1 326 1 Chapter 326--Christ's Repentance in Behalf of the Church DDB1 327 1 Chapter 327--What Can Make an Evil Person Become a Good Person? DDB1 328 1 Chapter 328--“Christian Experience”--A Term Seldom Heard Today DDB1 329 1 Chapter 329--Should We Be Afraid of the Judgment? DDB1 330 1 Chapter 330--Let's Be "At-One" Today--in Agape DDB1 331 1 Chapter 331--A Troublesome Text About Jesus' Second Coming DDB1 332 1 Chapter 332--Methods to "Evangelize"--Jesus Told Us What to Do DDB1 333 1 Chapter 333--The Key Ingredient in Experiential "Justification by Faith" DDB1 334 1 Chapter 334--One of the Greatest Treasures of All Time DDB1 335 1 Chapter 335--A New Motivation, Even for Teens DDB1 336 1 Chapter 336--When Elijah Is Sent, He Will Build Up, Not Tear Down DDB1 337 1 Chapter 337--Time to Begin Thinking About Christ and the Reward That He Deserves DDB1 338 1 Chapter 338--The Long Overdue Message DDB1 339 1 Chapter 339--The Divine Author Is Not Trying to Hide Truth From the World DDB1 340 1 Chapter 340--A Brilliant Insight Into the Private Life of Jesus DDB1 341 1 Chapter 341--Something Great Must Happen Before Jesus Can Come Again DDB1 342 1 Chapter 342--A Method of Evangelism We Have Overlooked DDB1 343 1 Chapter 343--Does God Have a Special Section in the Kingdom for People Who Think They Cannot Overcome Sin? DDB1 344 1 Chapter 344--What Did the Believing Thief "See"? DDB1 345 1 Chapter 345--How Highly Should We Think of Ourselves? DDB1 346 1 Chapter 346--Will God Be Judged by the Universe, or Will He Arbitrarily Judge Us? DDB1 347 1 Chapter 347--Our Love-Hate Relationship With God's Ten Commandment Law DDB1 348 1 Chapter 348--There Must Be Another "Noah" DDB1 349 1 Chapter 349--How Do You Know If You've Received the Holy Spirit? DDB1 350 1 Chapter 350--Jesus Is Our Elder Brother ... Forever! DDB1 351 1 Chapter 351--The Duties and Privileges of Being a Father DDB1 352 1 Chapter 352--We Still Haven't Caught Up With the Samaritans DDB1 353 1 Chapter 353--Why the Lord Permits Desperate Experiences DDB1 354 1 Chapter 354--Why Is the Right "Gate" So "Narrow"? DDB1 355 1 Chapter 355--A Passage in Job That Probes the Depths of Human Anguish DDB1 356 1 Chapter 356--Make a Choice to Believe, and You're in for an Exciting Life DDB1 357 1 Chapter 357--News Too Good for Unbelieving Hearts DDB1 358 1 Chapter 358--The Elijah Message--Preparing a People for the Second Coming of Christ DDB1 359 1 Chapter 359--The Greatest Love-and-Reconciliation-Building Ministry on Earth DDB1 360 1 Chapter 360--Cherishing "The Blessed Hope" DDB1 361 1 Chapter 361--"Faith and Love"--Do We Really Know What They Mean? DDB1 362 1 Chapter 362--You Have the Evidence That God Has Adopted You as His Child DDB1 363 1 Chapter 363--As We Celebrate Independence Day ... DDB1 364 1 Chapter 364--The Preamble to the Ten Commandments--Choose to Believe It DDB1 365 1 Chapter 365--Can the Dream Be Recovered? ------------------------Chapter 1--The Bible and New Year's Resolutions DDB1 1 1 Does the Bible say anything about New Year's resolutions? Well, ... yes. Israel had just come out of Egypt when the Lord had said to them (at Passover time), "This month shall be your beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you" (Ex. 12:2). DDB1 1 2 Shortly afterwards, they made a New Year's resolution at Mount Sinai. In fact, it was something like saying it under solemn oath, for they were making this resolution to God: "All that the Lord has spoken we will do" (19:8). It was like Peter's resolution, while not at New Year, was the same time of year: "Though all men shall be offended because of Thee, yet will I never be offended" (Matt. 26:33, King James Version). DDB1 1 3 In both cases, those who made this New Year's resolution failed to keep it. Israel began worshipping a golden calf in a mere matter of days, and in Peter's case, he was denying his Lord and Savior in a matter of hours. DDB1 1 4 Both of those "resolutions" were "old covenant" in principle. And the dear Lord doesn't want us to get ourselves into old covenant resolutions, for they "give birth to bondage," says Galatians 4:24, that is, they lead us into spiritual slavery. DDB1 1 5 The little book Steps to Christ tells why: "You desire to give yourself to Him [the Lord], but you are weak in moral power, in slavery to doubt, and controlled by the habits of your life of sin. Your promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand. You cannot control your thoughts, your impulses, your affections. The knowledge of your broken promises and forfeited pledges weakens your confidence in your own sincerity, and causes you to feel that God cannot accept you" (p. 47). DDB1 1 6 Stop right there. Here's the problem! The memory of your frequent failures to keep your promises makes you feel that you are no good and "that God cannot accept you" or respect you. And that is horrible slavery. DDB1 1 7 A far better way to face the New Year is under the "new covenant." Instead of promising God you will do better, thank Him that He has promised to save you, that Christ has given Himself for you already and bought you with His blood, and that you are precious in His sight. The new covenant is Good News, the "old" is bad news. ------------------------Chapter 2--Delivered From the "Bondage" of Egyptian Materialism DDB1 2 1 It's one of the greatest stories ever told, and it's 100 percent true: a man destined for the throne of the then-greatest empire in the world turns his back on that bright career in order to share with Jesus the bearing of His cross. DDB1 2 2 Moses was no dummy. He "was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians [considerable!], and was mighty in words and deeds" (Acts 7:22). He had the equivalent of a dozen doctoral degrees. (He is in fact even to this day the most widely read author of all time.) His earthly path was strewn with flowers; he was immensely popular as Egypt's Crown Prince; he had won military victories that endeared him to the nation; and the throne was his. DDB1 2 3 But he had learned about the sacrifice of Christ. True, he lived long before the incarnation of the Son of God, but that sacrifice was made "from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8), so that Moses could experience a heart-appreciation of the agape that led the Son of God to take those seven steps in condescension in our behalf that led Him to the "curse" of death on a cross for us (Phil. 2:5-8). DDB1 2 4 Here is a revelation that we need to understand. The world today is full of "the treasures in Egypt." Look for example at the shopping malls, Internet shopping, the car dealers' showrooms, and the palaces the real estate agents offer you. Many church members "esteem" those "treasures" as "greater riches" than "the reproach of Christ." DDB1 2 5 But look at what the agape of Christ did for a fellow-human being who by nature was born as selfish and world-loving as we are: "By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt" (Heb. 11:24-26). DDB1 2 6 Take a look at that same cross that Moses looked at and you'll find "the treasures" of today fade into insignificance. Then you'll be delivered from the "bondage" of Egyptian materialism. ------------------------Chapter 3--A Growing-up Process Now Taking Place DDB1 3 1 Quarrels and contention come because of our love of self, says the apostle James (4:1-3). Whether it's a marital, family, neighborly, or even a theological quarrel, we feel the pressing desire to justify ourselves by our defense of what we did or said, shielding ourselves from accusation. DDB1 3 2 How juvenile we can become! But thank God, there is a growing-up process now taking place. We have come to Daniel's "time of the end" (11:35, 12:4). It's not only a time when "signs" in heaven and earth proclaim that the coming of the Lord draws nigh (James 5:8), but it's a time for spiritual growth in preparation for meeting the Lord of glory face to face at His second coming. A blessed time! DDB1 3 3 The preparation process is the experience of "justification by faith." We don't seek to justify ourselves; we wait upon the Lord to do it for us, in other words, we wait for justification by faith. That's the meaning of David's telling us, "Wait on the Lord, ... wait, I say, on the Lord" (Psalm 27:14). "Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass" (37:5). It will take Him some time, but it's so much better than fighting our way to "justification" on our own and winning our quarrel (we think)! "He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday" (vs. 6). "Wait patiently for Him" (vs. 7). DDB1 3 4 In this "time of the end" there is also the final cosmic Day of Atonement, the time for the special work of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary. It's the ministry of the Savior as High Priest in preparing a people to stand in the final moments of time. "In your patience [you] possess your souls," says the Savior, speaking of this time (Luke 21:19); but patience is impossible unless there is faith--unless we believe "the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:5). DDB1 3 5 Whether you're a teen or a centenarian, this is "present truth" (2 Peter 1:12). ------------------------Chapter 4--"Solomon's Law"--A Lesson for Us Today DDB1 4 1 The story of King Solomon is one of the most fantastic in all sacred history. He starts out apparently perfect with that most rare gift of wisdom. He gets everything added to it. Every year he collects "666 talents of gold" until he has tons of it, he enjoys peace with his prosperity, "and all the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart" (1 Kings 10:14, 24). DDB1 4 2 Solomon, you have it made! You have brought heaven on earth, better yet, you are fulfilling God's promise to Abraham that "in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Gen. 12:3). And then, Solomon, you blew it; you turned right around and "went after Ashtoreh, the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites." You built temples to pagan gods and set them up in our holy city of Jerusalem (1 Kings 11:1-8)! Why, oh why, would you do this? What made you fall like this? DDB1 4 3 This almost unbelievable history must have a lesson for us today--it's "Solomon's Law," which must be fulfilled again, more than 3000 years later until the lesson is learned. Add to Solomon's impressive "holy" obedience of his early years (with God's undeniable blessings) the factor of Old Covenant thinking, and the recipe calls for national apostasy to develop. Solomon reverses 500 years of Israel's history, takes them back to the "Egyptian" darkness from which they had been delivered. DDB1 4 4 Now, in our modern Christian history, if we add to all our "holy" obedience to the law (with God's undeniable blessings) the factor of Old Covenant theology, we also inevitably end up going to "Babylon" to learn methods of worship and patterns of thinking. We again reverse our own history. Those who have been sacredly commissioned to proclaim "Babylon the great is fallen" fulfill "Solomon's Law" by adopting Babylon's theology and worship. Solomon finally had the sense to repent. Lord, grant that same precious gift to us! ------------------------Chapter 5--The Mysterious Miracle in the Seed DDB1 5 1 God must have a terrific sense of humor. All the while that people created in His image arrogantly deny His existence and the record of His Creation, they are eating bread that constantly proclaims anew the miracle of creation. Each tiny seed with its embryo and endosperm sustains the very life of God's enemies. DDB1 5 2 Try to imagine yourself a single seed cast into the darkness of the earth. The soil around you is dry and powdery so that your bed becomes your tomb unless some precious rain from heaven falls. Only then can you awaken to fruit-bearing life. DDB1 5 3 In pre-scientific ages, people marveled at the mysterious miracle in the seed. The Creation story in Genesis tells four times of the divine miracle in every seed, renewed and extended in uncounted trillions of germinations since day three of Creation. Even today, the totality of scientific knowledge is powerless to invent one such life-giving seed. DDB1 5 4 A favorite theme of Scripture from early times compares seeds to the spoken words of God. "As the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and ... water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give ... bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth" (Isa. 55:10, 11). Jesus built on this concept in His parable of the sower: "The seed is the word of God," He said (Luke 8:11). DDB1 5 5 Without moisture in the soil, changes in the permeability of the seed coat and inner layers cannot take place. And when the embryo germinates, the little plant must have rain for its searching roots to absorb nutrients for growth. DDB1 5 6 The Bible compares the Holy Spirit's action in the Christian life to showers of rain falling on thirsty plants. In other words, even Jesus' brilliant sermons cannot germinate into new life in human hearts without the gift of the Holy Spirit. Mountains of seed sown in a dust bowl would be wasted. DDB1 5 7 What can really change the hard hearts of men, women, and young people? Only that gift which is just as miraculous as the life imprisoned inside the seed--heaven's Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit, all the preaching in the world is like sowing seeds on a parking lot. ------------------------Chapter 6--What Does It Mean for the Bride of Christ to "Make Herself Ready"? DDB1 6 1 What does it mean for the Bride of Christ, "the Lamb's wife," to "make herself ready"? (Rev. 19:7). In trying to respond I would "walk humbly with [my] God" (Micah 6:8). Revelation was not written except with tears (5:4), and can be understood only by those who have accepted the "yoke" of Christ and are "gentle and lowly in heart" (Matt. 11:29). DDB1 6 2 There is, and there has been, no woman on earth who could qualify to be the Bride of Christ, the Son of God. "She" is "the church [who] is subject to Christ," not resisting Him, not crucifying Him again (Eph. 5:23-32; Heb. 6:6). DDB1 6 3 The only "church" mentioned in Revelation that could be a candidate seems to be the seventh of history, the last--Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-21). Reverent-minded scholars through the centuries have seen in verse 20 that "the Faithful and True Witness" identifies her with the bride-to-be of Song of Solomon 5:2-8, who spurned her only true lover (the "knocking at the door" is a direct quote from the Septuagint version that Jesus and the apostles used). Obviously, before the "marriage" can take place, "she" will do what He commands, "repent" (Rev. 3:19). The Song of Solomon represents her as seeking her lost Lover, almost in vain. DDB1 6 4 The "making herself ready" seems to suggest a repentance which she has at last chosen to receive, not reject (all true repentance is a gift from the Lord, Acts 5:31). DDB1 6 5 "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints" (Rev. 19:8, King James Version). It's Christ's righteousness which has now at last been imparted, not merely legally imputed. It's His righteousness lived out in His church. It glorifies Christ, its Source. It's a beautiful demonstration to close the great controversy between Christ and Satan. DDB1 6 6 Let's remember: we can't believe in the Bridegroom unless we choose to believe also in "the Lamb's wife"--that she will repent. They are "one flesh"-to-be. ------------------------Chapter 7--A Group Different From Any in All World History DDB1 7 1 The Book of Revelation describes a people who in the last days have permitted the Holy Spirit to mold them, to teach them, to train them, to be like Christ in character: DDB1 7 2 "I looked," says John, "and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion [a symbol of the church], and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand. ... These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. ... In their mouth was found no guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God" (Rev. 14:1-5). We can't wash any portion of God's word down the drain. It's written here for us to believe. DDB1 7 3 These people, as a group, are different from any others in all world history, for "they sang as it were a new song before the throne" (vs. 3). A "new song" means a new experience; and a new experience means they have heard and received a new message, a fresh proclamation of "the everlasting gospel" which has accomplished this wonderful achievement. Yes, "the gospel of Christ ... is the power of God to salvation" (Rom. 1:16). DDB1 7 4 But this is a clearer proclamation of that gospel! Luther, Calvin, and the 16th century Reformers saw much light and were a blessing to the world. But in these last days we live in the time of the great three angels' messages of Revelation 14 and of that message of the fourth angel in chapter 18--"the everlasting gospel" is now more fully being revealed. Its purpose is not merely to prepare a people to die, but to prepare the corporate body of God's people for translation without seeing death. Granted, some will refuse this last days' ministry of Christ as our great High Priest; but there will be many who will honor Him by permitting the Holy Spirit to work upon their hearts. DDB1 7 5 Today those three angels are going everywhere in the world, proclaiming a most precious message. Soon the fourth angel will join them, and a Voice will sound from heaven in some way to every person in the world, "Come out of [Babylon], my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues" (Rev. 18:4). DDB1 7 6 That Voice is speaking to you! It is telling you the Good News that Christ has already saved you! You can be a new person; you don't have to stay in old, dark spiritual "Egypt" for He has set you free! The prison doors are open; walk out into the sunshine! ------------------------Chapter 8--Did God Put the "Brakes" on Paul? DDB1 8 1 When the Apostle Paul became zealous and wrote his "epistles" to the Romans, the Galatians, the Ephesians, Timothy, and others, was he slipping over the 50/50 line of "balance" between faith and works? Did God raise up the Apostle James to write his "epistle" in an effort to put the "brakes" on Paul? DDB1 8 2 It's not difficult to understand this problem. If we let James have his say we see that he is in no way opposing Paul. He is simply saying that genuine faith produces works of obedience to God's law (James 2:14). It's not faith and works. James is exactly in harmony with what Paul says when he writes that what's important is "faith which works" (Gal. 5:6). DDB1 8 3 May the dear Lord deliver us from our Old Covenant mindset of self: what's important in these last days is not saving our own poor souls and getting a crown to put on our own heads, but crowning the Son of God to be King of kings and Lord of lords. We are not mere spectators sitting on the bleachers watching the great controversy being fought to a close; we are down in the arena fighting "with Him" (Rev. 17:14). DDB1 8 4 Yes, we want to be saved, of course; but on this great Day of Atonement we have grown out of our childish concern for the ice cream and cake at the "marriage of the Lamb" and we have grown up to sense the concern of the Bride at the wedding. She is not thinking now of herself as she once did in her childhood, but of her Bridegroom. We can't set the clock back nor can we hinder it telling the time of day. DDB1 8 5 Faith has come to be seen as a heart-appreciation of His love (agape); the egocentric kind of "faith" is transcended and that love of Christ constrains us "henceforth" to think and to live "unto Him which died for [us], and rose again," and not unto ourselves (2 Cor. 5:14, 15). At last, self is crucified with Christ (Gal. 2:20; 6:14), and He alone is honored. ------------------------Chapter 9--Don't Be Afraid of Your Prosecutors (Or Your Persecutors!) DDB1 9 1 Have you ever been summoned with a subpoena to court? With not one but a battery of prosecuting attorneys inquiring into intimate details of your life? DDB1 9 2 The word "subpoena" doesn't appear in the Bible but the idea is in 2 Corinthians 5:10: "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." The next verse speaks of "the terror of the Lord." Rather frightening! DDB1 9 3 "Dial Daily Bread" is devoted to telling Good News, but this sounds like Bad News. Jesus says, "There is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known" (Matt. 10:26). But that verse itself is Good News, for He adds, "Therefore do not fear them," that is, don't be afraid of your prosecutors (or your persecutors!). Why? Because in that appearance before "the judgment seat of Christ" He will be your Friend, not your Enemy if today you will simply let Him. DDB1 9 4 The Father Himself refuses to condemn you (see John 5:22). Jesus also refused to condemn anyone in that day (see John 12:47, 48). Therefore the only "condemnation" will come from what is written of "the things done in the body," a record that is indisputable, recorded not only in the "books" of heaven, but in your own soul as well. Jesus won't have to say a word; the "book" will be open. Paul says, "Some men's sins are clearly evident, proceeding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later" (1 Tim. 5:24). DDB1 9 5 The Good News is: even though there are shameful things you don't want revealed, you can "send them on beforehand to judgment." You can get on your knees and confess them to your Savior; you can even let bitter tears fall. The Holy Spirit can teach your sinful heart to hate those sins; your heart can be truly converted; you can be a new person; and you can believe the promise, "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). DDB1 9 6 Good News? Yes! ------------------------Chapter 10--Anointing--Is There Magic in the Sacred Oil? DDB1 10 1 Sickness is everywhere, and all too often it comes on us while we are too young. Moses said that "the days of our lives are seventy years; and ... by reason of [unusual physical] strength they [may] be eighty years" (Psalm 90:10), but to succumb to cancer or some other fatal malady before those allotted "years" is tragic. DDB1 10 2 It's in that circumstance that the afflicted person is to "call for the elders of the church ... [to] pray" and to "anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord." The idea is that "the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" (James 5:14, 15). DDB1 10 3 But is there magic in the sacred oil? No, for we are not idolaters. Then why "anoint with oil"? Is it mindless "obedience" to a stipulated rule? A stern, "Do what God says if you want to be healed!"? Or could there be significance here that we are prone to overlook? DDB1 10 4 The sacred oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. And James assumes that the "elders" will be mature people in the church body, consecrated to the One who died for us, whose "Christian experience" is such that they can "minister" the Holy Spirit to the afflicted person. It's not a mere physical act; there is spiritual enrichment involved here through real "forgiveness" that is more than mere pardon. It's setting free from sin. DDB1 10 5 A wise writer once said that nine-tenths of the diseases from which people suffer have their origin in the mind. Sometimes a false doctrine such as the endless torture of the lost can so alienate a person's mind from Christ that there is an acute case of heart-felt "enmity against God" (cf. Rom. 8:7). And this can be unconscious--lying beneath the surface. This becomes the pre-condition of fatal sickness. DDB1 10 6 To anoint such a one with physical oil is meaningless unless "the elders" can minister a message of peace and oneness with Christ--"Be reconciled to God"! (2 Cor. 5:20). And there of course is the message of Christ's righteousness, the "most precious message" of what really happened on His cross, and what especially happens in His High Priestly ministry on this cosmic Day of Atonement. DDB1 10 7 In such an "anointing" the person who is mentally and spiritually wearied is refreshed, and God's healing physical virtue can flow in (the Greek word translated "sick" in James 5:14 is kamno, which means to be "exhausted"). "Come to [Him], all you who labor and are heavy laden, and [He] will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). ------------------------Chapter 11--Two Great Truths Being Seen Clearly in These Last Days DDB1 11 1 The Bible clearly says something that some theologians haven't wanted to believe: "Jesus Christ the righteous ... is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world" (1 John 2:1, 2). DDB1 11 2 Our dear brother John Calvin couldn't see what it says; he maintained that it meant only that it's just "the elect" in "all the world" who are meant; not everybody (Calvin's Commentaries, 16th century). This seems still to be the greatest hurdle that many Christians have--to understand who Jesus is. DDB1 11 3 He is "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42); He was sent to "give eternal life" to "all flesh" (17:2), to "give life to the world" (6:33, 51); He died the death which is the punishment for sin for "everyone" (Heb 2:9); He became the second Adam of the human race, reversing all the "condemnation" that the first Adam brought upon the race (Rom. 5:15-18). DDB1 11 4 Why couldn't John Calvin see the Good News? What blinded his eyes? He was living still in the "wilderness" of the Dark Ages, before the full light of the gospel was to be seen clearly after the 1260 years (Rev. 12:6). He was bound by the unbiblical idea that God's grace is "irresistible," that if God "wills" that a person be saved, that person's perverse "will" cannot "frustrate the grace of God." It means logically that one's going to be saved even if he disbelieves to the bitter end. DDB1 11 5 Two great truths are being seen clearly in these last days: (1) the extent of the "width and length and depth and height" of the love (agape) of Christ that "constrains" an honest-hearted person to serve Christ forever (Eph. 4:18, 19; 2 Cor. 5:14), (2) the terrible unbelief of people who want to "crucify [Christ] afresh, and put Him to an open shame" (Heb. 6:6, King James Version) and reject the "gift" that He has already given them "in Himself." They are lost not because of any arbitrary decree on the part of God, but because of their own perverse will, their unfitness for the companionship of heaven. DDB1 11 6 Nobody who "loves darkness rather than light" could be happy in heaven even if he was admitted (see John 3:18-20). So, in the end, God simply gives everybody what he or she has wanted, and has persistently chosen. DDB1 11 7 What are you choosing day by day, moment by moment? Self? Or Christ? Think deeply. The judgment is going on now; today could register your final choice. ------------------------Chapter 12--Living Soberly in Today's World DDB1 12 1 There are those who joke about the scandals that have permeated U.S. news. The angels who observe all that happens on this earth (heaven is close to earth!) are not joking. When young people, even children, are being poisoned by cynicism and immorality, angels weep, for death is nothing to joke about. And sin and immorality produce death, not only for individuals, but for society. What the Bible calls "iniquity" can and does destroy souls--we can "die" reveling in our luxury. DDB1 12 2 It was immorality and depravity, sin, that destroyed the ancient world when only one family was preserved in the ark. Jesus has said that in this time of the end, it will be "as the days of Noah were" (see Matt. 24:37, 38). "Noah ... became heir of the righteousness which is [by] faith" (Heb. 11:7). While so many were joking about righteousness, Noah was sober. DDB1 12 3 Peter urges us to be sober right now: "Be serious and watchful in your prayers," "be sober, be vigilant" (1 Peter 4:7; 5:8). Paul says that the more we understand and appreciate the grace of God, it teaches us "that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age" (Titus 2:11, 12). DDB1 12 4 The time is coming soon when just staying alive will require careful thinking, sobriety. But that careful thinking will not be an obsession with self, or "how can I be sure I survive?" but a heart-union with Christ in the closing scenes of this earth's history. It will mean sharing His concern for souls, cooperating with Him. Being sober? Yes, but also being supremely happy; for there is no happiness living apart from Christ. ------------------------Chapter 13--Does Christianity Have Anything to Offer a Distraught World? DDB1 13 1 Consider this string of IF's: DDB1 13 2 • If God is a personal Being who can be described as a loving heavenly Father; DDB1 13 3 • If Jesus of Nazareth is the divine Son of God, the world's Savior; DDB1 13 4 • If His sacrifice on His cross is the world's moment of truth; DDB1 13 5 • If the Bible is the inspired word of God, given for the instruction and the uplift of mankind; DDB1 13 6 • If God has a plan of salvation that is effective; DDB1 13 7 • If there is hope for the world, a light at the end of our cosmic tunnel; DDB1 13 8 Then sin must somehow be eradicated from the vast universe of God. DDB1 13 9 The idea of an eternal conscious hell as the domicile of lost people (yes, lost angels, too), must mean the plague of sin with its agony, hatred, and suffering must continue forever in God's vast universe. DDB1 13 10 If the above has any significant content of truth, then the biblical doctrine of the Sanctuary (Leviticus, Old Testament; Hebrews, New Testament) must be the answer to the universal problem of sin (which is the source of all the agony that afflicts the world). DDB1 13 11 The idea that "God is love" (agape) is totally inconsistent with the idea that sin must be ineradicable from human hearts. The Hebrew Day of Atonement was the one day in the year that prefigured in type the final cleansing of God's great economy and "to bring in everlasting righteousness" (Dan. 9:24). DDB1 13 12 If Jesus Christ ministering as the world's great High Priest is incapable of developing a people as a corporate body who have "overcome" sin even as He "also overcame" (Rev. 3:20), then Christianity has nothing to offer a distraught world. DDB1 13 13 It's time to do some serious thinking about what the gospel means. ------------------------Chapter 14--Is It Our Job to Initiate a "Relationship" With Jesus? DDB1 14 1 It's conventional wisdom among many that it's our job to initiate a "relationship" with the Lord Jesus, and then it's our job to "maintain" it. The basic idea seems to be that the Lord is waiting for us to hang on, and if we fall off or backslide, too bad for us. He is like a storekeeper waiting for us to find Him. If we don't, we've had it. DDB1 14 2 The truth is that we're not strong enough to make a success of hanging on. The "everlasting gospel" has better Good News for us: Our salvation does not depend on our strength in holding on to the Lord, but on our believing that the Lord is holding on to us. The Bible pleads, "Be reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:29). A clearer understanding of His on-going, persistent love is needed; the Good Shepherd is not waiting for the lost sheep to find his way back. DDB1 14 3 The Lord is not like a storekeeper waiting for us to come to where He is, popular and orthodox as that idea has been; He is going door to door, knocking, seeking us (Rev. 3:20). He "will seek what was lost" (Ezek. 34:16). When God so loved the world that He gave so much, He took the initiative in seeking a "relationship" with us. We didn't ask Him to do it! Further, now He seeks to maintain the "relationship" with us, "awakening [us] morning by morning," to educate us and train us (Isa. 50:4). DDB1 14 4 The Father took the initiative in waking Jesus up every morning! Does He love us less? Our problem is that we so often refuse; we pull the covers over our head, or we sleep late because we stayed up late the night before. We don't respond as Jesus did (vs. 5). DDB1 14 5 He tries to maintain that "relationship," but it is possible to wear out His patience; He Himself is infinite, but His patience is not. Anyone can insult the Lord and abuse Him only so long. "Consider the goodness and severity of God" (Rom. 11:22). It makes sense. DDB1 14 6 For each who is saved at last, it's God who took the initiative; for each who is lost at last, it will be he who took the initiative in turning away from the pleading of the Holy Spirit. You cannot fall into a ditch without the Holy Spirit warning you! But if you silence His voice so long, you become deaf to His pleading. Let's learn now to recognize that voice. ------------------------Chapter 15--Why Repentance and Forgiveness Are So Closely Tied Together DDB1 15 1 It's conventional wisdom among many that it's our job to initiate a "relationship" with the Lord Jesus, and then it's our job to "maintain" it. The basic idea seems to be that the Lord is waiting for us to hang on, and if we fall off or backslide, too bad for us. He is like a storekeeper waiting for us to find Him. If we don't, we've had it. DDB1 15 2 The truth is that we're not strong enough to make a success of hanging on. The "everlasting gospel" has better Good News for us: Our salvation does not depend on our strength in holding on to the Lord, but on our believing that the Lord is holding on to us. The Bible pleads, "Be reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:29). A clearer understanding of His on-going, persistent love is needed; the Good Shepherd is not waiting for the lost sheep to find his way back. DDB1 15 3 The Lord is not like a storekeeper waiting for us to come to where He is, popular and orthodox as that idea has been; He is going door to door, knocking, seeking us (Rev. 3:20). He "will seek what was lost" (Ezek. 34:16). When God so loved the world that He gave so much, He took the initiative in seeking a "relationship" with us. We didn't ask Him to do it! Further, now He seeks to maintain the "relationship" with us, "awakening [us] morning by morning," to educate us and train us (Isa. 50:4). DDB1 15 4 The Father took the initiative in waking Jesus up every morning! Does He love us less? Our problem is that we so often refuse; we pull the covers over our head, or we sleep late because we stayed up late the night before. We don't respond as Jesus did (vs. 5). DDB1 15 5 He tries to maintain that "relationship," but it is possible to wear out His patience; He Himself is infinite, but His patience is not. Anyone can insult the Lord and abuse Him only so long. "Consider the goodness and severity of God" (Rom. 11:22). It makes sense. DDB1 15 6 For each who is saved at last, it's God who took the initiative; for each who is lost at last, it will be he who took the initiative in turning away from the pleading of the Holy Spirit. You cannot fall into a ditch without the Holy Spirit warning you! But if you silence His voice so long, you become deaf to His pleading. Let's learn now to recognize that voice. ------------------------Chapter 16--Those 144,000--Are They Special? DDB1 16 1 They keep popping up--those 144,000 (Revelation 7 and 14)! People are intrigued by them! Several have asked, "Are they special besides the vast number of earth's last generation who will be ready when Jesus returns? Are they an elite group? Maybe teachers or guides of the 'common people' who will also be 'translated'?" DDB1 16 2 We dare not add to what the Bible says. We must take a lowly position in trying to explain who these people are. The Holy Spirit does not stoop to satisfy mere curiosity. But we must think about the character of this special group. Why? It might be possible that the Holy Spirit is right now saying to you, "Come" and be one of those 144,000 (see Rev. 22:17; ponder what it means). DDB1 16 3 If so, would it be appropriate for us to answer Him, "No, thanks; I want to go to heaven but I don't want to be in a special group that requires such devotion and self-sacrifice"? Can we refuse any invitation the Holy Spirit may bring to us and still be ready when Jesus returns? DDB1 16 4 Or, in other words, does the Holy Spirit offer us our choice of first- or second-class tickets? If so, then some dear people would choose second class. They would say, "I don't want to experience the great devotion of those who 'follow the Lamb wherever He goes,' who stand before the throne of God 'without fault' (Rev. 14:4, 5). That's too high a standard; I don't want a great 'mansion' in heaven like the apostle Paul will have--a shack in the Holy City is all I want if I can just squeeze inside the pearly gate" (this idea is the source of widespread "lukewarmness"). DDB1 16 5 A couple of questions to think about: Are there really first- and second-class tickets to heaven? Can you say "No!" to the Bridegroom-Lover and still be a "guest at the wedding"? ------------------------Chapter 17--An Appeal of Jesus That's Almost Universally Disregarded DDB1 17 1 There are two books in the Bible that the Lord Jesus has especially appealed to His followers to "read" and "understand." And very likely, no matter what church you may attend, you rarely hear a sermon that explains those two books. The appeal of Jesus seems to be almost universally disregarded, even among His professed friends who say they're the church that keeps the commandments of God and has the faith of Jesus. DDB1 17 2 Those two special books are Daniel the prophet in the Old Testament (see Matt. 24:15), and the last book of the Bible, The Revelation (see 1:1-3). DDB1 17 3 The great user-friendly megachurches downplay Daniel and Revelation. The Enemy in the great controversy between Christ and Satan has two methods of attack on this truth: (1) minimize attention, neglect the two books, make people think the prophecies are impossible to understand; (2) inspire fanatics to invent new and fantastic "interpretations" of the books that are said to be senseless and self-contradictory. DDB1 17 4 Let the Lord deliver you from both of these heresies: (1) Daniel declares that his prophecies were unsealed as "the time of the end" began (cf. 11:35; 12:4); (2) Christ Himself pronounces a special "blessing" on the one who either reads or listens to someone else read, the prophecies of the book of Revelation (1:1-3). DDB1 17 5 Both Daniel and Revelation make clear that "the time of the end" began at the end of the 1260 years of the Dark Ages, the time of papal oppression, in 1798. It was then that Daniel's prophecies were unsealed. The understanding of these prophecies of Daniel and Revelation that was held by those who emerged from that darkness is the understanding that Jesus declared would confirm God's people to the end. He said: "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things are fulfilled" (Matt. 24:34). DDB1 17 6 The glorious light of that "other angel" of Revelation 18 was a gift that God gave to "the angel of the church of the Laodiceans" and the gift was within the lifetime of those pioneers; but the light was in a great degree kept away both from the church and from the world. The truth of why Christ has not yet come is so simple that even a young person can understand! ------------------------Chapter 18--How a Pure Gospel Message Can Have Power DDB1 18 1 Everywhere the early apostles preached, something happened--either a riot or a revival. The reason they could turn "the world upside down" was not their cleverness or their personalities. The power was in the content of their message. DDB1 18 2 Peter's sermon at Pentecost reveals the source of their power: they understood what the atonement implies. Not just the Jewish leaders, but all in the Gentile world were declared to be guilty of the rejection and murder of the Son of God. Pentecost was the corporate guilt of all humanity exposed. Enmity against God had blossomed into the supreme crime of eternity. The apostles minced no words in telling it (Acts 2:23-37; "corporate" pertains to the human race as one "body"). It was the proclamation of that truth which catalyzed humanity. DDB1 18 3 The latter rain gift of the Holy Spirit will come before the grain can ripen, as Pentecost was the early rain that caused it to germinate. The truth of the gospel will do the work (cf. Gal. 2:14). DDB1 18 4 Some of the human problems which the gospel of the apostles solved were the same ones that perplex psychiatrists and social scientists today. The miracles in Corinth were greater than mere physical healings (see 1 Cor. 6:9-11). These same problems afflict the human race today, but they have become worse. DDB1 18 5 These problems are not mere occasional moral lapses. Each becomes a compulsive obsession or addiction, with roots going down to people's toes. Addicts seem powerless to break their slaveries. DDB1 18 6 How were those problems solved in Corinth? Paul gives the answer in his letter to the Corinthians: by the message of justification by faith. "You were washed, ... you were sanctified, ... you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus." ------------------------Chapter 19--What Is, and What Is Not, Genuine Love? DDB1 19 1 There are some two-hundred references to love in the New Testament. One says, "God is love" (1 John 4:8). If that is true, we should be preaching love a thousand times more than we do! DDB1 19 2 The problem is that the Enemy has kidnapped the New Testament idea of love (agape) from Christianity and substituted the Hellenistic, pagan idea instead (eros). Most Christians do not understand the difference. The New Testament idea of love is not soft on sin--it is the only effective antidote to it. There is nothing mushy about agape; the same God who is agape is also "a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29). Long before the flames of the last days are let loose, that holy fire will have burned highly refined self-centeredness out of every Laodicean heart where genuine faith in Christ will let it do so. DDB1 19 3 To talk about the law without understanding agape, "brings about wrath" and actually contributes to sin. Only "agape is the fulfillment of the law" (Rom. 4:15; 13:10). It follows that the remnant church who "keep the commandments of God" will be a people virtually obsessed with agape. A wise writer has said, "The last rays of merciful light, the last message of mercy to be given to the world, is a revelation of His character of love. The children of God are to manifest His glory." That message is not soft-soap. DDB1 19 4 The all-important question in the Judgment will be, have we learned to love? Not how many "works of the law" we have toted up. Jesus separates the sheep and the goats on that one score of true love (Matt. 25:31-46). John's magnificent chapter on agape-love reveals the test of whether or not we know God: "everyone who loves is born of God, and knows God. He who does not love [with agape] does not know God" (1 John 4:7, 8). DDB1 19 5 What an unmitigated tragedy to stand at last before the Lord pleading all our "wonderful works" and prophesyings, and casting out devils, all in His name, and hear Him say to us sadly, "Sorry, it wasn't I who answered those prayers; 'I never knew you'" (Matt. 7:21-23). DDB1 19 6 What is real love, agape? We cannot understand the holy law of God without understanding it, for "God is agape." ------------------------Chapter 20--Will the Church Ever Become Pure and Clean? DDB1 20 1 Will the church on earth ever become pure and clean? Harried and bewildered church leaders (even at the very top) long for when the Holy Spirit will be honored and listened to, instead of "insulted" as inspired history says has been. DDB1 20 2 The Bible over and over says that the answer is "yes." DDB1 20 3 The Lord Jesus did not die in vain. For example, Psalm 22 assures us that as Jesus hung on His cross in the darkness crying, "Why have You forsaken Me?" He was granted the assurance that His suffering was not to be in vain: "All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. For the kingdom is the Lord's. ... A posterity ["seed," King James Version] shall serve Him. ... They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born" (vss. 27-31). DDB1 20 4 On His cross, Christ gained the victory over the Enemy of the universe! DDB1 20 5 But for how long will new generations continue to "be born," further postponing the time when "[Christ] shall see the travail of His soul, and be satisfied"? (Isa. 53:11). Is it always to be in a future generation that these wonderful prophesies will be fulfilled? DDB1 20 6 The prophet Daniel has assured us that in "the time of the end" "those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament [obviously "shine" without it going to their heads in pride!]; and they that turn many to righteousness [when the earth is lightened with the glory of the final message of righteousness by faith, Rev. 18:1-4], ... like the stars forever and ever" (12:4, 3). DDB1 20 7 Therefore, the remaining question is: Have we come to "the time of the end," or is it still future? DDB1 20 8 Revelation unseals Daniel: the 1260 years of papal oppression (Rev. 12:6-17) ended in 1798; we are in "the time of the end," when "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (Hab. 2:14). DDB1 20 9 That "knowledge" is "the truth of the gospel " which "truth shall make you free" (Gal. 2:5; John 8:32). The truth is what happened at the cross. With no extremism but presented in perfect "balance," the church will proclaim the "third angel's message in verity" as "not to know anything ... except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (cf. 1 Cor. 2:2). DDB1 20 0 The result: hierarchical self will at last be gladly "crucified with Christ" (cf. Gal. 2:20). Then things will move. Let it be ... now. ------------------------Chapter 21--The Superpower of Revelation 13 DDB1 21 1 Does the Bible prophesy a great political Superpower to dominate the world in the last days? Yes, both Daniel and Revelation say so. And it's not a fanciful, fanatical "guru's" private interpretation that says so. (You know, Peter says, "No prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation." We must not be misled by self-appointed expositor-dreamers, but cherish that "prophetic word made more sure" and "do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts" (2 Peter 1:20, 19). DDB1 21 2 For hundreds of years serious-minded Protestant Bible scholars have understood that Daniel and Revelation describe a union of church and state that dominated the nations of Europe for 1260 years. Revelation 13 features it as the religio-politico heir to the "power, ... throne, and great authority" of the pagan Roman Empire (vss. 1-8). DDB1 21 3 John Wesley so understood the prophecy back in the 18th century, but confessed he could not understand who would be the second great Superpower mentioned in verses 11-18; he opposed the American Revolution and Independence of the Thirteen Colonies, never dreaming of their later meteoric historic rise to world prominence. DDB1 21 4 Revelation pictures this second Superpower as having "two horns like a lamb," understood by Protestant scholars as the twin principles of civil and religious liberty which have been the secret of the phenomenal success of the United States. But as one studies this prophetic scenario, he sees that Islam is not to become the great world super-religion; it has occupied historically the role of a tormentor of apostate Christianity (see Revelation 9), but never dominating or conquering it. DDB1 21 5 So benign has been the world's current Superpower that its customs and immigration officials have stamped passports and visas and unwittingly told its Muslim suicide bombers, "Welcome to the United States!" Revelation pictures this Superpower as at last angrily speaking "like a dragon," telling the world what to do (Rev. 13:11-14). Study Revelation! ------------------------Chapter 22--A Book the Savior Commands Us to Understand DDB1 22 1 Daniel is the one book in the Bible that Jesus singled out, urging us to both "read" and "understand": "'When you see the "abomination of desolation," spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place' (whoever reads, let him understand)" (Matt. 24:15). DDB1 22 2 To read the book is not difficult; the problem is to understand it. But the understanding part is not "take it or leave it"; He commands us to understand it. But how can one be commanded to understand something he doesn't understand? Is understanding Daniel a duty laid upon us by our Savior? DDB1 22 3 Yes; He says "let" yourself understand it. In other words, the Holy Spirit is seeking to give you an understanding of Daniel; now don't hinder Him in what He is trying to do for you. DDB1 22 4 The particular portion of Daniel that Jesus commands us to "understand" is the prophetic portion; but it can't be only a coincidence that the narrative portions of the book are all concerned with life or death issues: DDB1 22 5 Chapter one is the test of the Hebrew boys on idolatry; chapter two is the test of understanding the king's dream; chapter three is the test of the fiery furnace; chapter five is the test of Belshazzar's feast; and chapter six is the test of the lions' den. All serious! DDB1 22 6 Then Revelation picks up the story and tells us that understanding truth will be the issue in the final test of choosing the seal of God or the mark of the beast (chapters 7 and 13). Our soul's salvation will ultimately be bound up with deciding for ourselves what is the truth of a controversial issue of understanding Daniel and Revelation--the prophecies. DDB1 22 7 Jesus could well have added, "Let him who reads tremble ..." Right now there are issues of truth that draw deeply on one's soul. There's never a vacation from the need of thinking clearly and truthfully. Every day we are facing King Nebuchadnezzar's image of gold with his fiery furnace, and also his lions' den. ------------------------Chapter 23--How Can We Ever Make Contact With the "High and Lofty One"? DDB1 23 1 "The High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ... dwell[s] in the high and holy place," says Isaiah (57:15). How could we ever make contact with Him when He is so apparently inaccessible? DDB1 23 2 Then--wonder of wonders! He tells us where we can find access to Him: "I dwell ... with him who has a contrite and humble spirit." Would you like to meet this High and Holy One? Okay, get acquainted with someone whose spirit is contrite and humble--maybe in your workplace, or there might be some such student at your school. DDB1 23 3 The Lord has His home there with such a person. Don't let yourself be fooled; it might turn out to be the janitor. Ignore or despise him or her and you end up treating Christ like His people did long ago. DDB1 23 4 Perhaps you are the person who is of a humble spirit and you find yourself being battered in subtle ways in our modern cultural "barnyard." The Bible assures us that if there is anywhere someone who does indeed follow in the footsteps of Jesus, that person is bound to suffer some kind of persecution (ponder 2 Tim. 3:12). DDB1 23 5 What really hurts is when it turns out to be your church (that can happen!). When it does, we are driven back to Isaiah 57: "I dwell ... with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." The idea of the word is to "make alive," almost to resurrect. The word "spirit" has a small "s," which means the source of your own personality, the real you. You have something that keeps you happy and sweet even when you are persecuted. DDB1 23 6 Isaiah makes the point more clear in chapter 66: "Thus says the Lord: 'Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. ... But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word'" (vss. 1, 2). DDB1 23 7 It's the "trembling at His word" that makes God feel at home to "dwell" with you, not trembling in the sense of terror, but to be thrilled with delight in reading His word. Use your new day to get better acquainted with Him! ------------------------Chapter 24--Why Would Jesus Have Faith in Human Beings? DDB1 24 1 We think it's a grand achievement when we can learn to have faith in Jesus; we "have passed from death to life" (1 John 4: 14). DDB1 24 2 But what about Jesus Himself having faith in human beings? That's backward thinking! We trust Him, but does He trust us? What is there trustworthy about us? And why would He need to trust us, even if we were trustworthy? He has everything, billions of angels at His beck and call, infinite resources. DDB1 24 3 The Bible does say that He believes in us and trusts us, in fact He has to if He is ever to win the great controversy with Satan. Paul asks, "What if some [Israelites] did not believe? Will their unbelief [non-faith] make the faithfulness of God without effect?" (Rom. 3:3). DDB1 24 4 When the heavenly Father sent His only begotten Son into the world as a baby, did He not trust human beings to care for Him, especially while He was an infant? Did He not trust the virgin Mary to be a faithful mother to Jesus? Did God not trust friends to care for Jesus during the years that He lived with us on this planet? (Yes, people did crucify Him, but we read of women who prepared food for Him, took care of His laundry, and friends who invited Him to be a Guest in their homes, like Lazarus and Zaccheus of Jericho). DDB1 24 5 And we read of how "the faith of Jesus" comes into focus in the last days: "Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" (Rev. 14:12). In fact, it is the "faith of Jesus" that saves us, for He is "the author ... of our faith" (Heb. 12:2). DDB1 24 6 When He died on the cross and He felt forsaken by His Father, His faith triumphed. For at the last just before He cried out, "Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit," He chose to believe and to trust that there would be a multitude of human beings around the world who would respond to the truth of His sacrifice, and who would believe and be loyal to Him: "All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. For the kingdom is the Lord's. ... A posterity [seed, King James Version] shall serve Him" (Psalm 22:27-30). DDB1 24 7 He forgot about His own reward; what made Him happy in those last moments was the confidence that He had won the battle, the contest was decided, and we will live forever in God's kingdom now made forever sure. Here was His total emptying of self! When He "tasted death for every man" (Heb. 2:9), it was the real thing; He died our second death. But He was happy in the confidence that He had saved us from it. ------------------------Chapter 25--Seriously, Would You Want to "Follow" Paul? DDB1 25 1 On one occasion, the apostle Paul told the people, "Be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ" (1 Cor. 11:1, King James Version). DDB1 25 2 Seriously, would you want to "follow" Paul? You wouldn't be "lukewarm" in your devotion if you did! In fact, Paul's devotion illustrates precisely that of the "144,000" who will "finish" God's work in the earth and be prepared to welcome the Son of God when He returns in glory. DDB1 25 3 Does God have "classes" that you can choose--that is, can you go to heaven as Paul's "follower," "first class" like Paul in his burning zeal? Or if that is distasteful to you, can you choose to go "business class," a little lower level of devotion but get there just the same? And then finally, if you just want to be a "faithful" church member and remain lukewarm, pay your tithe and offerings, and go to church once a week or so, can you go to heaven "economy class"? As long as you get there at last, what real difference will it make? DDB1 25 4 Such an idea may be Satan's last and most skillful deception. The truth is that those who welcome Jesus at His return will not be selfishly thinking of their getting to heaven and getting a reward. They will be concerned for Jesus, for His honor, for His vindication, for Him getting His reward. The plane that gets through is not going to have different classes of seats! In fact, every passenger will be a crew member. DDB1 25 5 But how does a lukewarm, half-worldly, half-cold half-hot person get to be "on fire" like Paul? DDB1 25 6 The answer is the Book of Galatians. Your human soul can be ignited and catch fire just like Paul's if only you can see what Paul saw. It would be worth a period of fasting and prayer to learn to understand and love Galatians. For sure, such a prayer is one that God would absolutely love to answer! ------------------------Chapter 26--Second-hand Faith DDB1 26 1 Sometimes we say that we are saved by our faith in Christ, and we want to emphasize this so we don't lapse into the idea that we are saved by our works. But again, we want to be careful that we grasp the truth accurately. Truth saves (John 8:32) and error produces the lethal lukewarmness that permeates the church of the Laodiceans (Rev. 3:14-21). DDB1 26 2 God's people in the last days are distinguished in Revelation as those who demonstrate two great identification marks: they (1) "keep the commandments of God and (2) the faith of Jesus" (14:12). The former is not possible to "do" except by the latter. But it never was their faith; it was something they have received from Jesus. DDB1 26 3 Thus we are not saved by our faith in Jesus, but by His faith. He alone is "the author and finisher of our faith" (Heb. 12:2). That is, in all the 6000 years of human history Christ is the one Man who has totally believed the saving truth. His faith alone works through love (Gal. 5:6). DDB1 26 4 He is the one and only human being who has fully experienced what it is to be "forsaken" of God (Matt. 27:46). No one else has been capable of sensing to the full what that means; it was He alone who has been "made ... to be sin for us" "who knew no sin" (2 Cor. 5:21). Therefore, no one else has ever "tasted" lostness as fully as He did as He hung on that cross in the darkness. It was His faith that saved Him from eternal despair! God saw fit to record the story in Psalm 22 (and also 69). DDB1 26 5 The faith that we are to exercise is therefore second-hand; we got it from Him! Rightly defined, it is a heart-appreciation of what it cost Christ to save us; it is to "comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height--to know the love [agape] of Christ which passes knowledge" (Eph. 3:18, 19). Our salvation is in "comprehending." ------------------------Chapter 27--A Message of Healing for the Church DDB1 27 1 In former times, faithful ministers pleaded with God that the haughty hearts of church members might realize and feel deeply the meaning of redemption, and seek to learn the meekness and lowliness of Jesus. DDB1 27 2 In all churches there are serious-minded people who sense that something is wrong. They feel deeply that a revival of true godliness is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs. They see pride in the church, hypocrisy, deception, vanity of dress, frivolity, and amusement. They see a desire for supremacy. All these sins can cloud the mind so that eternal realities cannot be discerned. DDB1 27 3 Even though we now sense a lack of revival and reformation, there are beautiful pictures of success that describe the future of God's work. "This gospel ... will be preached in all the world," says Jesus confidently (Matt. 24:14; Rev. 18:1-4). "The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (Hab. 2:14). "I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh. ... It shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance" (Joel 2:28, 32). DDB1 27 4 Jesus likened His people to "wineskins" that cannot hold "new wine" unless they are also made new (Matt. 9:17). If through faith in Christ we will become new "wineskins," He will fill us with the "new wine" of precious New Testament truth. God will give additional light, and old truths that have long been lost will be recovered and replaced. One interest will prevail, one subject will swallow up every other--the pure, unadulterated gospel of "CHRIST OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (see Jer. 23:6; 33:16; Isa. 32:17) DDB1 27 5 This last message is to be simple, beautiful, and always interesting. The future in God's plan has to be good news. As we discover what that "most precious message" is, we shall find that it differs from what is commonly assumed to be "the doctrine of righteousness by faith." We shall find that popular ideas outside of the Bible have infiltrated our thinking so that Christ seems far away and distantly unconcerned about us. DDB1 27 6 The truth about Him is Good News far better than most people imagine is possible. The revelation of "Christ our righteousness" discloses Him as a Savior nigh at hand and not afar off. ------------------------Chapter 28--Don't Ever Forget Where the World's Savior Came From DDB1 28 1 If you have ever read the Book of Judges, you have been on one of the most depressing literary journeys possible. The violence, nonsense, and cruelty are almost unimaginable (with some relief--Deborah, Gideon, and Jephthah). But what a joy to read next a story of golden purity and love, about Ruth the Moabitess. DDB1 28 2 There seems no hint that she was a scholar or even knew how to read. She has won her place in world history simply because she unselfishly loved her bereaved mother-in-law. Well, maybe more than that--she came like a helpless little bird to seek shelter under the wings of the Lord God of Israel (2:12). DDB1 28 3 Naomi displays an unusual sense of contrition in calling herself "Bitter," in that while she "went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty." "The Almighty has afflicted me" (1:21). Could she be repenting in a corporate sense for what may have been some perceived unbelief on the part of her deceased husband Elimelech? He had forsaken the Lord's "House of Bread" in Israel's inheritance (Bethlehem) for what he thought were the more prosperous fields of pagan Moab. And there in economic heaven he and his two sons died. Naomi would naturally wonder if God were not punishing the family for that unbelief; her painful memories were distressing. DDB1 28 4 But in that story is the nicest touch of sanctified drama. No outlandish miracle occurs, as we might expect in a story, only the outworking of human decency and kindness on the part of everybody around, including Boaz. Here are mixed together fidelity to upright principle, honorable self-denial, and then blossoming love. And suddenly the author leaves us breathless with the simple but astonishing disclosure in 4:21, 22: "Boaz begot Obed [by Ruth], Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David." Period! DDB1 28 5 Don't ever forget where Jesus, the world's Savior, came from. ------------------------Chapter 29--The Light Flashing on Your Pathway DDB1 29 1 A haze of confusion perplexed the minds of the Jews in the days of Christ. Their man-made ideas were contradictory and created only spiritual discouragement in the minds of the common people. Jesus cleared it away. DDB1 29 2 Today there are also man-made ideas that create confusion in the minds of sincere people. They wonder if the time will ever come when God's people can be united in faith and can speak to the world with one voice. Jesus made a promise that's encouraging: "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted" (Matt. 15:13). All false ideas will be "uprooted." Oh what a joy that will be--when all of the ministers, teachers, leaders, and theologians see the truth alike in sunlit clarity! DDB1 29 3 If you are perplexed about what you can believe out of all the conflicting confusion, take heart. Jesus made another promise that is 100 percent true (sincere Jews were confused as to whether this upstart young Rabbi from Galilee was right, or whether the venerable elders from the headquarters offices were right): "If anyone wants to do His will [the Father's], he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority" (John 7:17). DDB1 29 4 If the common people would follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, saying a willing "amen" to each new ray of light flashed upon their pathway, their thinking would become clear. And there you have the Light flashing on your pathway today! DDB1 29 5 Then another wonderful promise of Jesus will be fulfilled: "I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. ... And other sheep I have which are not of this fold [untold numbers still in "Babylon"]; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd" (John 10:14, 16). It will be a little heaven on earth where God's people can go. DDB1 29 6 Come, today; and be a part of Christ's solution, not a part of His problem. Get in full unity with His truth and you'll be one with Him. ------------------------Chapter 30--Who Is "Peter"? DDB1 30 1 Should we be worried about whether we are "born again"? The answer is No, but should we be seriously concerned about whether we are truly converted? The answer is Yes. DDB1 30 2 Right up to the moment when the Sanhedrin condemned Jesus to death, the apostle Peter was sure that he was well converted. When Jesus told him on Thursday night that he was not, he became upset, and loudly protested his being thoroughly "born again." In his conscious understanding, he sincerely believed he was already "converted," but when a "servant girl" challenged his identity with Christ, his unconscious motivations took over and he denied Christ with vile cursing and swearing (Matt. 26:74). Peter did not know himself! DDB1 30 3 And who is "Peter"? Anyone who belongs to the seventh church of world history, "the church of the Laodiceans" (Rev. 3:14-21; more particularly, anyone who is part of "the angel of the church," its leadership). Jesus tells us frankly that "Peter" is indeed our patron "saint": "You say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy [by some assumed historical enrichment!], and have need of nothing,'--and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked." DDB1 30 4 Poor Peter made a fool of himself, thinking he was "rich" in his born-again experience and knowledge. He even argued with the all-knowing Lord, contradicting Him as if to say, "Lord, You don't know me! Give me a chance, and I'll prove to You that I am the most devoted follower You have! I've been baptized, ordained to the ministry, have cast out devils in Your name, finished my 3-1/2 years Seminary training with cum laude under You as Teacher, have my doctoral diploma, I really understand Your gospel and I teach it powerfully. Lord, do You think I need to go back to the spiritual kindergarten and start over and get 'born again' again?!! You're wrong, Lord!" Sadly, the Lord had to tell him honestly, "When you have returned to Me [are converted], strengthen your brethren" (Luke 22:32). DDB1 30 5 Why should we be concerned about our true conversion? Not because of craven fear lest we won't make it into the kingdom, but for a more important reason: lest in our unconscious selfishness we bring shame on Him in these closing hours of the great controversy between Christ and Satan. The best Laodicean in the world can well pray that prayer, "God be merciful to me a sinner!" (Luke 18:13). Edward R. Sill probably had an even better idea in his heart-wrenching poem: "O Lord, be merciful to me, a fool!" ------------------------Chapter 31--God Wants Us to Know When "The Time of the End" Will Come DDB1 31 1 The year-day prophecies of Daniel and Revelation are fantastic in the accuracy of their fulfillment. They coincide perfectly with the great end-time prophecy of Jesus in Matthew 24 and Luke 21. The Bible recognizes that the God of heaven has foretold events before they happened, and that He wants us to know when "the time of the end" will come and what are the "signs" of Jesus' second coming and of the "end of the age" (cf. Matt. 24:3). DDB1 31 2 Paul says it is not God's will for His people to be "in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. ... Let us watch and be sober" (1 Thess. 5:4-6). How could Jesus warn us, "It will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth" (Luke 21:35) without His word giving us guidance as to when that day is near? DDB1 31 3 If it is true that "God is love," then it must follow that He would not want to catch us "unaware." Hence we conclude that the time prophecies of Daniel and Revelation are very serious reading and deserve our close attention. It is also true, if God indeed is "love," then He does not want to perpetuate pain and suffering on this planet due to the ravages of sin. Jesus wants to come a second time, not primarily to punish wrongdoing or take vengeance on His enemies, but to rescue people who suffer, and to establish His kingdom of peace and happiness for all. DDB1 31 4 "The Ancient of days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom, ... an everlasting kingdom" (Dan. 7:22, 27). However, we can be sure that His enemy, Satan, wants to try to prove His prophecies wrong. "Son of man, what is this proverb that you people have about the land of Israel, which says, 'The days are prolonged, and every vision fails?'" (Eze. 12:22). A good answer is in Habakkuk 2:3: "At the end [the vision] will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry." DDB1 31 5 There may appear to be a "tarrying time," and those who have faith in the prophecies may think the vision "fails," and suffer disappointment, yet in immediate context comes the assurance of righteousness by faith: "The just shall live by His faith" (vs. 4). In the Great Disappointment experience in the 1840s, what held the faithful remnant was not so much mathematical calculations of time prophecies (they were true!) but their confidence that the Holy Spirit had worked in the Midnight Cry movement. God's true love was evident. ------------------------Chapter 32--The Practical Value of Christ's Nearness to Us DDB1 32 1 Many are asking, How can I get close to Jesus? The first step is to believe how close He has come to you. Then the next step follows naturally: the honest heart that appreciates that closeness identifies with Him on His cross. The apostle Paul said (according to the original language) that his ego is "crucified with Christ" (Gal. 2:20). DDB1 32 2 Of course, this does not mean that the one who believes in Christ grovels ever after in the dust of self-depredation. His sense of self-respect is never shattered. To be "crucified with Christ" means also to be resurrected with Him; "it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." Now one finds his truest self-respect. David says, "He pulled me out of a dangerous pit, out of the deadly quicksand. He set me safely on a rock and made me secure" (Psalm 40:2, Good News Bible). DDB1 32 3 And with pouring contempt on all our pride comes the utter repudiation of all "holier-than-thou" feelings. The closer one comes to Christ, the more sinful and unworthy he feels himself to be. We are never to judge ourselves, or give ourselves grade points. We are never to claim to be sinless, for "if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." It is only when we continually "confess our sins, [that] He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:8, 9). DDB1 32 4 The proud and arrogant heresy of perfectionism can never rear its ugly head where the truth of Christ's righteousness is appreciated, for the song of every heart will be to glory alone in "CHRIST OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Jer. 23:6, 33:16). ------------------------Chapter 33--"Lukewarmness"--The Universal Disease DDB1 33 1 Jesus Himself says that a universal disease, "lukewarmness," afflicts His true church worldwide (see Rev. 3:14-21). It's a spiritual virus that weakens the immune system of the church as a "body," making it susceptible to the alluring (and lethal) temptations the Enemy has devised for these last days. DDB1 33 2 The result? Its visible symptoms include six-days-a-week absorption in worldly entertainment or labor so that love of the Bible and devotion to Christ are crowded out (and love for one another, too). The nearer we come to what Jesus called "the end," the more invasive and compelling these temptations become. DDB1 33 3 The Book of Revelation unveils a curtain; "behold, a door opened in heaven" (4:1). And when we look, we see the world's Savior deeply embarrassed before Heaven. "Immanuel ... God with us," He is still human as well as divine. How can He claim success in His mission to "save the world" when His people, His church, remain "lukewarm" century after century? The larger His church becomes, the more serious the problem. DDB1 33 4 It appears to be the most difficult problem God has had to confront in thousands of years of world history. The solution? Legalism, denunciations, superficial "revivals," fear-induced "conversions" that last only a few weeks? DDB1 33 5 No, God has a solution--the lifting up of the cross of Christ so that His love is "comprehended" in its full "width and length and depth and height" (Eph. 3:14-21). Then "we judge thus " that when "One died," "all died" (2 Cor. 5:14). We see what He accomplished on His cross. The revelation forever heals lukewarmness. (Leave it to Satan to try to enshroud that cross in foggy confusion.) DDB1 33 6 But look, behold, see, comprehend what truly happened there! ------------------------Chapter 34--A Precious Insight Into the Grace of Christ DDB1 34 1 A college professor friend gave me a helpful illustration of how Jesus treats us all by virtue of His sacrifice on His cross. You remember, Jesus said in John 12:47, "I did not come to judge [that is, condemn] the world but to save the world." And Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:19, "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them." Isaiah 53:6 says: "The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." And Romans 5:16-18 reminds us that God has given "all men" not only a grace that abounds much more than sin abounds, but that grace has also given "all men" a "free gift," that is justification. DDB1 34 2 My friend explained his illustration: "In my classes, I have good students and also some not so good ones. But I pronounce no judgment on their performance until the final test is taken. Then some students pass while others fail. Up to that moment they are all treated as potential successes. This is an illustration of how God treats us 'in Christ.' He treats us all as righteous. The separation between the goats and the sheep will come only in the judgment. Then some will be found to be 'tares,' while others will have been 'wheat.'" DDB1 34 3 I thank my friend for a precious insight into the grace of Christ. One widely read author says that God has encircled the world with an atmosphere of grace as real as the air we breathe. DDB1 34 4 Are you a sinner? Have you carried a burden of guilt? Do you feel that God does not accept you? Remember the words of Jesus: "The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out" (John 6:37). Because of Christ's sacrifice, He treats you today as though you were righteous; He accepts you "in Christ"; He has laid your iniquity on Him, imputing your sins to Him. DDB1 34 5 When He said of Jesus at the Jordan, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17), He was putting His divine arms around you also! Now let your life today sing a song of praise for that great salvation. ------------------------Chapter 35--The Domino Effect of Spiritual Maturity DDB1 35 1 Millions of Christians have read or heard this statement on the timing of the second coming of Christ: "Jesus came on time the first time, and we can be sure He will come on time the second time." Embedded herein is the Calvinistic idea of pre-determinism. The Father's infinite foreknowledge is thus confused with a supposed iron-clad decision on His part to send Jesus the second time at a fixed point in time, regardless of His people's preparation or lack of it. DDB1 35 2 In contrast, Scripture says the time of the second coming depends on the spiritual maturity of His corporate "body" on earth--His true church (just before His second coming it is said to "keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus," no idle or superficial designation, Rev. 14:12). DDB1 35 3 There is a kind of domino effect in a development of spiritual maturity: DDB1 35 4 (1) The "marriage of the Lamb" comes not at some predetermined triggered-mechanism of celestial time, but when "His wife has made herself ready" (Rev. 19:7, 8). DDB1 35 5 (2) That "when" is a "harvest" of spiritual maturity becoming "ripe" (Rev. 14:15, 16; Mark 4:26-29). DDB1 35 6 (3) Christ cannot dare come before "the harvest of the earth is ripe," for it would mean His beloved people would be destroyed (Heb. 12:29). DDB1 35 7 (4) This in turn means that "the church of the Laodiceans" must first "repent" of pathetic assumptions of being "rich, … wealthy, and have need of nothing," and receive the true message of righteousness and justification by faith (Rev. 3:17-19). DDB1 35 8 (5) Such an experience of spiritual maturity in turn depends on "the angel of the church" receiving what the "True Witness" has long been more than willing to bestow, for "the angels" of the seven churches are in each instance their human leadership (Rev. 1:20). Throughout 6000 years of human history leadership remains crucial, for "the church" seems unable to rise above it. DDB1 35 9 (6) This development in turn depends on the reception of the final outpouring of "the latter rain" of the Holy Spirit, a gift that Heaven has long been ready to bestow but which "the angel of the church of the Laodiceans" has apparently been unwilling to receive (see Joel 2 and Zechariah 10). We cannot blame God for being slow to act! DDB1 35 10 (7) This spiritual experience in turn is needed before the earth-enlightening message of Revelation 18:1-4 can come. Many assume that because the first coming of Christ was at a pinpoint prophetic date (prophecies of Daniel 8 and 9), so the second will occur at such a predetermined point of time. DDB1 35 11 As "the stars in their appointed courses know no haste and no delay," so the first coming was indeed "on time." But the second coming is different: He will come when His true people really want Him to come. That will require some growing up; a flower girl at the wedding is innocent, but she is not ready to be a bride. ------------------------Chapter 36--The Problem of Unrealized Sin DDB1 36 1 Committee actions, polished programs, or high-pressure promotion can never truly motivate. Truth must be the vehicle, reaching human hearts, for only truth can penetrate the secret recesses of Laodicea's soul. The Lord has in reserve a means of motivation that will be fully effective. Something happened at Pentecost which fueled the early church with phenomenal spiritual energy. It must and will happen again. DDB1 36 2 That fantastic motivation flowed naturally out of a unique repentance. No sin in all time was more horrendous than that which those people were guilty of--murdering the Son of God. Mankind's deep-seated "enmity against God" had finally produced its full fruitage (cf. Rom. 8:7). But they were only our surrogates, acting on our behalf. By nature, we are no less guilty simply because by accident we were born many centuries later. DDB1 36 3 Sin has always been "enmity against God," but no one ever fully understood its dimensions until the Holy Spirit drove the truth home to the hearts of Peter's audience that fiftieth day after the resurrection (Acts 2). The realization of their guilt came over them like a flood. Theirs was no petty seeking for security or reward in heaven, nor was it a craven search to evade punishment. The cross of the ages was towering over them, and their human hearts responded to its reality. DDB1 36 4 A repentance like that of Pentecost is what Christ calls for from us today. It will come, like a lost vein of gold in the earth that must surface again in another place. Our hazy, indistinct idea of repentance can produce only what we see today--hazy, indistinct devotion, lukewarmness. Like medicine taken in quantity sufficient to produce a concentration in the bloodstream, our repentance must be comprehensive, full-range, in order for the Holy Spirit to do a fully effective work. DDB1 36 5 This full spectrum of repentance is included in "the everlasting gospel." But its clearest definition has been impossible until now, as history reaches the last of the seven churches. The original word "repentance" means a looking back from the perspective of the end: metanoia, from meta ("after"), and nous ("mind"). Thus, repentance can never be complete until the end of history. Like the great Day of Atonement, its full dimension must be a last-day experience. To that moment in time we have now come. DDB1 36 6 Unless our veiled eyes can see the depth of our sin as identical to that of Peter's congregation at Pentecost, only a veneer repentance can be possible. This in turn can produce only more generations of lukewarm church members, and thus intensify the Lord's problem. Repenting only of superficial sin leaves a deep stratum of further alienation which remains unrealized, unconfessed, and therefore unhealed. It is not enough that sin be legally forgiven; it must also be blotted out. This problem of unrealized sin pervades the entire church in all lands, and its practical effects weaken the witness of every congregation. DDB1 36 7 The good news is that the gracious Spirit of God will convict His people of that deep reality. Then He will be able to give the gift of ultimate repentance. His giving only awaits our willingness to receive. The issue is not the assurance of our own personal salvation, but the honor and vindication of the One who purchased our salvation. ------------------------Chapter 37--Don't Think Your Sufferings Are in Vain or Pointless DDB1 37 1 Millions of people don't know what to live for. All they can think of is entertainment, eating, drinking--anything to relieve the boredom and emptiness of life. Paul says in Ephesians 4:18: they "have their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their heart ..." DDB1 37 2 Now comes the Good News of Christ, which assures us that there is meaning to the present life--it is the prelude to eternal life in happiness and righteousness. Every day that the Lord gives us is a new opportunity to prepare to meet our Creator, and our Redeemer. If you were to meet the head of a country you would want to prepare; well, you most definitely have an appointment to meet your Creator and Redeemer face to face--the greatest moment of your life, the apex toward which every day of your life has been pointing. DDB1 37 3 Have you ever thought that the sufferings you have been called to endure are a preparation for that moment? When you at last look into the face of the Son of God, you are going to see a face that registers His experience of suffering endured for your sake. If you have never suffered in union with Him, you will be ashamed in that day. DDB1 37 4 Do not think that your sufferings are in vain, or are pointless. When you do see Jesus face to face, immediately you will catch in His eyes the recognition you will feel that He has known you every moment of your life--and yes, you have known Him too! There will be an instant recognition of camaraderie--of fellowship. He will say to you, "We have been together in our sufferings; enter into the joy of your Lord." That's going to be your eternal joy! So when you ask about your sufferings, WHY ME? remember that Good News. ------------------------Chapter 38--The Strangest Judgment Ever Seen on This Planet DDB1 38 1 When "great multitudes" were following Jesus, He turned around and let them know He wasn't interested in big crowds. "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:25, 26). Hard language; what could He mean? Does He want to make it as difficult as possible for us to be His disciple? Sounds that way! DDB1 38 2 A "man" cannot follow Him unless he "hates his wife"! Or girlfriend! Or fiancée! Common sense makes clear what He means: your wife or girlfriend comes second. Yes, and all your family. The Lord Jesus comes first. DDB1 38 3 Then He went on to advise His would-be followers: Don't start building a house until you have enough to finish it. And if you're a king, don't start a war unless you know you can win it. And don't tell the world that you're My disciple unless you "forsake all that [you] have" (vss. 28-33). In other words, don't be a Laodicean lukewarm adherent; bail out completely, or else make a commitment appropriate to My taking up My cross to save you. He is right. Makes sense! He is into this for serious business. And so must we be. DDB1 38 4 To idolize any person is to break the first commandment. Adam idolized his beautiful, charming wife, Eve; he made her Number One, and led us all into sinful idolatry. Today's Laodicean idolatry makes Jesus sick at His stomach (Rev. 3:14-18), even if church membership rolls soar. Why is He so jealous of anyone who is our "idol"? DDB1 38 5 The honest truth is that He has given Himself to hell, has died our second death, has emptied Himself of His last breath--for us, to save us from utter ruin. It makes Him sick inside when we join the "great multitudes" who flock after Him while they trivialize their devotion to Him. Any honest, loving husband will be jealous if his wife is having an affair. DDB1 38 6 This hypocrisy has been going on for a long time, ever since Luke 14; it permeates Christ's last days' church. Does it make sense that He at last puts His foot down and demands that we choose one side or the other, totally? DDB1 38 7 Yes, look soon for the strangest judgment ever seen on this planet since sin began. The crowds of Luke 14 never dreamed that in a few weeks they would be propelled into demanding His crucifixion. Silently as the thief coming at midnight, the final test will overtake us. We will determine who is Number One in our hearts. We could fool ourselves that we're getting heaven on earth, and end up finding it's hell. ------------------------Chapter 39--A Bible Teaching That Sets Apart a Unique Christian People DDB1 39 1 There is a Bible teaching not generally admitted by most Christian churches: "The Pre-Advent Judgment." It is a subject that sets apart as unique the Christian people who believe this teaching (also known as "The Investigative Judgment"). Scholars of different churches have labeled it an "extra-biblical teaching." DDB1 39 2 This derogatory label has of course been embarrassing for a people who really want to believe "the Bible and the Bible only." Isaiah 26:2, 3 leaves a lasting impression: "Open the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in. You [Lord] will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You." DDB1 39 3 However, it is impossible for anyone to believe in a "pre-Advent judgment" unless he also believes in the resurrection from the dead as the Bible presents it. When someone who believes in Jesus dies, he "sleeps in Jesus" until "the first resurrection" (1Thess. 4:16, 17; Rev. 20:5). DDB1 39 4 Then, as surely as 2 + 2 = 4, there must be some kind of judgment before that resurrection at the second coming of Jesus to determine who of those multitudes in the grave shall be the privileged ones to be called from their sleep by the awakening voice of Jesus, and who shall be left to sleep on for the 1000 years until the second resurrection [of damnation] pictured in Revelation 20:5, 7-10. DDB1 39 5 The words of Jesus establish the truth of some kind of a judgment that must take place before the second coming of Jesus: "Those who are counted worthy to attain ... the resurrection from the dead, ... can [not] die anymore, ... being sons of the resurrection" (Luke 20:35, 36). To those who will be living when Jesus returns, He says they too will experience the pre-Advent judgment, "Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy ... to stand before the Son of Man" (21:36). DDB1 39 6 Does it make sense to you? If so, "pray always." ------------------------Chapter 40--The Great Nerve Center Where Christ Directs His Final Battle DDB1 40 1 The famous enemy of Christ (the antichrist), whose slimy trail weaves in and out through Christian history, has almost succeeded in eclipsing Christ's priestly ministry. Daniel foresaw this monstrous imposture in the vision he described in the eighth chapter of his book. His "little horn" is the same as John's "Enemy of Christ" (1 John 2:18, Contemporary English Version) the historical antichrist that "cast truth down to the ground" and "prospered" (vs. 12). DDB1 40 2 This has been Satan's supreme achievement--corrupting the gospel message from within. For Daniel's benefit an angel inquired, "How long ... the vision, ... the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the [heavenly] sanctuary and the host to be trampled under foot?" (vs. 13). The answer came in the famous 2300 day-year prophecy--"Then shall the sanctuary be cleansed [vindicated, justified, put right]" (vs. 14, King James Version). DDB1 40 3 In other words, then shall the full truth of the gospel be set free to accomplish its God-intended work in preparing a people for the coming of Christ, a work to be done on earth which is parallel to and consistent with Christ's high-priestly ministry in heaven. DDB1 40 4 The heavenly sanctuary is the great nerve center, or military headquarters, where Christ directs His final battle against Satan to its ultimate victory. It is impossible to sense the meaning of life today except in the light of that sanctuary ministry. It is vital to a correct understanding of righteousness by faith. And it is the only way to distinguish between the enemy's extremely clever counterfeit of the gospel and the truth concerning it. The sanctuary is the stage where the final great conflict of the ages will be decided and God's government vindicated. ------------------------Chapter 41--The Most Outrageous Deed Performed--Ever DDB1 41 1 Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"Even on a small scale, it had to be the most outrageous deed performed--ever. A woman, apparently unbalanced, has wasted a fortune in anointing a Jewish rabbi who had befriended her. She impulsively breaks her alabaster flask, letting its "very precious" contents go to waste (Matt. 26:7, Young's Literal Translation). Then she lets down her hair in public (not done in her culture), washes His feet with tears (never done to any other man before or since), then dries them with her hair. This strange act draws understandable criticism from the treasurer of the group, Judas Iscariot, and all the other members of the team (see John 12:4-6; Matt. 26:8). DDB1 41 2 But why did Jesus Christ, who is supposed to have great wisdom, praise her act so highly? He gives her the most sublime tribute, "She has done what she could" (Mark 14:8), meaning of course she had done all she could. Then He sets her up on His pedestal as the model Christian, the shining example of what He has come to earth to accomplish in redeeming humankind, and she receives the wondering attention of everyone down to the close of time (vs. 9). DDB1 41 3 Why this divinely inspired accolade? A good leader should keep His constituency together and appease His opposing parties. But Jesus throws His whole weight in defense of the woman, and thrashes the Twelve. Judas sees fiery indignation in His eyes; this hardens him so he goes out determined to betray the Lord of glory. Was Jesus wise in not keeping His little band together on this? He could have said nice things about both sides, even saved Himself from His hell to come. DDB1 41 4 As a photo is an imprint from a negative, so Mary's deed was a printout that displayed a true heart-response to His love, from a redeemed sinner. In defending her, Jesus was forced to defend His own wondrous cross--and that before even the ordained ministers in His little circle! DDB1 41 5 Mary's enslavement to "seven devils" was hell itself. Her apparently reckless response of gratitude was totally appropriate for anyone who has been redeemed from the same hell. If we were totally aware of what we've been saved from, our gratitude would forever know no bounds. This would end lukewarmness (cf. Rev. 3:14-21). ------------------------Chapter 42--"Make Intercession" for Us--What Does It Mean? DDB1 42 1 What does it mean that Jesus as our High Priest has to "make intercession" for us before the Father (Heb. 7:25)? The word "intercession" implies that somebody is not happy and has to be interceded with on our behalf. Christ is "at the right hand of God," Paul says, "who also makes intercession for us" (Rom. 8:34). John adds his insight when he compares Christ to "an Advocate with the Father," the word "advocate" being parakletos in the Greek (1 John 2:1). Vine says the word "was used in a court of justice to denote a legal assistant, counsel for the defense, who pleads another's cause." DDB1 42 2 In other words, Jesus is a defense lawyer pleading a case "with the Father," John says. It seems that the Father is the Judge and that we are on trial before Him, and that we would lose our case if it weren't for Jesus being there in our behalf. This is 100 percent true; we would indeed lose out if it were not for our divine Lawyer working on our side. DDB1 42 3 But who is He "pleading," "interceding" with? Who needs to be "persuaded" to accept us? Does it make sense to say it's the Father? Wasn't it He who took the initiative to "so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son" for us? How could He be against us, needing Jesus to "intercede" for us? Does the Father have a club behind His back, about to let us have it, and then Jesus steps up and says, "Look, Father, at the wounds in My hands. Please be nice to these people!"? No, that doesn't make sense. The Father loves us just as much as the Son loves us! Then who is Jesus interceding with? DDB1 42 4 Is He interceding with the devil? Will he or his angels ever be persuaded to be nice to us? Hardly! Then who has to be persuaded to "accept" us, to stop condemning us? The good angels? No, they are "all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for" us, not against us (Heb. 1:14). DDB1 42 5 Then who is left who needs to be "persuaded," interceded with to accept us, except we ourselves? We are the ones who need to hold our head high, to join Paul in being "persuaded" that nothing will ever "separate us from the love of God" (Rom. 8:38, 39). ------------------------Chapter 43--On His Cross, Christ Built Something Out of Nothing DDB1 43 1 Is there anywhere a human heart that by nature doesn't have a storm inside? If you are perfectly at-one-with God, you belong in Heaven. Well, at least, it's your job to help those billions who by nature share the universal human problem of alienation from God. "Why has He allowed me to suffer? Why me ... to endure injustice? Is God fair?" One may piously exude all the self-righteous phrases while deep inside unanswered questions destroy our "peace with God" (Rom. 5:1). DDB1 43 2 Here's a shocker: the closer you come to Jesus Christ, the more you will realize your problem to be. Come very close to Him, and you will "taste" the depth of the darkness He experienced on His cross when He cried out, "My God, why have You forsaken Me?" DDB1 43 3 If one has never grown up out of innocent childhood, he may never think or feel on that level; but Jesus did. "Why doesn't God do something?" is the heart-cry of the person who dares to think, not only about his own tiny little problems, but about the millions suffering from disasters and wars. And why do the poor have to suffer? And why must the innocent suffer so? "My God, My God, why have You forsaken our world?" DDB1 43 4 Back again to the cross on Calvary: in that total darkness, while He hung there in that deepest perplexity and despair, He made a choice--to believe that His Father was good even though everything was shouting in His ears that His Father was unjust. In total darkness, in the vastness of empty heart-broken space, He built a great bridge between alienated humanity and God. It's called the Atonement, the at-one-ment. If His Father has forsaken Him, He will not forsake His Father. DDB1 43 5 On His cross He built something out of nothing like He had created a universe out of nothing. At any cost, He will believe Good News. He will create Good News. You don't have to build that Bridge; all you have to do is believe that He built it. ------------------------Chapter 44--What the Father Has Done for "All Men" DDB1 44 1 Have you ever wanted to stay away from a party for fear you wouldn't be welcome? Many feel that way about going to God's "welcome party" for people who will live in His New Jerusalem. They are afraid of Him, innocently so. They would rather not even try to be saved. These people need to realize now that they are welcomed already. DDB1 44 2 The "welcome" is in Paul's letter to the Ephesians! It's spoken by the Lord through His word. He honors His word in the Bible. Jesus told the Jews that He said nothing of Himself, but only what the Father told Him. "I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak" (John 12:49). It was through the Bible, the actual Old Testament that Jesus held in His hands, that the Father spoke to Him. All the wonderful things that Jesus said in His ministry, He garnered from His reading of that Bible! DDB1 44 3 Likewise, when you let the Father speak to you through the Word, you will know the welcome is yours now as surely as when you hear Him repeat it in that coming glad day when you see Him. DDB1 44 4 We read in chapter one of Ephesians how the Father has already: DDB1 44 5 1. "Blessed us [that's everybody!] with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places." (The fact that some people refuse the "blessing" doesn't mean it hasn't been given to them.) DDB1 44 6 2. "Predestined us to adoption as sons" (but of course we can refuse). DDB1 44 7 3. Enjoyed His "good pleasure" in doing this--that's the "fun" He gets in His plan of redemption. (God deserves some "pleasure"!) DDB1 44 8 4. In Christ He has given us "redemption through His blood"--that is, past tense. The blood was shed for everybody; therefore all have been given that redemption, even if many reject it. DDB1 44 9 5. He has given us "the forgiveness of sins." The word means separated them from us. (We can be stupid and take our sins back again! They were cast into the depths of the sea like the Titanic resting deep down; but people have retrieved things out of the Titanic.) DDB1 44 10 6. He gives us as much "wisdom and prudence" as we are willing to receive (let's not shrug it off as proud "know-it-alls"). DDB1 44 11 7. "He has made us accepted in the Beloved" (that's our "welcome!"). DDB1 44 12 Let's not stop to question if all this is true for that could be unbelief; He has said it. ------------------------Chapter 45--If You Must Look Through Tears, Remember that God is Your "Abba, Father" DDB1 45 1 The Lord loves to "turn the captivity" of people who have suffered, and bring them out of the painful shadows of rejection into the bright sunlight of His favor. DDB1 45 2 Take Joseph for example. We think of the text that says "Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth" (Eccl. 11:9). Boys should be having fun. But Joseph at the age of 17 or 18 is crying his eyes out one night in an agony worse almost than death--he has just been sold as a slave to some hard-hearted Midianites. A life of torture is before him, when he had thought that God's favor was upon him. DDB1 45 3 And those who sold him? His fellow church-members, his ten brothers in the faith. No, they are more than that--they are the church leadership of his day, for they were all older than he, the heirs of the glorious promises God made to Abraham's descendants. Condemned to Egyptian slavery, Joseph appears to be God-forsaken, and he feels like it except for the little glimmer of faith he has. DDB1 45 4 His slavery goes from bad to worse and he ends up in a dark Egyptian prison. At least 12 or 13 years of this "chastisement" discipline go on; the Lord must have loved him enormously, for "whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives" (Heb. 12:5-8). DDB1 45 5 The Lord gave Joseph a little sunlight when he was made prime minister of the realm of Egypt and he realized that his painful suffering had prepared him to become the famine "savior" of the Middle East civilization of his day. DDB1 45 6 But still the years of soul captivity dragged on; his constant temptation was to think that the prophetic dreams of his boyhood were a deception; no one can suffer a deep, private pain more agonizing than the fear that the Lord truly has betrayed your trust. You can't talk to anyone about it. Not until his ten brothers come and kneel before him in fulfillment of his prophetic childhood dream is Joseph finally led out into the bright sunshine of the heavenly Father's vindication. DDB1 45 7 There are "Josephs" all over the world today, people whose faith is tried to the utmost (it seems to them) when everything seems to shout at them that God has forgotten them. In some cases, as in the life of the prophet Jeremiah, the pain goes on and on until death is the final release from it (then the Jews realized that he had been the prince of prophets). DDB1 45 8 If you must look through tears, remember that "God is love"--your "Abba, Father" (Rom. 8:15-17) who has adopted you into His family. Remembering brings joy. ------------------------Chapter 46--Immortality--Yours for the Asking DDB1 46 1 God has strewn the freeway to hell with all kinds of obstacles. One wise author put it this way: "All along the road that leads to death there are pains and penalties, there are sorrows and disappointments, there are warnings not to go on. God's love has made it hard for the heedless and headstrong to destroy themselves." DDB1 46 2 More than this, by the Holy Spirit the Savior is sitting beside each of us as we travel down that freeway in the wrong direction, constantly nudging us to get into the right lane and take that blessed exit ramp to life eternal. His job is specifically to be a parakletos, "one called to the side of" us, and constantly "convict" us of "sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8). He will never tire of His job or leave us to our perverse ways unless we beat Him off persistently and determinedly. He cannot deny us freedom of choice. DDB1 46 3 And what about realigning that road to heaven in order to meet His competition? The Lord Himself assures us that His way is "easy," while the road to hell is hard (see Matt. 11:30; Acts 26:14). The Savior invites us to yoke up with Him (Matt. 11:29) on the way, and it is He who bears the weight and does the pulling. That more than compensates for any supposed uphill difficulties! The "strait" gate and "narrow" way (7:14) does not mean a hard way. There is just not room for the sins that would destroy us. DDB1 46 4 The old song says something true: "I saw the Holy City beside the tideless sea. The light of God was on its streets, its gates were opened wide, And all who would might enter, and no one was denied." DDB1 46 5 In other words, immortality is yours for the asking. God gives it to everyone. All we have to do is say Yes--to accept the gift of salvation. DDB1 46 6 But remember, the Lord will not force Himself on anyone who doesn't like Him and doesn't want Him around; He is too much a gentleman to do so. If He forced everyone to be saved many would be miserable in an environment where the prevailing spirit is heartfelt gratitude to the Lamb for His sacrifice in redeeming the world. If by accident one rebel found himself there he would head for the nearest exit. The lost are not shut out of heaven by God, but by their own unfitness for its companionship. God's love is forced to let them have what they want. DDB1 46 7 God's love for every individual is more intense than that of a devoted mother for each of her children. She does not divide her love between them; each gets the whole of it. And if one is lost she grieves. John the Revelator says that when the Lamb had "opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven" (Rev. 8:1), which can mean the silence of God's infinite personal grief for those who have insisted on choosing the way of self-destruction. ------------------------Chapter 47--Let's Draw Near to the Most Holy Apartment DDB1 47 1 In order to understand the sanctuary service, two New Testament books about it must have their say: Hebrews and Revelation. The theme of Hebrews is "perfection of character," to become like Jesus. It's not "perfectionism," the heresy of flesh-perfection, but it is the clear message of overcoming self and temptation "as [Christ] also overcame" (Rev. 3:21). It will produce real flesh and blood people, sinners by nature, who appreciate how Christ "condemned sin" in "the likeness of [our] sinful flesh" (see Rom. 8:3). DDB1 47 2 Romans does not mention the sanctuary; but the idea of learning to say "No!" to temptation is there (Rom. 8:3, 4, etc.; it's also in Titus 2:12, see New International Version). Hebrews says, let's get out of the cradle roll, and "leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection" (Heb. 6:1). Christ as High Priest is "able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him" (7:25). And the new covenant completely supersedes the old (8:6-13). DDB1 47 3 The "conscience" of those who believe in Jesus is to be "purged," a deep work never before fully accomplished until the grand Day of Atonement (9:14, 22, 23, 26). Let's draw near to the Most Holy Apartment, "our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience" (10:22). All who have died in the past must wait until "God [provides] something better for us" (11:40), which is that "the God of peace ... [will] make you complete [perfect, King James Version] in every good work to do His will, working in you" (13:20, 21). DDB1 47 4 And Revelation completes the picture of what happens when the door into the Most Holy Apartment is flung open (Rev. 11:19). A great work is done by heavenly agencies never previously accomplished: a "body" of people learn to "follow the Lamb wherever He goes," stand on Mount Zion singing "a new song" that no one else in history could learn--a people "in [whose] mouth was found no guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God" (14:3-5). Thus Christ can complete His work as High Priest and return as "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS" (19:16). Let's cooperate with Him! ------------------------Chapter 48--One Little Word That Turned the World Upside Down DDB1 48 1 It's fantastic that one little word could turn the world upside down. Yes, the world was once powerfully shaken by a little band of men from Palestine who carried news embodied in one rather obscure word. Their terrified enemies in Thessalonica confessed its impact: "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too" (Acts 17:6). The dynamite-laden messengers: Christ's apostles, especially Paul and his colleague John. DDB1 48 2 The word that performed this mighty feat was one little known in the ancient Greco-Roman world--a Greek term, agape. It meant "love," but it was revolutionary. It came to carry a spiritual wallop that overwhelmed people's minds, catalyzing humanity into two camps, one for and the other against the heavenly idea. DDB1 48 3 Those that were for it were transformed overnight into recklessly joyous followers of Jesus, ready to lose property, go to prison, or even to die a tortured death for Him. Those catalyzed against it as quickly became cruel, bloodthirsty persecutors of those who saw light in the new concept of love. None who heard the news could ever sit on the fence. DDB1 48 4 The mysterious explosive in this spiritual bomb was a radically different idea than had been dreamed of by the world's philosophers or ethics teachers. It was a new invention that took friend and foe alike by surprise. DDB1 48 5 It wasn't that the ancients had no idea of love; they talked about it plenty. In fact, the Greeks had three or four words for love (our modern languages usually have only one). But the kind of love that came to be expressed in agape mercilessly exposed all other ideas of love as either non-love or anti-love. DDB1 48 6 All of a sudden mankind came to realize that what they'd been calling "love" was actually veneered selfishness. The human psyche was stripped naked by the new revelation. If you welcomed the spiritual revolution, you got clothed with agape yourself; if not, having your robes of supposed goodness ripped off turned you into a raving enemy of the new faith. And no one could turn the clock back, for agape was an idea for which its fullness of time had come. DDB1 48 7 When John took his pen to write his famous equation "God is love" (1 John 4:8), he had to choose between the several Greek words. The common, everyday one--eros--packed a powerful punch on its own. Something mysterious and powerful, eros was thought to be the source of all life. It swept like a torrent from a broken dam over all obstacles of human will and wisdom, a tide of emotion common to all humanity. If a mother loved her child, her love was eros, thought to be noble and pure. Likewise, the dependent love of children for their parents and the common love of friends for each other. Further, the mutual love of man and woman was a profoundly mysterious drive. DDB1 48 8 As the apostles fanned out telling their story, the cross became the world's moment of truth. In that lightning flash of revelation, every man saw himself judged. The cross became the final definition of love; and that's why that word agape turned the world upside down. Let it turn your life upside down! ------------------------Chapter 49--The Same Voice That Spoke to Jesus From the Bible Speaks to You DDB1 49 1 Let's say a word in behalf of those who sincerely want to follow Jesus yet meet setbacks, discouragements, frustrations, and disappointments. It seems their prayers go nowhere. Could it be that perhaps God has not accepted them? They must stand Outside, watching the party going on Inside; if God has accepted them as members of His family, why are they tormented by doubts and fears? DDB1 49 2 Here is great Good News for them: Jesus had precisely the same problem! His was an up and down experience. The "up" was His baptism, the brightest, sunniest day of His life, for He heard this Voice from Heaven, "This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17). Who wouldn't be in a state of blissfulness forever after hearing that? But then, says Mark, immediately came the "down." He felt Himself "led up ... into the wilderness" of heart-rending temptation to doubt. DDB1 49 3 An awful temptation almost overthrew Jesus right after that glorious baptism. Was He indeed the Father's "beloved Son"? "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." He was in agony, not only from physical hunger and weakness (when for all of us temptation is most fierce), but also spiritually. DDB1 49 4 The tempter wrung His soul with plausible Bad News logic and rationale: if You really are the Son of God, how could You be alone, bereft of friends and help in this desert with wild animals all around You, hungry, emaciated, forsaken? If You really are the Son of God, prove it! Take a bungee jump off the temple pinnacle--settle it forever in Your soul when You see God rescues You! Forget this hallucination that You are the Messiah; You never heard a real Voice at Your baptism, You only thought You did. Join the crowd, the world; otherwise You'll never amount to anything! (Matt. 4:1-11). DDB1 49 5 Finally, on His cross that barbed and poisoned arrow tip was shot at Him again: "If Thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross." Prove it by doing something no crucified criminal has ever been able to do! Easy, if You are the Son of God! How can You otherwise expect us to believe You? That moment was His lowest "down." But He wasn't "out." He chose to believe the Word. That Voice at His baptism was nothing more than a direct quotation from the Bible words of the Old Testament (Psalm 2:7; Isa. 42:1). DDB1 49 6 You hear that same Voice speaking to you in the Bible. Do like Jesus did--make a choice to believe it. ------------------------Chapter 50--Must We Seek and Find God, or Is It the Other Way Around? DDB1 50 1 When studying about the character of God, there are two aspects we need to consider: (a) is He Someone we must seek and find? Or (b) is He Someone seeking and finding us? DDB1 50 2 How we think of Him is important to our present earthly happiness, and to our eternal destiny, because if (a) is the truth, we don't know where to go to seek and find Him, which means, ultimately, we are lost. DDB1 50 3 All pagan religions are built on the premise of (a); and to many Christian people, especially children and youth, the idea is ingrained in us that God is like a doctor in his office--we can't conceive of one with his bag of medicines going door to door, knocking, "Anybody sick here, can I help?" He stays in his office! You've got to go and find him. DDB1 50 4 The Bible revelation of the character of God is (b): Jesus says, "The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). His parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son (Luke 15:3-32) are clear; even the story of the prodigal son emphasizes the seeking love of the father--the lost son would never have said, "I will arise and go to my father," unless the seeking love of the father had drawn him (cf. John 12:32, 33). DDB1 50 5 Our children and youth must not be given the idea that God is like a doctor deep in his inner sanctum private office, hard to find! The seeking love of the Father and the self-emptying love of Christ must be made plain early and through their teen years. An outward profession based on fear is empty; it's the heart that must be won by the truth of His love. DDB1 50 6 But doesn't the Bible say, "Seek the Lord while He may be found"? Yes, but it adds immediately, "Call upon Him while He is near" (Isa. 55:6). The Hebrew word "seek" is dharash (Strong, 1875, "inquire of, make inquisition"). There are two words for "seek": baqash (Strong, 1245) which is Saul seeking his father's lost donkeys (1 Sam. 9:3). King Saul asks his servants to "seek" (baqash) him a pagan witch, "that [he] may go to her and inquire of her" (dharash) (1 Sam. 28:7). So, Isaiah 55:6 really says, "Inquire of the Lord while He is near." The Bible idea is the nearness of the Savior, not His farness! DDB1 50 7 The Lord has taken the initiative in loving and seeking you! Now, respond. ------------------------Chapter 51--Jesus Says He Is Seeking Lost Sinners, Not Vice Versa DDB1 51 1 Does God's Word contradict itself? Jesus devotes an entire chapter (Luke 15) to say that He is seeking lost sinners, not vice versa. But there are passages in the Old Testament that seem to contradict Him, implying He hides, awaiting the sinner's choice to seek and find Him. DDB1 51 2 Jesus actually sought out people to heal and resurrect. For example, there was the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:13ff.); the paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda (5:2-9; Jesus asked him if He could heal him!). Note His fervent appeals seeking the hearts of the leaders of the Jews (5:17ff.); and there's the bereaved widow of Nain whose funeral for her son He interrupts and raises him (Luke 7:11ff.). None of these came to Him seeking Him; He went to them seeking them. Jesus said His Father even is seeking our fellowship as though He is lonely without us. (He is! It hurts Him when we leave Him; John 4:23.) DDB1 51 3 But the Old Testament has commandments to seek and find Him, as though He hides from us. For example: "Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice; seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger" (Zeph. 2:3). And, "Thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: ... 'Seek Me and live, lest He break out like fire ...'" to burn you up or send a tsunami to wash you away (see the threats in Amos 5:4, 6). DDB1 51 4 And there is Jeremiah 29: "You will seek Me, and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart" (vs. 13). If we read the context we will see that the Lord is not contradicting what Jesus said: the people have come home after 70 years of captivity-exile; at last they are tired of idolatry and Baal worship and are now eager to come to the Lord. It is not a command; it's simple future tense. It's not a threat. In close context, the prophet tells them that the joy of New Covenant living will come instead of Old Covenant fear (31:31-34). DDB1 51 5 Amos has to speak to Old Covenant-minded people with the only appeal he knows at the time--fear. The Northern Kingdom of Israel has deeply apostatized and are soon to be exiled permanently, lost to history (722 B.C.). DDB1 51 6 But now at last here comes Jesus of Nazareth "to give light to those who sit in darkness" (Luke 1:79). He is the New Covenant. He seeks the lost sheep "until He finds it." And then comes Paul: the entire Old Testament is a "schoolmaster" (disciplinarian) that leads us back to where Abraham was, to be "justified by faith" (Gal. 3:22-25). ------------------------Chapter 52--Patrick the Myth and the Real Patrick DDB1 52 1 Saint Patrick parades will be big news this week, and everybody will be wearing something green. But this legendary figure who converted the Irish to Christianity and drove out all the snakes from Ireland--who was he? There is Patrick the Myth, a man who never existed; and the Real Patrick, the man described in authentic history. It may surprise you who he was: DDB1 52 2 (1) He knew nothing of submission to the pope of Rome; he taught the simple non-Roman Christianity of the four gospels and the Epistles of Paul, James, and John. DDB1 52 3 (2) Thus, his faith was that of a Protestant long before Luther or Calvin. DDB1 52 4 (3) He observed the seventh-day Sabbath as the true Lord's Day, and taught its observance. He opposed celibacy. DDB1 52 5 (4) He established schools where youth were taught to read and obey the Bible, and not the traditions of the Ante-Nicene or Post-Nicene "Fathers." DDB1 52 6 (5) He made Ireland to be a missionary center whence preachers were sent to all of Europe to proclaim the faith of the apostles in contrast to that of Rome. He was free and independent of any control from Italy. DDB1 52 7 (6) He had no regard for relics or consecrated staffs. DDB1 52 8 (7) He erected no idols or statues of Mary or saints. DDB1 52 9 The Patrick of legend has replaced the true one. It is surprising to many people that all during the Dark Ages there were true Christians who maintained their freedom from Rome, often driven from their homes to live in the mountains, to endure constant efforts to overthrow their faith and even fight for their lives. When the Church of Rome promoted Sunday-keeping, these minority Christians maintained the observance of the same seventh-day Sabbath as did the apostles. In fact, history records that up to the sixth or seventh centuries, most Christians in Europe observed the seventh-day Sabbath. And God will again have a people worldwide who do so (Rev. 12:17; 14:6-12). ------------------------Chapter 53--Prayer is Also Listening to Him--Don't Miss the Blessing DDB1 53 1 The simplest and most basic lesson on how to pray is in the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:6, but it may be that we haven't learned it very well. Jesus teaches us to pray to our Father "which is in secret" (King James Version). The idea is that we are to believe that the Father loves us just as much as does the Son. The command, "Be reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20), means to be reconciled to the Father through the Son. The initial response of any heart that believes the Good News of the gospel is to "cry out, 'Abba, Father'" (Rom. 8:15), which is reconciliation. When you believe in Jesus, immediately your heart turns to the Father just as a little child who can say only one word so far, "Ba-ba," which is that Hebrew word "Baba." DDB1 53 2 But sometimes we have earthly fathers who have so distorted the image of father that we sense an emotional barrier between us and the Father who is God. So we pray differently: "Dear Jesus, ... " For some reason we teach the little children to pray, "Dear Jesus," in our Sabbath Schools and church schools. The idea is unconsciously encouraged even when we don't intend to teach it--the Father is Someone distant, mysterious, unfathomable, too austere for us to relate to Him comfortably. DDB1 53 3 That is exactly the problem that Jesus wants to heal. He said, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). So here we have the old problem of unbelief staring us in the face; will we believe that the Father is our truest best Friend? Will we choose to respond to Him as a child responds to a loving father? If since childhood we have been alienated from the emotional idea of "father" being our best friend forever, will we now choose to "come out of Babylon," for that is part of the problem--confusion of heart. Will we consent to be "reconciled" to Him? DDB1 53 4 We must learn to pray in a meaningful way. Often we suppose it's our little mini-lecture we give Him in our prayer, with our list of requisitions. Then when we're done with that, we say "amen" and jump up and run off. Or if it's our "good night" prayer, we say "amen" and climb into bed and go to sleep. We have "said our prayers," fulfilled our obligation. DDB1 53 5 But wait a moment: prayer is also listening to Him. Just kneeling, quiet, attentive, waiting. Don't miss the blessing. ------------------------Chapter 54--The Last Lesson Christ Learned Before He Closed His Eyes in Death DDB1 54 1 Is it possible that the Lord Jesus Himself could have learned a needed lesson during the last hour of His earthly life? We know that although He was the divine, eternal Son of God, in His humanity He had laid aside all the prerogatives of His divinity. He had to learn as we must learn. Now in His last hour He hangs on a Roman cross apparently forsaken by God. Everything possible is against Him. His grand mission seems utterly defeated; the most abject shame has overtaken Him. He screams in hellish agony, "My God, why have You forsaken Me?" DDB1 54 2 Does He have one more lesson yet to learn before He can close His eyes in death? The sun is getting low in the western sky; Sabbath has not yet come. Is His work of faith not yet fully done? DDB1 54 3 Yes, He has something yet to learn--one more lesson that He and we must learn: when someone has actually "become sin," has so sinned that He (or you or I!) has actually become guilty of all the sins that have ever been committed since the world began, if that person will pray to God, God will not despise His prayer! DDB1 54 4 "The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isa. 53:6), that is, no one in all world history was more "sinful" than was Jesus when He was "made ... to be sin for us, who knew no sin" (2 Cor. 5:21, King James Version). You can't become more sinful than to be made sin! With that horrendous load of our world guilt on His soul, Jesus cries out in despair, "Why have You forsaken Me?" DDB1 54 5 But what was the lesson He learned? "[The Lord] has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from Him; but when He cried to Him, He heard" (Psalm 22:24, the psalm that Jesus prayed on His cross). And now, as He comes to His last hour of earthly life, He sings special music as Star Performer before the grandest convocation ever gathered: "My praise shall be of You in the great congregation; ... Let your heart live forever! All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord" (vss. 25-27). He dies our second death, but we shall live forever! He learns that God has not forsaken Him (nor us who will pray)--and never has. DDB1 54 6 You who wonder if God has given up on you, learn this last lesson that the Son of God learned. ------------------------Chapter 55--The Greatest Sin of All the Ages DDB1 55 1 What brought ancient Israel’s ruin? She refused to accept her Messiah’s message, which exposed a deeper level of guilt than she had previously realized. The Jews of Christ’s day were not by nature more evil than any other generation; it was simply theirs to act out to the full the same enmity against God that all the fallen sons and daughters of Adam have always had by nature. The divine Son of God came to them on a mission of mercy. As our natural "carnal mind is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7), they simply demonstrated this fact visibly in the murder of their divine Visitor. Those who crucified the Savior hold up a mirror wherein we can see ourselves. DDB1 55 2 Laodicea’s repentance will go down to the deepest roots of this natural "enmity against God." This deeper phase of repentance is repenting of sins that we may not have personally committed, but which we would have committed if we had the opportunity. The root of all sin, its common denominator, is the crucifixion of Christ. DDB1 55 3 "Opportunity" has come to others in the form of temptations through circumstances we ourselves may not have encountered. None of us can endure the full consciousness of what we would do if under sufficient pressure—terrorism, for example. (The enforcement of the "mark of the beast" will surely provide the ultimate "opportunity.") But our potential sin is already recorded in "the books of heaven." DDB1 55 4 Only the full work of the Holy Spirit can bring to us the full conviction of the reality of sin; but in these last days when sins must be "blotted out" as well as pardoned, this is His blessed work. No buried bacteria or virus of sin can be translated into God’s eternal kingdom. DDB1 55 5 The Laodicean call to repentance is the essence of the message of Christ’s righteousness. Whatever sins other people are guilty of, they obviously had the "opportunity" of committing them; somehow the temptations were overpowering to them. The deeper insight the Holy Spirit brings to us is that we are by nature no better than others. Christ’s righteousness is 100 percent imputed to us; we don’t have even one percent that is ours by nature. When Scripture says that "all have sinned," it means, as The New English Bible translates it, "all alike have sinned" (Rom. 3:23). Digging down to get the roots out—this is now "present truth." DDB1 55 6 There is no way that we can appreciate the heights of Christ’s glorious righteousness until we are willing to recognize the depths of our own sinfulness. For this reason, to see our own potential for sin is inexpressibly good news! ------------------------Chapter 56--A Tiny Example of the Lord's Goodness DDB1 56 1 Psalm 103 is our beloved "Day of Atonement" song of reconciliation with the Lord. It begins and ends with "Bless the Lord, O my soul." The word "bless" obviously means "to make happy." So the psalm tells us how to make the Lord Himself to be happy. DDB1 56 2 Does He need any help? That's a nice life work for any of us! DDB1 56 3 The way to make Him happy is to be happy ourselves "in Christ" in these last days of the Savior's ministry as our great High Priest. The psalm's high point is: (1) He "forgives all your iniquities," and parallel to that, (2) He "heals all your diseases" (vs. 3). We must walk softly here, for there are sick people whose sins have all been forgiven, and sometimes they even die. But wait a moment: are we really sure that all of our unknown sins have been forgiven in the true sense of the word, that is, taken away--not just pardoned? DDB1 56 4 That "blotting out of sins" is distinct from the pardoning of sins. This is the special work of Daniel's "cleansing of the sanctuary" (8:14). This work cannot be accomplished in heaven until first of all the sins have been forgiven, blotted out, in and from the hearts of those who "follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (Rev. 14:4, 5). They are that special group known as the 144,000. (Don't be afraid that there won't be "room" for you; the "room" depends on the width and length and depth and height of your faith, which is a heart appreciation of the love [agape] of Christ, Eph. 3:17-19.) DDB1 56 5 Part of the happiness the Lord wants us to know is that our mouth is satisfied "with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's" (Psalm 103:5). Is such dietary pleasure health-inducing? It says so. It's re-educating our taste to be "reconciled" (there's "atonement" again!) to enjoy the foods that God has created to be "received with thanksgiving" (1 Tim. 4:4). DDB1 56 6 Day of Atonement living includes that re-educating of our diet. To list all those delicious foods is impossible. How can you doubt there is a loving Creator who created them all in six days when you consider alone the annual progression of fruits through the year, from the earliest strawberries in spring, through summer peaches, then pears, to those delicious persimmons in late autumn! Just a tiny example of the Lord's goodness. Yes, "bless the Lord, O my soul"! He heals diseases, and enjoying foods He has created is one way. ------------------------Chapter 57--The Solution to God's Biggest Problem DDB1 57 1 God has a huge problem on His hands--sin. It has ruined this world and is getting worse ("lawlessness will abound," Matt. 24:12). Just look at any morning's news. Unless that "cancer" of sin can be overcome and defeated, it will ruin the entire universe. This is what "the great controversy between Christ and Satan" is all about. DDB1 57 2 The sacrifice of Christ 2000 years ago was wonderful; His sacrifice was complete. But not until the problem of sin can be solved and eradicated from the world and the universe, will the atonement (becoming "one" with God) be complete. Sinners are at "enmity" with Him, and He cannot solve the problem just by "zapping" them. To force them would only make the problem worse. Yes, God does have a problem! And He cannot rest until that "cancer" in His universe is overcome. DDB1 57 3 God needs some people to cooperate with Him, because His Son has become "Immanuel, God with us." He became human as well as divine; His heart is with us in this world. Those people who must help Him are called "the church." It is the place where God must demonstrate to the world and to the universe that His "gospel ... is the power of God to salvation" (Rom. 1:16). In other words, it eradicates sin from its last refuge--the human heart. This demonstration constitutes the final judgment of the cross of Christ that will forever defeat sin. DDB1 57 4 The "cleansing" of the sanctuary in heaven requires first the cleansing of the hearts of His people on earth--the stage where the drama is being played out. The "books" in heaven cannot tell a lie. But His church on earth is "lukewarm," a spiritual sickness produced by heart alienation from Christ, love of self, and love of the world. There is God's biggest problem! DDB1 57 5 The solution? Something called "the message of Christ's righteousness," a truth rooted in the cleansing of the sanctuary, "the third angel's message in verity" (see Rev. 14:6-12). "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). ------------------------Chapter 58--Does It Hurt God for Us to Think Evil of Him? DDB1 58 1 What difference does it make to God what we think inside of us? Why would God even care what we think? What difference could our private thoughts make to Him? DDB1 58 2 We can ask another question: What difference does it make to you what your neighbor may think about you? If you are a hard, harsh, arrogant person, probably, nothing. But if you are a kind, considerate, loving person, it would surely burden you to know that your neighbor sees you as bad, selfish, or unjust, even if he doesn't gossip about you to others. Just the knowledge that in his mind he cherishes these evil thoughts about you must burden you. DDB1 58 3 Does it hurt God for us to think evil of Him? It must, because "the carnal mind is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7), and enmity is incipient murder, says John: "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer" (1 John 3:15). If you were God could you "rest" knowing that there are people who would crucify You all over again? (If He were to come as Christ came 2000 years ago?) DDB1 58 4 Yes, God longs for "rest," which since sin began on this planet, He has never been able to do. He is burdened 24/7. And He cannot rest until the great controversy between Satan and Himself has come to an end. DDB1 58 5 We are now living in the grand cosmic Day of Atonement, of which the ancient Levitical Yom Kippur was a symbol. God so loves the world already that He gave His only Son for us, proving that He is reconciled to us; what remains to be done is for us to be reconciled to Him. DDB1 58 6 Don't resist or stop the Holy Spirit from ministering that final reconciliation to you. He speaks, "Be reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:18-20). To find out how He does it, read the rest of the chapter. Let Him turn your attention to what happened on the cross when "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (vs. 21). DDB1 58 7 God's heart doesn't need to be changed toward you, but yours needs to be changed toward Him. On this cosmic Day of Atonement, that's the work of the Holy Spirit. Don't "resist our Lord in His office work." ------------------------Chapter 59--Transformed From the Inside Out DDB1 59 1 To have faith is not merely to trust the Lord like you trust the bank or the insurance company. You can do that and still remain as selfish as you were before, because such trust is a self-centered concern. The John 3:16 idea of faith solves the problem and lifts our naturally self-centered hearts out of a dark cave into the sunlight: faith is a heart-melting appreciation of what it cost the Son of God to save us. DDB1 59 2 We know this from several texts that tell us what faith is. Those two things that God did in John 3:16 are: (a) He so loved the world that He (b) gave His only begotten Son. Those two trigger (c): we believe. The (a) and the (b) come before the (c)! If your heart says "Thanks!" for (a) and (b), then you've already begun (c). But just begun, for one's selfish heart only begins to come alive; you grow; the hardness is melted day by day. And that kind of faith "works through love" (agape). Your motives and your conduct are transformed from the inside out. Don't get discouraged if progress seems slow. The Holy Spirit is working! DDB1 59 3 In other words, faith couldn't even exist unless first of all there was the revelation of that love at the cross (agape). All of this is just another way of saying that salvation is by grace, "not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:9). DDB1 59 4 If faith "works through love" (Gal. 5:6), then there is no end to the good works that it will continually motivate us to do. Here is the victory over every kind of evil the devil tempts us to do. No addict is beyond the Savior's reach. Stop carrying a load of guilt. Faith is itself a change of heart. It reconciles an alienated, selfish heart to God; and since no one can be reconciled to His holy law, such faith immediately makes the believer become obedient to all ten of the joyous commandments of God. The love of Christ supplies an infinitely powerful motivation. DDB1 59 5 From then on, it's not a matter of "what do I have to do in order to be saved?" but "how can I say Thank You enough for saving my soul from hell itself?" It's an entirely new situation, for "behold, all things have become new," for "all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Cor. 5:17, 18). ------------------------Chapter 60--Why Have an Investigative Judgment? DDB1 60 1 If a ship sinks into the depths of the sea, is it gone forever? Many like to quote Micah 7:19 that says, when we confess our sins, the Lord promises to cast them into the depths of the sea. They ask, "Then why have an investigative judgment?" DDB1 60 2 But we have a problem here. Back in Micah's day, if a ship sank into the ocean, it was gone forever; but now, no longer. It's great business diving into wrecks on the ocean floor. Even the Titanic has been disturbed in its resting place in the North Atlantic where it has lain since that April night in 1912. DDB1 60 3 No, casting our sins into the depths of the ocean as an eternal resting place might not be the end of them. When God recreates the earth anew, He will also clean up the oceans. Heaven won't be what we want if the eternal ocean floor is forever littered with wrecks that remind us of this earth's sinful, cruel past, any more than if wrecked cars and burned out buildings will still cover the surface of the earth made new. DDB1 60 4 Some day the hidden secrets of every "shipwreck" will be revealed. So, sins that are hidden, even from our knowledge, must be revealed. And for those who are ready for Jesus to return, that means that it must all come out in the open beforehand in a judgment before He returns. DDB1 60 5 But that's not Bad News; it's Good News, ... because the deeper the knowledge of your sins, the deeper your heart appreciation of His grace. And no one can be happy when Jesus returns unless we have learned that lesson! ------------------------Chapter 61--The Day When Everything Got Straightened Out DDB1 61 1 Life today should be solemnly exciting--more than at any time in 6000 years: this is the cosmic, grand "Day of Atonement." It's the antitype of ancient Israel's one Day of days when the nation was in such heart-stopping excitement that they ate nothing all day. They (and God, too!) were on trial in an awe-inspiring Day of Judgment. But now the real thing is going on. DDB1 61 2 In Israel, it was the one Day of the year when everything got straightened out and all questions were answered. At Day's end, the nation was in heart-oneness with God. In miniature, "the great controversy" between Christ and Satan was finished. Sin and sinners were no more. The entire nation was clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beat throughout. Life and light and gladness flowed from the Lord. To Israel, all things in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy declared that God is love--on that one grand day of the year, the Day of Atonement. DDB1 61 3 Now the message from our great High Priest, Jesus Christ, is this: "be reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20). "Atonement" is not obscure Latin, Greek, or Hebrew--it's pure simple Anglo-Saxon, "be at-one-with God." It's time for your doubts to be resolved, those deep feelings that He has not been fair with you. It's time to join that distraught father in Mark 9 who cried with tears when everything seemed against him, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24). It's time for "Jacob" the Supplanter to wrestle with God and get a new name, "Israel." DDB1 61 4 But can we shake ourselves by our shoulders and just do it--reconcile ourselves to Him? It means a change of mind, which actually is repentance. But do we have a "self-start button" to press for "repenting ourselves"? Acts 5:31 says it's a "gift" from our "Prince and Savior." A "gift" is not what you work for. DDB1 61 5 Which reminds us: the Israelites never "cleansed" their own sanctuary: the high priest alone always did it. It wasn't a works-trip for them. Yes, bitter as this pill may be for do-it-yourself legalists: we have to let Him do it for us and in us on this cosmic Day of Atonement. He takes the initiative and we cooperate "through faith." DDB1 61 6 So stop resisting the blessed Holy Spirit. Your High Priest loves you more than you ever dreamed He does. To understand, "behold" and "comprehend" what happened on His cross. ------------------------Chapter 62--"Lifted Up" for All to See DDB1 62 1 Some Europeans who came looking for Jesus found Him in a pensive mood a few days before Calvary. Their invitation to Him to come to Europe and escape the horror before Him in Jerusalem was a severe temptation, and drew from Him a sober statement of the kind of death He knew He was to die: "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone." If I accept your invitation to escape My cross, I will be the grain of wheat laid up on a shelf "alone" and useless, side by side with your Greek philosophers. "But if it dies, it produces much grain" (John 12:24). DDB1 62 2 If I go through with what My Father has appointed Me to do--die the second death on a cross--then I will fulfill My mission and the hopes of the Sychar Samaritans as "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42; any death on a cross involved the irredeemable "curse" of God--Gal. 3:13; Deut. 21:23). "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. … What shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour?'" (John 12:25, 27). His answer to that question: No! DDB1 62 3 Then His mind went forward to our day when our world is locked in the futility of self-seeking. "'And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.' This He said, signifying by what death He would die" (John 12:32-33). Thus He described the light that will "lighten the earth with glory" in the work of that "other angel" whose final message will call out of Babylon all of God's people scattered around the world (Rev. 18:1-4). DDB1 62 4 His being "lifted up" for all to see, to "comprehend" (cf. Eph. 3:18, 19), will be the full revelation of the significance of "what death He would die"--all men's "second death" (cf. Rev. 2:11; 20:6). The world will then be terror-stricken, but His final message will not be terror-driven. It will not be a me-first, but a Christ-first message--an at-last full revelation of the love (agape) intrinsic in His much more abounding grace. It will "constrain" every honest heart to self-less devotion to the One who died for us (cf. 2 Cor. 5:14, 15). ------------------------Chapter 63--The Boy Dedicated to His Father's "Business" DDB1 63 1 When the little Boy of 12 watched His first Passover at Jerusalem, He wondered what it meant. He had to reason it out through His inspired mind and conclude that it meant that Someone sinless must come and be sacrificed as the Lamb of God. What's amazing is that this teenage Boy did not fight the conviction that He was called to die as the "Lamb of God"! DDB1 63 2 We know He accepted the call, because the first words we have from His lips were what He said to His mother when she later found Him in the Temple, "Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" (Luke 2:49). That 12-year-old Boy was dedicated! He was the first of many who have out-thought their parents, and yes, their pastors, in understanding the leading of the Holy Spirit. That "Boy" stayed dedicated to His Father's "business" until He "set His face" to go to Jerusalem to be crucified (see Luke 9:51). DDB1 63 3 There are in the world today many teens who likewise hear and respond to the call of the Holy Spirit to dedicate themselves to the Lord Jesus. The nation's religious leaders in the Temple in Jerusalem had no idea what was happening up in Nazareth in Galilee, while this Teen was growing up and while He was working as a carpenter. The Holy Spirit was teaching Him. DDB1 63 4 So there are youth today, some as young as 12, who are thinking very seriously, and responding to the Holy Spirit very deeply. They may be 144,000 in number! DDB1 63 5 Let them ponder that Youth of 12. He does not impose upon them the heavy burdens of Old Covenant living; He invites them to fellowship with Himself in joyous New Covenant freedom. Theirs will be the once-forever joy of proclaiming the message that will lighten the earth with glory (Rev. 18:1-4). ------------------------Chapter 64--Is There Biblical Basis for a Pre-Advent Judgment? DDB1 64 1 Is there biblical basis for the idea of a pre-Advent judgment? When we confess our sins, doesn't the Lord Jesus forgive us our sins, and hasn't He promised to cast them into the depths of the sea? Why then would He drag up out of the sea bottom that Titanic of shameful sin that He promised should be left there? Isn't this entire idea of a pre-Advent judgment something contrary to gospel common sense? DDB1 64 2 There are two biblical statements, both unquestionably inspired because they came from the lips of Jesus. And they are not out of context: DDB1 64 3 (1) He said to the Sadducees, "They which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that [eternal] world, and the resurrection from the dead ... [cannot] die any more" (Luke 20:35, 36, King James Version). He had already taught the reality of two resurrections--"those who have done good, to the resurrection of life" (John 5:28, 29), which obviously can take place only at His second Advent (1 Thess. 4:15-18), and that of "those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation." Revelation 20 quite clearly says it takes place at the close of the thousand-year post-Advent judgment (Rev. 20:4-7). DDB1 64 4 Before Jesus returns again as He promised and resurrects "those who have done good," somehow it must be determined, or "judged," who to resurrect in that first resurrection and who to leave sleeping on until the second. It's hardly common sense to say that God Himself (who presides at the Judgment) needs this investigative knowledge; He knows everything. But the "court" composed of the intelligences of the universe needs to know (and so do we!). DDB1 64 5 (2) Jesus spoke of "judgment" as of two kinds: condemnation and vindication. In this pre-Advent judgment Jesus leaves that Titanic of confessed and forsaken sin and guilt submerged where it is. The only people He agrees to judge are those who believe in Him, and He will vindicate them. The rest will judge themselves. It will be for them a "do-it-yourself" condemnation (John 12:47, 48). ------------------------Chapter 65--A Clearer Vision of Christ's Substitution DDB1 65 1 For ages, millions have died trusting in Christ as their Substitute. For the most part, their idea of substitution has been "vicarious." Christ stands in their place, like an insurance company stands in your place when you suffer a loss. Or, as a lawyer stands before the judge in your place in a court case. DDB1 65 2 Now, in this Day of Atonement, God's idea of substitution is a clearer one, a "shared" one. It's not that "vicarious" substitution is wrong; but the closer God's people come to the Savior, the clearer is their vision of His substitution. DDB1 65 3 For example, in the Day of Atonement they "[sing] as it were, a new song before the throne," a song that no other group in history could sing (Rev. 14:1-5). This indicates a new experience in relating to Christ, a new and dearer understanding of Him. Further, they "follow the Lamb wherever He goes," indicating a new experience that means a closer identity with Him as the crucified One and as their High Priest. DDB1 65 4 It can't be a righteousness by works experience that is "new," for legalism can never inspire a body of God's people to follow Christ so closely in His closing High Priestly ministry. It must be a righteousness by faith experience that is "new." The goal is changed from merely preparing a body of people to die and then come up in the first resurrection (a wonderful goal that requires the miracle of regeneration). But the "new song" that is sung prepares a body of people for translation at the second coming of Jesus. Thus it closes His ministry as High Priest, and inaugurates what leads to His coronation as King of kings. DDB1 65 5 How do these people identify so closely with "the Lamb"? It's not a fanatical "me first" to be among the 144,000 idea. Personal reward is the last thing on their minds. By mature faith they "grow up ... into Him," "to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:15, 13), identifying with Him. ------------------------Chapter 66--How Could There Be "War in Heaven"? DDB1 66 1 We can understand how war breaks out in this dark, sinful world; but how could there be "war in heaven"? (Rev. 12:7) Heaven is a perfect place! Who started it? DDB1 66 2 The Bible says clearly that sin originated with Lucifer, the highest of the angels (Eze. 28:12-15; Isa. 14:12-14). He sought to spread rebellion. And many angels joined him ("a third of the stars," Rev 12:4). But who started the conflict that resulted in "the great dragon [being] cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan" (vs. 9)? DDB1 66 3 A very wise writer says that Lucifer's new idea of "the ... exaltation of self, contrary to the Creator's plan, awakened forebodings of evil in minds to whom God's glory was supreme." This quiet, clever, secret "exaltation of self" would have gone on and on had it not been that some "minds" loyal to God were "awakened" to oppose it. They were the ones who started the "war in heaven"! They were not content to let this underhanded work proceed unopposed. DDB1 66 4 Our text seems clear: "And war broke out in heaven: Michael and His angels fought against the dragon [that is, took the initiative]; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any more" (Rev. 12:7, 8). There is no suggestion that literal swords or guns were used. Two-thirds of the angels thought through the clever lies of Lucifer and his supporting angels, and rejected them. Today the Holy Spirit still takes the initiative in opposing evil. Thank God! And we should cooperate with Him and stop opposing His initiatives. ------------------------Chapter 67--Can We Help Christ Win the Great Controversy? DDB1 67 1 There is indeed a great controversy between Christ and Satan. And those who believe in Christ believe that He will win, in the end. This is called "the blessed hope" (Titus 2:13). DDB1 67 2 Can human beings help Him win that great controversy? Many will say, "No, God is sovereign; He is almighty; He is the Captain of this ship; we are only passengers." And in one sense that is true. DDB1 67 3 But there is another truth that is begging for recognition: the long delay in finishing the great controversy is not God's fault, but the fault of His people who have delayed His will. When one compares Christ's message to "the angel of the church of the Laodiceans" in Revelation 3:14-21 with chapter 19:1-8, it becomes readily apparent that the Bride of the Lamb should have "made herself ready" long ago. The great controversy cannot be finally concluded until she does, because you can't have a marriage without a bride having made herself ready! DDB1 67 4 Yes, Christ needs the cooperation of His people, because "the Head [cannot say] to the feet, 'I have no need of you'" (1 Cor. 12:21). One's feet are very lowly in comparison with one's head; but no one wants to lose them. DDB1 67 5 The time must come when not only is Satan defeated at Christ's cross, but Christ's people must also defeat him. "Our brethren ... overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony" (Rev. 12:10, 11). Only then can the final chorus of rejoicing break out in heaven (vs. 12). DDB1 67 6 You are important; all Heaven is watching. And the Savior's "much more abounding grace" is given to you, not merely offered. Rejoice and thank God for the privilege of having an important part in the final battle of the great controversy. ------------------------Chapter 68--A Special Day of Listening to the Lord DDB1 68 1 Did Jesus teach us that in these last days we will be living in the cosmic Day of Atonement? Did He teach that in Daniel's "time of the end" (11:35; 12:4) we will live ever more reconciled to God and to His holy law, at-one with His holy character of love [agape]? DDB1 68 2 It's impossible to read what Jesus says in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 and not realize that this is true. We are living in a special time that transcends all "business as usual" philosophy: "When you see all these things, know that it is near, at the very doors. ... As the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ... Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming" (Matt. 24:33-42). "Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly" (Luke 21:34). DDB1 68 3 God's people in the time of Moses were permitted to "carouse," that is, have parties, also to drink (moderately); and to seek to become millionaires was legitimate--but not on the Day of Atonement. That was a special day of listening to the Lord, of heart-searching, of yielding to the Holy Spirit, to be "at-one" with Him in heart and character. DDB1 68 4 Jesus said that in the great cosmic Day of Atonement "the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Matt. 24:29). We probably can't explain that--yet; but only those who today have learned to live in the great Day of Atonement will then be "able to stand." DDB1 68 5 But Good News: come to Jesus; He will teach you today. ------------------------Chapter 69--A "Princess" and the Good News of the New Covenant DDB1 69 1 Throughout history it is deeply engrained in human thinking that salvation is initially dependant on human initiative. Nothing happens until like the prodigal son we say, "I will arise and go" (Luke 15:18). But did Jesus teach that the salvation of the prodigal son was due to his own initiative? In eternity, will he boast, "I'm here because I came home"? Or will he thank God for his father's love that spoke hope to his heart even while he was sitting in the pigsty? Was it his own initiative that drove him to "arise and go" or was it the drawing of that love? DDB1 69 2 It appears that the teaching of Jesus was clear that "If I am lifted up from the earth, [I] will draw all peoples to Myself" (John 12:32). He did not teach that those who are saved at last are those who come under their own self-starter power. DDB1 69 3 No Bible character was in a more hopeless condition of failure and frustration than Sarai, wife of Abram. She desperately prayed for 25 years that God's will be done in her life to get her pregnant. She knew it was the will of God, but nothing happened, only failure. She was bitter; and before you condemn her, put yourself in her place. We learn an interesting lesson in reading of what the Lord did for her. DDB1 69 4 He did not tell her, "When you straighten yourself up and stop being angry with Me, then I will enable you to get pregnant!" Rather He spoke New Covenant Good News to her soul; and all she did was listen. There was nothing she could do but listen and believe! (And that, incidentally, is exactly the meaning of the Hebrew word for "obey" in Exodus 19:5.) The Lord gave her the glorious Good News that her name was changed to "Princess," He promised to make her "a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her" (Gen. 17:16), and the naked Good News itself changed her heart! The Good News in that New Covenant promise reconciled her alienated heart to God. Yes, she believed; but look again, the initiative was taken by God. DDB1 69 5 By the way, what can the dead do on the resurrection day to help resurrect themselves? Or is their part simply to "hear His voice and come forth"? (John 5:28, 29). For sure, that "voice" is going to be glorious Good News, isn't it? Maybe we should start learning how to "listen" to it now. ------------------------Chapter 70--Why Was Daniel So "Greatly Beloved"? DDB1 70 1 "Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, 'O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; ...'" (Dan. 9:20-23). DDB1 70 2 After reading Daniel's prayer in chapter 9, verses 4-19, can we have a doubt that the Lord hears prayer? Does He notice the wants of His humble child? No sooner does Daniel's prayer begin to ascend to heaven, than the command is issued to the mighty angel to "fly swiftly" to his help! There is no loitering in the "offices" of Heaven. Swifter than an e-mail, the answer comes "in appearance like a flash of lightning" (Ezek. 1:14). Trembling child, have faith in God! DDB1 70 3 What made Daniel to be "greatly beloved"? Does God have some favorite people whom He loves more than others? No, for Christ gave His blood for all of us equally. He did something for the entire human race. He has redeemed us all. If He died to save the world, He has given the gift of salvation to the world--but it's a gift that has to be received by faith. DDB1 70 4 By His sacrifice on His cross, the Son of God has given the gift of justification to "every man," but you can do like Esau did who had the "birthright" but "despised" it and "sold" it (Gen. 25:33, 34; Heb. 12:16, 17). Paul makes clear that what Christ did for humanity was more than make them a mere "offer." No less than five times in one short passage he declares that Christ gave us a "free gift" of justification (Rom. 5:15-18). DDB1 70 5 Daniel believed this "Good News" and chose to respond. For him Christ's legal justification became the experience of justification by faith. This is what made him obedient. What the angel says to Daniel, he says to you also. Instead of saying, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son," say, "God so loved me. ..." ------------------------Chapter 71--The Only Man in Eternity Who Can Say, "Look to Me ..." DDB1 71 1 Jesus of Nazareth is the only Man in eternity who can say to everyone, "Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth!" (Isa. 45:22). DDB1 71 2 To "look" means the same as "behold." John the Baptist lifted his voice and "cried" saying, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). To "look" in the sense of "behold" is to look earnestly with faith, which is a heart appreciation of who Jesus is and what He has done and what He has given to "every man." DDB1 71 3 The apostle Paul was at his keenest in his thinking when he wrote Romans chapter five: "God's act of grace is out of all proportion to Adam's wrongdoing. For if the wrongdoing of that one man brought death upon so many, its effect is vastly exceeded by the grace of God and the gift that came to so many by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ" (see Rom. 5:15-21, The Revised English Bible). DDB1 71 4 Salvation is totally by the grace of the Lord Jesus, yes, and by the grace of the Father. The sacrifice of Christ has made it possible for the Father to treat "every man" as though he has never sinned! This is monumental grace! DDB1 71 5 To "believe" in Jesus is not the same as believing that 2 + 2 = 4; it is the human heart appreciating what it cost the Son of God to save us--He died our second death. He looked ahead of Himself down a tunnel that had no light at the end of it. Jesus did not simply go to sleep for a weekend. No, He went to hell and suffered the agony of hell--that was what it meant to die our second death! DDB1 71 6 We are just little children, all of us, in our understanding! May the Lord be gracious and permit us to grow! Not one person in God's eternal kingdom will feel or will say that he deserves to be there. ------------------------Chapter 72--Thank God for Love! DDB1 72 1 When somebody important loves you and tells you so, you are flooded with happiness. As a wise writer once said, such love is a precious gift from Jesus. It begins with mother and father loving you; but we are to "leave ... father and ... mother, and cleave" to that other somebody important. Thank God for love! DDB1 72 2 But can you imagine how the biblical Daniel felt when a holy angel from heaven addressed him, "O Daniel, man greatly beloved," individually, especially (9:23; 10:11, 19). At this time, it was Medo-Persian rule. Likely, his three loyal friends of youth, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, were no longer around (we never hear of them again). He was lonely, still in exile, engulfed with perpetual paganism all around him, hated, envied by the leadership of the nation; he probably had no family; he had suffered an intimate personal violence unspeakable for a Hebrew—castrated in his teenage youth, apparently abandoned of heaven as a deserved spoil of divine national retribution. DDB1 72 3 But now an angel as a personal friend (unusual!?) throws into a conversation parenthetically this tidbit of information—the intelligences of heaven, what Paul calls "the whole family in heaven and earth" (Eph. 3:15), talk about him behind his back in endearing terms. He means something special at the headquarters of God. They love him as an individual! DDB1 72 4 Daniel's "works" did not evoke this special affection; it was his faith. He was respected as a kind of hero; when he had prayed with "his windows open toward Jerusalem" he had risked his life for devotion to this "family in heaven" (Dan. 6:10). When he went into the lions' den it was with a committed resignation, partly in trust that the Lord might deliver him, partly as surrender in case his being devoured by beasts might somehow honor God (as with Christians later in the days of pagan Rome). This reliance on God as "Father in heaven" knit Daniel's soul with that of the Son of God who from eternity had committed Himself to be one with us. He was "greatly beloved" by Him, and the angel realized it. DDB1 72 5 Wait on your knees, "Wait, I say, on the Lord!" (Psalm 27:14). The same angel has a word for you, too. Your happiness will lead you to total obedience to all God's commandments, to loving service (2 Cor. 5:14, 15). ------------------------Chapter 73--"Blessing" or "To Bless"—What's the Difference? DDB1 73 1 The noun "blessing" means something that gives happiness. The verb "to bless" means to make someone happy. But in Psalm 103 it all seems turned around: we are told to "bless the Lord, O my soul" (vs. 1). How could any of us mere mortals, sinful at that, make the great Lord of heaven and earth happy? DDB1 73 2 The Psalm tells us how--remember all the wonderful things He constantly does for us: "forget not all His benefits" (vs. 2). We were created in the image of Him; we are created to be like Him, and He is therefore like us in this particular: it makes Him happy when we appreciate Him for what He is. DDB1 73 3 The story of Barzillai in 2 Samuel, chapter 19, is one of the happiest little narratives in the Bible. King David had sinned and ruined his own security and happiness; Absalom had rebelled against him; and the king had to flee for his life. DDB1 73 4 Barzillai did all he could to care for King David during this crisis. "Barzillai was a very aged man, 80 years old. And he had provided the king with supplies" while the king was in flight from his enemy. The old man said he could no longer "discern between the good and bad," or "taste what I eat or what I drink," or "hear any longer the voice of singing" (vss. 32, 35). DDB1 73 5 But Barzillai found for himself forever an honorable place in the Holy Bible because he chose to be unselfish and to help "the Lord's anointed" in a time of need. This old man was living under the glorious New Covenant, for God had promised that under it, wherever you go throughout the world, "you shall be a blessing" (Gen. 12:2, 3). DDB1 73 6 Yes, under the New Covenant, everywhere you go you will leave behind the memory of making people happy (in the eternal sense). That in itself is reward enough for anybody. ------------------------Chapter 74--Must the Triumph of the Gospel Await a Future Generation? DDB1 74 1 Some day, somewhere, someone, will understand the "everlasting gospel" of Jesus Christ so clearly that "another angel" will come down from heaven "having great power" and will "lighten the earth" with the glory of that full-orbed truth. Multitudes who now sit in darkness will see a great light and will come to it (Rev. 18:1-4, King James Version; Matt. 4:16). DDB1 74 2 It won't be only "some one" who understands; there will be many who are in heartfelt union around the world, of "every nation, tribe, tongue, and people" (Rev. 14:6). No more theological squabbles! That unity will be as much a miracle as the insight of that "some one" who will see crystal clear what the gospel is with no contradicting confusion. DDB1 74 3 That unity will be in fulfillment of the prayer of Jesus in John 17, "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word: that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I [am] in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me" (vss. 20, 21). "The world" will not believe until they see that "one-ness." DDB1 74 4 Those who will understand the gospel and be in union will receive "the seal of God in their foreheads" (Rev. 7:1-4), obviously a symbol of a heart understanding of truth that has also gripped the understanding of the mind. They will have pondered and studied; and they will believe Jesus' promise, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). DDB1 74 5 They will graduate out of Old Covenant living into the bright sunlight of the New Covenant. The Old Covenant will no longer produce "bondage" in them, but they will "stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free" (Gal. 5:1). They will overcome where ancient Israel stumbled and fell. Instead of crucifying Christ "again" and "put[ting] Him to an open shame" (Heb. 6:6), they will surrender self to be "crucified with Christ" (Gal. 2:20). DDB1 74 6 As soon as they receive "the seal of God" and "follow the Lamb" (the crucified and risen "Savior of the world"), the enemy will launch against them his "mark of the beast" in an attempt to frighten them into submission (Rev. 13:16, 17). But "perfect love" (agape) has at last "cast out fear" (1 John 4:18) and they are seated with Christ on His throne to bring to a triumphant close "the great controversy" with Satan (Rev. 3:21). DDB1 74 7 But must this glorious triumph of the gospel await a future generation? Are there some out there who long to see the victory come now? ------------------------Chapter 75--A Fresh New Revelation of Grace DDB1 75 1 The most precious message of Christ's righteousness exalts the cross of Christ and what He accomplished there for the world. He reversed the judicial "condemnation" that our fallen father Adam brought upon the human race and as the second Adam pronounced upon us instead a "judicial ... verdict of acquittal " (Rom. 5:15-18; The Revised English Bible). By His sacrifice upon His cross He gave the Father the legal right to treat "every one" in the world as though he has never sinned! DDB1 75 2 You may have thought about this a thousand times, but each new morning it's a fresh new revelation of grace. The Father demonstrates what "you shall be perfect" means by "mak[ing] His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and send[ing] rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matt. 5:48, 45). And so, by His much more abounding grace (Rom. 5:20) which He bestows on us "in Christ," He enables us to treat others the same way; and to our amazement, we discover that we begin to win souls! We discover in the most unforeseen places someone who is hungry and thirsty for the bread of life and the water of life that we can now share, and what a joy it is to meet that person. DDB1 75 3 When you know yourself and confess yourself to be empty, that you are eternally hungry and thirsty, you are prepared to be "filled" (Matt. 5:6), and no one is ever "filled," without at the same time his "cup runs over" (Psalm 23:5). Then everybody who comes in contact with you is blessed. You are continually exuding that much more abounding grace; there's no end to it. You've found a new life. DDB1 75 4 What's happening is that God's New Covenant is playing itself out in you; all the promises He made to Abraham are being kept and fulfilled in you as a child of Abraham. (You know, of course, that not one human soul will enter any of the gates of the New Jerusalem except as a child of Abraham [cf. Rom. 4:1-16], and that is what you are if your heart has just begun to "comprehend ... the width and length and depth and height [of the] love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God"; Eph. 3:17-19.) DDB1 75 5 It's real! You are not the water of life but you are a channel through which it can flow. ------------------------Chapter 76--Sin Has No "Home" in the Vast Universe of God! DDB1 76 1 Our Savior "condemned sin in the flesh," the fallen, sinful flesh that all of us have inherited from our fallen father, Adam. In so doing, Christ has saved the human race! He forever outlawed sin in the vast universe of God by defeating it in its last lair. Sin has no "home," no refuge now, in the vast universe of God! DDB1 76 2 Sin does not reside in things; it resides in human hearts. Satan as the fallen Lucifer had tempted the other worlds to join him in rebellion, but they refused. (Temptation is not sin; what's sin, is giving in.) Only our first parents, Adam and Eve, believed the fallen Lucifer's lies against God. DDB1 76 3 No way could Christ have defeated sin if the dogma of the Immaculate Conception were true: if in His incarnation Christ had taken upon Himself the unfallen, sinless nature of Adam in the Garden, sin would have been forever enshrined and crowned in our human flesh and then Satan would have forever won the great controversy between Christ and Satan. DDB1 76 4 Doubtless there are many sincere people who have never thought this through; they don't realize that their dogma proclaimed in 1854, and required of all to believe, is a stroke of victory in favor of the enemy in the great controversy. DDB1 76 5 In mercy to the remnant church and the world, the Lord sent a most precious message to His people over 120 years ago that told the saving truth in a clear way so simple that a child could understand. Christ took on His sinless nature our fallen, sinful nature, so that He might save the human race from sin. "Tempted in all points like as we are [tempted], yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15, King James Version), He has delivered the whole human race from captivity to sin. DDB1 76 6 Most do not understand it, or believe it; but nonetheless it is true. And the Lord has promised in Revelation 18:1-4 that the full beautiful truth will yet "lighten the earth with glory." ------------------------Chapter 77--The "Sheep" and the "Goats"--Did They Have It Backward? DDB1 77 1 Someone asked a very thoughtful question about the final Day of Judgment. DDB1 77 2 In that last Day the "righteous" express surprise that the Lord praises them and says, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in." They respond in genuine humility, "Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?" You must be telling someone else, "Come!" This must be a mistake--we have never thought ourselves worthy to enter Your kingdom. DDB1 77 3 But the King will assure them, No, it's you I mean, "Come!" because whenever you demonstrated love for someone else, it was Me you were blessing! (Matt. 25:31-40). These are the "[sheep] gathered before Him." DDB1 77 4 Then Jesus tells how the goats will respond when He tells them, "Depart from Me" (vs. 41). They will argue, protesting that they deserve to enter in, He has made a mistake in His judgment. Look at all the good things we have done! DDB1 77 5 As Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount, the "goats" will argue, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, ... and done many wonders in Your name?" (7:21-23). Again, the "goats" will have it backward as much as the "sheep" had it backward! DDB1 77 6 Now for the question that was asked: "If it's so wise for us to walk softly and not talk with a false assurance, why does Paul say so confidently, 'There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day'"? (2 Tim. 4:8). Doesn't that sound a little like some pride similar to what the "goats" will express on that "Day"? DDB1 77 7 Superficially that is true. But remember, these words were written just hours or minutes before Paul was beheaded for the sake of Jesus. Nero has condemned him; any moment now the soldier will walk in and say, Follow me; I must behead you! Paul was not reviewing all the good works he had done; all he said was, "I have kept the faith" (vs. 7). DDB1 77 8 If you will keep the faith until your last hour, you can have that same confidence. But meanwhile, until then, walk and talk "softly" (see 1 Kings 21:27, King James Version, which says Ahab in his repentance after a terribly sinful life "went softly"). ------------------------Chapter 78--A Message That Will Always Lift You Up, Never Cast You Down DDB1 78 1 Angels are not human beings. And especially, they are not humans who have died. The Bible tells us that they were created higher than we were. Speaking of "man," it says, "You made him a little lower than the angels" (Heb. 2:6, 7). They are not flesh and blood as we are, although they can assume the appearance of human beings on special occasions. DDB1 78 2 We read who they are: they are "ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation" (1:14). You can't "see" a "spirit." But angels are sent by the Father on a mission to each one of us who believes. You may never hear an angel speak to you audibly, but that's not the point. As a "spirit" the angel comes to you with a message that may be deeper yet clearer than human language can put it. And it will always be in total harmony with the Bible. And it will always lift you up, never cast you down. DDB1 78 3 For example, you are tempted to discouragement. You don't clearly know the reason; a dark cloud seems to hover over you which is deeper than words. Have you ever been in that situation? DDB1 78 4 Then you remember the invitation of Jesus to come to His Father in prayer. You kneel, and you wait before Him; just "wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!" (Psalm 27:14). DDB1 78 5 Let me assure you: He will send one of His "ministering spirits," an angel, to give you a message of encouragement. It may not be in words your physical ears hear, but it will be a far deeper message that comes in a conviction of truth. Your heart burden will be lifted. DDB1 78 6 You will never be proud, because you have a special connection with heaven. You will never "think of [yourself] more highly than [you] ought to think, but ... think soberly, as God has dealt to each one the measure of faith" (Rom. 12:3). You will hold your head high in self-respect, knowing you are a "servant" of everyone just as Jesus was. He came "not to be served, but to serve" (Matt. 20:28). And then you will know your true joy in life. ------------------------Chapter 79--A Sanctifying Message That Will Finally Be Full-blown DDB1 79 1 Two thousand years ago God's people were expecting their long-awaited Messiah to appear. But when He came as a Baby in Bethlehem, they did not recognize Him, and the leaders of the true church of that day led the people to murder Him. DDB1 79 2 Now God's people are expecting a great blessing to come from Heaven, that is, the long-promised "latter rain," the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that will "lighten the earth with glory" (Rev. 18:1-4). It will be a message that will prepare God's people for the second coming of Jesus. DDB1 79 3 Not everyone on earth will be converted, for many will reject the message as many rejected Jesus long ago; but the message will seek out honest hearts everywhere who will respond. The Lord will be honored. DDB1 79 4 The message of the "everlasting gospel" will be presented so clearly and powerfully that Christ will be uplifted as the crucified Son of God. He not only died for the world in a corporate sense but He also died for each individual soul. And each soul who permits his heart to be moved by the "love of Christ [that] constrains us" (2 Cor. 5:14, 15) will be sanctified by the message that will finally be full-blown. DDB1 79 5 The watching universe will be amazed at the transformations that the pure, true gospel will accomplish, as Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16). But Satan's cleverness has confused "the truth of the gospel" even as "certain men [who] came from James" (the early leader of the church in Paul's day) confused even Peter and Barnabas (Gal. 2:5, 12-14). The story of that stumbling on the part of the early leaders of the church is not well known (cf. Gal. 2:1-13). Paul was right! And his Book of Romans is "the clearest gospel of all." DDB1 79 6 This often neglected story of human fallibility encourages us to study "the truth of the gospel" (vss. 5, 14) for ourselves. Even today, sincere, converted leaders can err and mislead people, even the "faithful" such as Barnabas long ago. DDB1 79 7 There is no prayer that Heaven is more eager to answer than the prayer of an honest heart who wants to understand truth! The Lord would rather empty heaven of angels, sending them all down here to help one soul, than allow that soul to become misled. ------------------------Chapter 80--Is It Possible ... ? DDB1 80 1 Since the terrible 9/11 when terrorists destroyed the Trade Towers in New York City, it has been generally understood that long-held Constitutional liberties are steadily being curtailed. Thoughtful people who reverence the truths of Revelation 13 increasingly warn us that the time of trouble looms just before us. In the war on terrorism can be heard the roar of a lamb-like, peace-loving "beast" that has been cruelly attacked and is finally aroused to roar "as a dragon." DDB1 80 2 • Is it possible that due to all-too-common human error some of this rage against terrorists can be directed against peaceful people whose religious beliefs are popularly judged as "extremist"? DDB1 80 3 • Is it possible that a healthy proclamation of "Christian faith" that is thoroughly Bible-based can be labeled as "hate literature"? DDB1 80 4 • Is it possible that religious prejudices that ran riot in the 1260 years of the Dark Ages can be revived? DDB1 80 5 Yes, what Jesus said in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 is clear: loyalty to Him will be termed disloyalty to earthly governments. There is a cosmic Enemy at work in "the great controversy between Christ and Satan" who wants to bring about the silencing of God's last Good News message to the world. DDB1 80 6 Yes, the ominous prophecies of Revelation 13 will be fulfilled. DDB1 80 7 But wait a moment: something else will be fulfilled. Don't forget that Revelation 14 follows Revelation 13. A message is to sound clearly and powerfully all over the world, a message of "everlasting Good News" such as the world has never heard proclaimed in clarity and power. The earth is to be "lightened" with the glory of the message in its end-time realities. The powerful truths of justification by faith will come to the fore and take center stage in contrast to the helpless vanities proclaimed by "Babylon." DDB1 80 8 Revelation 14 is now in process of fulfillment, but Revelation 18 is still "in a great degree" future, rendered so by the unbelief of God's people in the past. Jesus says emphatically, "Let not your heart be troubled" (John 14:1-3). DDB1 80 9 Welcome every opportunity to spread abroad a most precious message that must yet lighten the earth with glory. Don't let fear engulf your thinking. Let Jesus draw you closer to Himself. He is not afraid! ------------------------Chapter 81--Could Time Go on Endlessly and Still Be "In the Last Days"? DDB1 81 1 Several times the New Testament speaks as though the apostles were living in "the last days," and that "the end of the world" began with Christ's resurrection. Does that mean that now is not "the time of the end" that Daniel speaks of? Could time could go on endlessly and still forever be "the last days"? DDB1 81 2 Both Daniel and Revelation are crystal clear that after 1260 years of papal oppression and persecution "the time of the end" would begin (see Dan. 7:25; 11:32-35; Rev. 12:4-6; 13:5, etc.). Jesus' own prophecy of Matthew 24 also is clear: we are today living when His coming "is near, even at the doors" (vs. 33, King James Version). DDB1 81 3 There is no contradiction when all the Bible expressions are looked at in context. "In these last days" in Hebrews 1:2 means: in this recent consummation of history when the Son of God began a new era by His incarnation and resurrection. When John says, "it is the last hour" in 1 John 2:18, he is not trying to contradict Daniel and Revelation; he is trying to assure his readers that the "many antichrists" already in the world prove that the great controversy between Christ and Satan has begun its final phase. DDB1 81 4 Peter's "these last times" contrasts Christ's being "foreordained before the foundation of the world" with His "manifestation" in these recent times (1 Peter 1:20). Again, "the foundation of the world" in Hebrews 9:26 is contrasted with the "appearance" of Christ "at the end" or at the consummation of the ages--His recent incarnation. DDB1 81 5 The rendering, "the ends of the ages have come," in 1 Corinthians 10:11 means "the fulfillment of the ages has come." In other words, after waiting 4000 years for the Messiah to appear, the apostles saw a new age beginning. DDB1 81 6 But Matthew 24 and Daniel and Revelation all make clear: we are living in a special era known as "the time of the end" pinpointed by specific time prophecies. Jesus said of Daniel, "whoever reads, let him understand" (Matt. 24:15). Christ will return; and His coming "is near, even at the doors." ------------------------Chapter 82--The Door Standing Open in Heaven DDB1 82 1 The apostle John was shown "a door standing open in heaven" (Rev. 4:1). There he saw scenes the whole world should know about. DDB1 82 2 No one in heaven, in earth, or even in hell, could "prevail" to break the seven seals that kept that mysterious book (scroll) closed in the hand of the One who sat on the throne of the universe. John wept "much." Then "the Lamb," all bruised and mangled in His death, "prevailed"--the Son of God crucified. He broke the seven seals! He had saved the universe from ruin! (chapter 5). DDB1 82 3 John saw all the redeemed people overcome with joy as they cried, "Salvation belongs to our God" (7:10). But that doesn't mean primarily that God Himself is now "saved," although in a sense that can be true. The idea is that God's redeemed ascribe their "salvation to Him." DDB1 82 4 That mangled Lamb gave them salvation; it was He who took the initiative 100 percent in saving them. He was the Good Shepherd who went on a long journey to seek and find them. By His "much more abounding grace" (Rom. 5:20) they were saved. Their song of triumph in Revelation 7 is the same as Paul's word in Ephesians, "By grace you have been saved through faith" but their faith was not the means of their salvation. Immediately they insist that their faith is not "of [themselves]" (2:8, 9). They take no credit for their "decision to accept Christ." DDB1 82 5 As Paul says in Romans 5:15-18, it was Christ who gave them the "gift" of "justification of life" even "while we were still sinners" (vs. 8). Just let your heart begin to grasp this, and you will throw yourself down with them "before the throne" even as that great multitude did, that crowd that "no one could count" (Rev. 7:9, Good News Bible). ------------------------Chapter 83--Keep Your Heart Alert to What the Bridegroom May Do DDB1 83 1 When Paul says "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ" (2 Cor. 5:10), he does not denigrate what the apostle John says about judgment and agape. John says: DDB1 83 2 (1) "Everyone who loves [with agape] is born of God and knows God" (1 John 4:7). The obvious implication: if we haven't learned how to love with agape, we don't know God. That's what he says next: DDB1 83 3 (2) "He who does not love [with agape] does not know God, for God is agape" (vs. 8). The highest equation in the universe! DDB1 83 4 (3) "In this the love [agape] of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son ..." (vs. 9). We learn agape only by long beholding the sacrifice of Christ to the point that we don't "know anything ... except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (cf. 1 Cor. 2:2). The heart is won. Now the Lord Jesus wants an entire world church enlightened by His agape, and so won by heart. DDB1 83 5 (4) "In this is agape, not that we loved God [with agape], but that He loved us [with agape] ..." (1 John 4:10). His church does not take the initiative; the Bridegroom does that, and she does the responding to Him. DDB1 83 6 (5) "Agape has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world" (vs. 17). Keeping the Ten Commandments is preparation for the final judgment; but the one supreme question we will be asked as we stand before the Lord Jesus in final judgment will be, "Have you learned how to love (with agape)?" DDB1 83 7 (6) Paul agrees: "Love [agape] does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love [agape] is the fulfillment of the law" (Rom. 13:10). DDB1 83 8 All these many long years, the Bridegroom-to-be has longed for His beloved to grow up out of childhood unto "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13). We cannot duplicate the sacrifice of Christ on His cross, but we can learn to appreciate it. If any bridegroom has that from his bride, he will have a happy marriage. DDB1 83 9 Growing up should be great fun; kids love it, even before their time. A world church may appear to be very lethargic; but don't make a superficial judgment. The Bridegroom is not finished yet. Keep your heart alert to what He may do. ------------------------Chapter 84--The Final Work of the One True High Priest DDB1 84 1 For 2000 years, the gospel has been proclaimed in the world. But is it being proclaimed in its fullness, in its pristine power? Jesus proclaimed it by His words, by His life and great sacrifice on His cross, and by His resurrection. His disciples proclaimed the gospel clearly, for they "turned the world upside down" (Acts 17:6). DDB1 84 2 All kinds of sinners were redeemed from sin (see Paul's list in 1 Cor. 6:9, 10); and then he adds, "and such were some of you. But you were washed, ... sanctified, ... justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God" (vs. 11). The gospel was demonstrated to be "the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16). DDB1 84 3 The "power" was in the message that Paul especially proclaimed. But in history an enemy arose who obscured its light. Jesus and Paul warned against his (or its) perversion of the gospel (Matt. 24:24; Gal. 1:6, 7; 2 Thess. 2:3-7). Daniel describes this great development in history as the "little horn" (8:9-25; 7:8, 20-25). Revelation describes the same power as "the beast" (13:1-17). John calls this power "the Antichrist" (1 John 4:1-3). It obscures, twists, distorts, and misrepresents the pure true gospel so that its "power" to "save to the uttermost" is compromised. DDB1 84 4 It has been the curse of history. But now in the last days the gospel is to be restored in its full pristine power to be demonstrated again as "the power of God to salvation" in the great antitypical or cosmic Day of Atonement, when the world's true High Priest "cleanses the [heavenly] sanctuary" (see Dan. 8:14). This work will involve preparing a people for translation to see Jesus come the second time. DDB1 84 5 Luther, Calvin, and the Wesleys were led by God to launch the great Protestant Reformation. But in their day they could not grasp the full light of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, that final work of the one true High Priest. That will fully recover "the truth of the gospel" that must "lighten the earth with glory" (Gal. 2:5; Rev. 18:1-4). Let that "light" come soon! ------------------------Chapter 85--The Most Important Activity Going on Today DDB1 85 1 Thoughtful Christians have one common question: "What is Jesus Christ doing now? He promised to come back; why doesn't He?" DDB1 85 2 Yes, He promised, "As the lightning ... so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ... But of that day and hour no one knows, ... As the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ... They ... did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matt. 24:27-39). The angels promised the disciples, "This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). That literal, personal return of Christ has not yet taken place. DDB1 85 3 The only answer that can possibly make sense is that His people are not yet ready for Him to come. The harvest is not yet ripe (see Mark 4:26-29). And what special ministry can make a people to be ready? Only the ministry of Christ as High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary (see Hebrews 8-10). DDB1 85 4 There was an earthly high priest in the ancient sanctuary--so there is a divine High Priest in the heavenly; there was an earthly lamb offered in the ancient sanctuary--Christ is the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). As there was an annual day of atonement in the earthly sanctuary, so there is a cosmic Day of Atonement in the heavenly when the High Priest ministers in the Most Holy Apartment, the second apartment, of the heavenly sanctuary. The specific purpose of that ministry is to prepare a people for the second coming of Jesus. DDB1 85 5 Daniel understood there is a heavenly sanctuary--all the Israelites who were true to God understood it; it is natural then that when the angel in Daniel 8:13 answered the question "How long ... ?" by saying "unto 2300 days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed" (vs. 14, King James Version) it's natural that Daniel understood it was the heavenly sanctuary. DDB1 85 6 That great Day of Atonement ministry is the most important activity going on today in the heavenly universe. Keep in tune with it. ------------------------Chapter 86--Revelation 13 Is Beginning to "Roll" DDB1 86 1 If your house is below a killer volcano that hasn’t erupted for over a hundred years, you go to bed at night feeling quite secure, don’t you? But suppose you know that suddenly it has started rumbling, wouldn’t common sense tell you to get out and live somewhere else? Or to change the metaphor, say you live beneath an avalanche that hasn’t moved for over a century; you don’t worry. But then you learn that very recently it has suddenly moved a foot or two, then what? Once that huge mass begins to break loose, you know it’s going to roll. DDB1 86 2 Daniel and Revelation tell us of future developments that will be cataclysmic. In particular, Revelation tells of two great world powers symbolized as the first "beast," and then "another beast" (13:1, 11). The first has always "blasphemed" God’s "name" and made war with His true people and persecuted them for 1260 years of real time (in Bible prophecy, a day is symbolic of a literal year; cf. vs. 5; 12:6, 14; Num. 14:34; Ezek. 4:6). DDB1 86 3 The second starts off totally different from the first. He comes up out of a comparatively uninhabited wide expanse of land and conspicuously teaches liberty of conscience (has "two horns like a lamb"). He grows phenomenally into a world power greater than anything since the Roman Empire. DDB1 86 4 Over a century ago Senator H. W. Blair of New Hampshire introduced a bill that would have abandoned our religious liberty and forced the observance of a religious day of rest—all contrary both to the Bible and to the basic principle of the American Constitution. DDB1 86 5 Largely due to the energetic effort of two young men (E. J. Waggoner and A. T. Jones) who by pen and voice appealed for loyalty to the First Amendment, Sen. Blair’s project was defeated—but only for a time. This great nation continued to manifest its lamb-like spirit of civil and religious liberty (which included the principle of no pre-emptive attack in war). DDB1 86 6 Now the volcano has rumbled, the avalanche has shifted; this power has begun to roar "as a dragon." Revelation 13 is at last beginning to "roll." Simple common sense now confirms what God has said all along, "Come out of [Babylon], My people" (Rev. 14:8; 18:1-4). ------------------------Chapter 87--How Does Christ Win the Final Battle? DDB1 87 1 What is the grand climax of the book of Revelation? It's not Bad News, but Good News! DDB1 87 2 True, the terrible fall of "Babylon" and the unthinkable "seven last plagues" figure largely. But they are eclipsed by the glorious triumph of that Lamb of God. He is "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS," who rides on that "white horse," and whose "eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself," who "was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, ... and the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses" (Rev. 19:11-14). DDB1 87 3 He wins the great war of eternity in His final battle with the "dragon," the Enemy who invented sin in heaven when his name was Lucifer, son of the morning, who made himself become "that serpent of old, ... the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world" (12:9). DDB1 87 4 And how does Christ win this final battle? DDB1 87 5 Revelation 19 discloses His triumph: He wins the heart and the hand of a difficult-to-win "woman." She finally surrenders her repentant soul to become His Bride. "The marriage of the Lamb" is the occasion for the rejoicing of the inhabitants of heaven, as heaven has never rejoiced in past eternity. John hears "as it were, the voice of a great multitude, ... the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!" DDB1 87 6 Christ is now triumphant! "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory," are the lyrics of four grand Hallelujah Choruses that ring through the reaches of infinitude, "for the marriage of the Lamb has come [at last!], and His wife has made herself ready" (vss. 6-9). Invitations to the wedding banquet are right now being accepted, and sadly, some rejected. The celebration is on! Come! ------------------------Chapter 88--A Tiny Inquiry Into the Gospel DDB1 88 1 Some day yet to come those who choose to follow Jesus will be of "one accord" as were His disciples at Pentecost. May that day come soon! (cf. Acts 2:1). DDB1 88 2 Then, united in their understanding of the "everlasting gospel" (Rev. 14:6, 7) they will be privileged to take up the cross on which self is crucified with Christ and will proclaim the message so clearly that the earth will be "lightened with His glory" (18:1-4, King James Version). DDB1 88 3 Is there something about the message that even now we may be of "one accord" in understanding? Let's try: DDB1 88 4 (1) "God so loved the world" (John 3:16). Not just the good people. DDB1 88 5 (2) "He gave His only begotten Son." Not just lent Him. DDB1 88 6 (3) "That whoever believes in Him should not perish." There's something about the "believes" that is vital; that may be where the dis-accord at present is hindering the whole-hearted "accord." Is it possible that the believing is something of the heart and not just a mental affirmation like believing 2 + 2 = 4? Romans 10:10 seems to suggest that: "For with the heart one believes to righteousness." DDB1 88 7 (4) If so, then could it be that to believe is to "comprehend" something? "The width and length and depth and height--to know the love [agape] of Christ which passes knowledge" (Eph. 3:18, 19)? The text dares to suggest that when God's people do "comprehend" this passes-knowledge-truth they will be ready to welcome Jesus at His second advent. (Perhaps our "Christian" dis-accord is due to not "comprehending"!) DDB1 88 8 (5) Genuine believing resolves the centuries-long conflict re faith and works: "Faith [is something] working through love" (Gal. 5:6; "faith which worketh by love," KJV). That must mean that when someone does believe, he is reconciled to God because he "receive[s] the reconciliation" (Rom. 5:11). The atonement was made long ago at Christ's cross; but it must be "received" by personal faith. In other words, to make it simple, the true idea is not "faith and works" but "faith which works." One can't be reconciled to God and not at the same time be reconciled to His holy law; therefore it must follow that a true experience of "believing" is what the Bible means by justification by faith (Rom. 5:1), which makes the believer "keep [become obedient to all] the commandments of God" (cf. Rev. 12:17; 14:12). Even when "Babylon" will persecute him for his obedience (14:8-10). DDB1 88 9 (6) If that's true, then it must follow that what we all need is to "see" something (Eph. 3:8, 9): what "Jesus Christ and Him crucified" means (1 Cor. 2:1, 2). DDB1 88 10 (7) "Seeing" that humbles proud human hearts; now what was "gain to me [self], I have counted loss for Christ" (Phil. 3:7, 8). It's impossible for a believer to do nothing: "the love [agape] of Christ constraineth us, ... not henceforth [to] live" for self but to be devoted to the One who died our "second death" for us (2 Cor. 5:14, 15, KJV; Rev. 2:11; 20:14). DDB1 88 11 This is just a tiny little inquiry into the gospel; can anybody say "amen" thus far? ------------------------Chapter 89--How Does One Get This "Full Assurance of Faith"? DDB1 89 1 Just how does one get this most precious "full assurance of faith" (or "full assurance of hope unto the end") that Hebrews speaks of (10:22; 6:11)? It would be nice if we were not constantly hounded by fear lest we won’t be saved at last. And on the other hand we have enough common sense to realize that "many" in the Last Day will come up to Christ expecting entrance into His kingdom and He must say, "I never knew you" (Matt. 7:23). DDB1 89 2 How do we "balance" this important issue of true versus false assurance? Just having our pastor tell us we’re okay is not enough. Realizing that nothing could be more critical to understand aright, we tread softly: DDB1 89 3 (1) Although there are billions who must settle this issue, the Father being infinite is concerned about you as if you were the only person on earth (see Matt. 10:29-31). Come into His presence and address Him as your personal heavenly Father, just as Jesus did (6:6). This is step #1--believe it. DDB1 89 4 (2) The Father wants you to be saved eternally, and His Son "gave Himself a ransom for all," which means--including you (1 Tim. 2:3-6). He did His job faithfully. It follows that the only way you can end up lost is to impede, resist, reject the will of your heavenly Father, and of course, of Christ. In other words, do as Esau did, the man who had the birthright already but who "despised" it and "sold" it. This is step #2--believe this truth that is such good news. DDB1 89 5 (3) This will mean that you do not trust yourself; your fear will not be that the Lord may turn away from you; your fear will be that you may forget Him. He has promised to "hold" you by "your right hand" (Isa. 41:13). You can be like a spoiled, rebellious child and wriggle yourself out of His hand. Choose to let Him hold you. Realize, you’re lost if you don’t. Step #3--believe it. DDB1 89 6 (4) It follows that "the full assurance of faith" is already yours "in Christ," as surely as Esau had the birthright (Gen. 25:34; Heb. 12:16). As our scripture says, "draw near with a true heart" (10:22). That is, simply be honest. All the angels in heaven plus the Holy Spirit can’t make you honest if you choose not to be. The decision is yours. Step #4--"draw near." DDB1 89 7 The devil will flash into your mind a thousand things to do instead of that. As you "draw near" let the Holy Spirit convict you of what Christ is right now doing for you. Thank Him! "Hold fast the profession of [faith] without wavering." "He who promised is faithful" (10:23), so He will deliver you from the "fear of death" which "all [your] lifetime" has kept you in "bondage" (2:15). ------------------------Chapter 90--A Change in the "Christian Experience" DDB1 90 1 As we come nearer to the end, a change comes in the "Christian experience" of God’s people. Their deepest heart concern ceases to be that of saving their own souls, to a concern for the glory of Christ in the closing hours of the "great controversy between Christ and Satan." These people of God in the last days turn away from their previous concern for their own salvation to a concern for Another—that He emerge victorious from the "battle" He is in. DDB1 90 2 This change in "Christian experience" can be described in the terms the Lord Jesus uses in John 15: "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you" (vs. 15). As we come closer to the end, the concern of these "friends" is for that "battle" that Christ is in, and not for self. DDB1 90 3 This change in "Christian experience" orientation can also be described as graduating out of the Old Covenant "Christian experience" into the New. It’s coming out of the shadows into the bright sunlight of "present truth" (see 2 Peter 1:12). The "present truth" is New Covenant living, not Old. DDB1 90 4 This change is also passing from Revelation 18 into Revelation 19 where we find those four grand Hallelujah Choruses, each greater than Handel’s (vss. 1-17). It can at last be said that "the Lord God omnipotent reigns! ‘Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready’" (19:6, 7). At last! DDB1 90 5 Although the Lord is "omnipotent," He cannot force the nuptials. It cannot be said that He "reigns" until her nuptial devotion to Him as to a divine Husband is real. Thus there is a "woman" whose marital devotion He can only wait, and wait, to see. The good news that rejoices one’s heart is that this change in spiritual growth is actually taking place. Don’t be left behind! ------------------------Chapter 91--A Very Special Blessing Assigned to Women DDB1 91 1 The Bible tells the history correctly: when Adam "fell" into sin, he had someone who helped him fall--it was his wife, Eve. But the Bible does not lay a burden of guilt upon her alone. No way! DDB1 91 2 Our beloved brother Paul was not anti-feminist; he was simply a faithful servant of the Lord. He reviews the history of the fall of Adam. He reminds us, "Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. ..." (1 Tim. 2:13, 14). DDB1 91 3 On the surface, it sounds like a debit for "woman." But wait a moment, don't misunderstand: "The fall of man" was the work of both Adam and his wife Eve; they share the debit. DDB1 91 4 But the dear Lord has assigned to woman a very special blessing, which we celebrate Sunday by our Mother's Day.* It's to woman whom the Lord has granted the special privilege of being the first teacher we all have ever known; she is the one who wins our heart in infancy; it's a special privilege that the dear Lord has granted to her, worldwide. DDB1 91 5 She is the "teacher of the human race," teaching us in simplicity and tenderness; winning our estranged human hearts in infancy at our very beginning. DDB1 91 6 The dear heavenly Father has granted to her this inestimable privilege of being the first one really to teach us and to guide our infant steps; it may have been "the woman" in Eden who enticed Adam into sin; but that debit in history is vastly overcome and reversed by the privilege that "woman" has been given her of the Lord:--to be the teacher of the human race in infancy! DDB1 91 7 Thank Jesus for His tender fidelity in giving to "woman" this glorious privilege. We honor "her" on Mother's Day; and not only that, we thank the dear Lord for giving "her" to us! ------------------------Chapter 92--How Near Could the Second Coming Be? DDB1 92 1 How near could the second coming of Christ be? Someone will say (rightly) that it is as near as our finishing preaching the gospel in "all the world." DDB1 92 2 "The gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world, ... and then the end will come" (Matt. 24:14). But who knows how far it really has gone? Jesus told us to be careful how we estimate what's happening: "The kingdom of God does not come with observation" (Luke 17:20). He said it's like hiding "leaven" in flour for breadmaking. The leaven works silently, unobserved (see Luke 13: 20, 21). Even so it will be with the work of God on the earth. DDB1 92 3 We are capable of wild guesswork. It's not always the work that looks the most successful. No one can know how rapidly the work of God is progressing on earth. Even those who seek to be doing the work are unconscious of the greater part of it. The kingdom of glory will be ushered in at a time when even Christ's most faithful workers will think that much remains to be done. They cannot know what hidden agencies God has at work. DDB1 92 4 And we may misunderstand what the Lord will reckon as the attainment of His goal. The "144,000" of Revelation 14:4, 5 may be people that none of us recognize as yet. Victories may be won day by day that we know nothing of, because the media (secular or religious) just aren't tuned in to the work of Christ in the Most Holy Apartment. DDB1 92 5 This should serve to admonish us never to think that the coming of the Lord is far off, since we can see comparatively little being done. Let us be content to work in quietness and obscurity. Although some may think superficially that our work is effective, and even though we ourselves may think it is ineffective, we have the assurance that our "Father ... sees in secret" (Matt. 6:4). DDB1 92 6 All the warnings that Jesus gave us about His second coming, to "watch ... lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping," are valid (Mark 13:35, 36). They still are "present truth." ------------------------Chapter 93--"Understanding"--A Key Word That Permeates the Book of Daniel DDB1 93 1 It's astonishing when you stop and just look: no less than 23 times we find the word "understand" or "understanding" in the book of Daniel! And then as if the Lord Jesus wanted to re-impress that thought on us, He uses the same word in His plea for us to read and study that particular book: "'When you see the "abomination of desolation," spoken of by Daniel the prophet,' ... (whoever reads, let him understand)" (Matt. 24:15). It appears that the Savior is capitalizing on that key word that permeates the prophetic book. DDB1 93 2 The translators of the New King James Version do some interpreting here instead of translating: by printing those five words in black instead of red they tell us that Jesus didn't say them, didn't say "read" and "understand," that someone through the ages (maybe Matthew) slipped them in to His discourse without the authority of Jesus. This has been the view of "higher critics" for many years; but since "understand" is the most prominent word in Daniel, it makes sense to take it as a personal reminder from Jesus Himself that it is our Christian duty to acquire an "understanding" of what the Holy Spirit explains to us in Daniel. DDB1 93 3 Please don't throw up your hands in despair, saying, "It's over my head!" The Holy Spirit would rather teach you to "understand" Daniel than give you a billion dollars, and you would be far more enriched. It would be wealth that no one can ever rob from you! DDB1 93 4 But don't play games with the Lord. No half-hearted dilettantish curiosity for a brief sermonette or two; the Holy Spirit is quite serious. For those who are not in dead earnest, the news isn't very good, but for those who seriously ask to be taught truth, it is very good: "Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but ... none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand" (Dan. 12:10, emphasis added). DDB1 93 5 A sincere prayer for understanding and a reasonable effort to acquire it will be rewarded--to your everlasting delight. Grab the Lord's promise and run with it! ------------------------Chapter 94--Another Opportunity for Repentance DDB1 94 1 We don't have to wait until the Last Day for judgment; it's a do-it-ourselves project today. Jesus made it plain in John 3:18: "He who believes in Him is not condemned [judged]; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed ... " Not "will someday be condemned," but "is condemned already." DDB1 94 2 And the previous verse, to the consternation of many church people, makes clear that it's not a vengeful Christ who condemns the lost, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." He enlarges on this assurance in chapter 12: "If anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge [condemn, Greek] him; for I did not come to judge [condemn] the world but to save the world" (vs. 47). DDB1 94 3 How then is the one who rejects the gospel "condemned" or judged? The next verse explains: "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day." The "word" is the gospel of what it cost the Son of God to "save" us; and the unbeliever performs his own do-it-yourself judgment by recording in his own soul his responsibility for "not receiving" [rejecting] that "word" of the Good News. When the woman taken in adultery faced her accusers, Jesus made no accusatory tirade against them. Each who looked in His eyes slunk away self-condemned, a preview of the final judgment (8:9). DDB1 94 4 Some will say, "No, in the parables of the talents and the sheep and goats, Jesus harshly berates the down-and-outers" (Matt. 25:14-30, 31-46). But Revelation 14:10 explains the apparent self-contradiction: before the world and the universe, the lost will be forced to look into the eyes of "the Lamb of God" whom they have persistently "crucified to themselves ... afresh, and put Him to an open shame" (Heb 6:6, King James Version). They will be forced to see their part in the crucifixion and re-crucifixion of the Son of God. Fire and brimstone will feel great compared to that agony. DDB1 94 5 Do you have a new day? Thank God for it. It's another opportunity for repentance. ------------------------Chapter 95--Does God Care About "Time"? DDB1 95 1 Does the great God of heaven, the Creator of the cosmos, care about "time"? Isaiah 57 says that He is "the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy" (vs. 15). Can anyone who "inhabits eternity" care about us down here who are immersed in the limitations of time? Care about us who get anxious because of delay? DDB1 95 2 To put the question a different way, Does He care when the second coming of Christ will take place? Or does Jesus have His own way of looking at "time" so that when He tells us "Behold, I am coming quickly" (Rev. 22:7), He actually means something wholly outside our perimeters of consciousness? DDB1 95 3 As one writer for a respected church paper said, could it mean another 400 years before He comes? Has God used the words "quickly" and "soon" with a meaning totally different from what we humans can understand? If a father tells a little child, "I am coming home soon," when he means 50 years, is that not being deceptive? DDB1 95 4 The Son of God stepped down low, relinquishing His prerogatives of divinity (but not His divinity!) and became one of us, "Immanuel, ... God with us" (Matt. 1:23). So, "in Christ," He has subjected Himself to the limitations of time, for our sake. DDB1 95 5 He gave us the holy Sabbath, which is "time" set apart for sanctification. He "blessed ... and sanctified it" (Gen. 2:3). Yes, He that "inhabits eternity" is immersed in time! He has given us certain specific time prophecies in Daniel and the Revelation that make eminent good sense. DDB1 95 6 Christ Himself is more desirous, perhaps anxious, for "the marriage of the Lamb" to come, than we are. Christ in His glorified state is still human as well as divine, "with [us] always" (Matt. 28:20). He is an eager Bridegroom longing for the marriage day to come! In divine/human impatience, He finds it hard to "wait." ------------------------Chapter 96--The Greatest "Evangelism" of All Time DDB1 96 1 The greatest "evangelism" of all time was what happened at Pentecost. It was not emotionalism, and what brought the deep conviction of truth on people's hearts was not the miracle of the apostles' speaking foreign languages, even though a "sign and wonder" indeed. The apostles proclaimed what had happened when the Son of God died on His cross. DDB1 96 2 They didn't "mince words": "You murdered the Prince of life, the Son of God!" They laid the guilt of the ages upon the souls of those Jews and Gentiles. There was no political "correctness," no attempt to make the message palatable to "win" the top leaders. It was the most direct super-confrontation that has ever been between lay people and religious society leadership (read about it in Acts 2:23, 36; 4:10; 5:30, etc.). DDB1 96 3 Ordinary people like the apostles could never have galvanized themselves to tell it like they did had it not been for the ten days of repentance they spent beforehand. They had knelt very low in self-humiliation. The Holy Spirit had eleven men in whom self had been "crucified with Christ." This made it possible for the Son of God to be exalted in them. DDB1 96 4 Why was it the prototype of all genuine "evangelism"? What Jesus had said a short time earlier happened: "On the last and most important day of the festival [Feast of Tabernacles] Jesus stood up and said in a loud voice, 'Whoever is thirsty should come to Me and drink. As the scripture says [Song of Solomon 4:15] "Whoever believes in Me, streams of life-giving water will pour out from his heart."’" Jesus said this about the [Holy] Spirit" (John 7:37-39, Good News Bible). That was the "former rain." The "latter rain" will be a re-play. ------------------------Chapter 97--Reconciling the World to God DDB1 97 1 The great Crusades of the 11th to 13th centuries grossly misrepresented to the Arab world the character of the God whom Christians profess to worship. A significant portion of present Muslim hatred of Christianity can be traced to that time. The very word "Crusade" inflames them with what they consider is moral outrage. DDB1 97 2 Jesus commands Christians, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel ..." (Mark 16:15), which must be good news--or it's not truth. Its essential element is a message of reconciliation with God: "We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God," pleads His messengers (2 Cor. 5:20), but many portrayals of God's character do anything but reconcile alienated people to Him. DDB1 97 3 If an enemy sticks a pistol in your face and demands, "Love me or I'll pull the trigger!" could you be reconciled to him that way? This is not an oversimplification of the issue; human beings who have never understood the gospel (due to its being distorted to them) are not by nature reconciled to God. "The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). That "enmity" has been created by the lies and distortion of Satan ever since Eve was deceived in Eden. God pities these confused people who have been lied to. The Father sent His Son into the world to correct these misapprehensions, and those of us who believe in Him are to represent Him aright to the world. DDB1 97 4 Thus there are two basic approaches to the task of reconciling the world to God: (1) the method that employs fear as the principal motivation (there is anecdotal evidence that it is hugely successful, but can you trust the supposed evidence?), and (2) "the everlasting gospel" outlined in Revelation 14--the message of three special angels in the last days (vss. 1-14). This can be identified as "the third angel's message in verity," a presentation of the reconciling message of God's grace and His agape that is yet to come into its own worldwide. DDB1 97 5 God has promised that when the message is revealed to the world in its clarity, it will cut through all the confusion that "Babylon" has amassed; all the hindrances that block people's pathway to the Father through Christ will be exposed in the final message, "Babylon the great is fallen, ... Come out of her, My people"! (Rev. 18:1-4). We need to understand the message more clearly! ------------------------Chapter 98--A Giant Leap Forward, by Faith DDB1 98 1 If there is anyone out there in the world who feels unworthy of God's goodness, let him think of the thief on the cross (the eventually believing one). DDB1 98 2 His body is inert; all he has left are the functions of his eyes, his ears, his voice; so he can't "do" any good works to merit God's goodness. If he is saved at last, it must be totally "by grace." The same with us. DDB1 98 3 He sins even while he is crucified on his cross, for we read that he "reviled" the sinless Savior, the Son of God (Mark 15:32). He joined the unbelieving scribes and Pharisees and the rabble in ridiculing "the Son of God," challenging Jesus to prove that He is the Son of God by coming down from the cross. He joined his fellow thief in this bitterness, and "reviled Him with the same thing" ("cast the same in His teeth," King James Version, a vivid expression of his contempt; Matt. 27:44). "Let Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe," they mock; and our thief is joining in heaping this bitter ridicule on Jesus (Mark 15:32). If anybody on earth proves himself unworthy of salvation, it must be this man! DDB1 98 4 Jesus utters no word to rebuke him (or them). DDB1 98 5 But then something happens: our thief does what Jesus didn't do--he rebukes his fellow thief, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?" (Luke 23:40). DDB1 98 6 Then our thief confesses his unworthiness: "And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds" (Luke 23:41). Note: he takes a giant leap forward, by faith. He does the same thing that Paul later did by faith when he said, "I am crucified with Christ" (Gal. 2:20, KJV; emphasis added). He climbs up by faith to share the place of those who at last "overcome ... even as [Christ] also overcame" to "set down with [Him] in His throne" (Rev. 3:21, KJV). Some of us have spent a lifetime learning how self can be "crucified with Christ," and here this man has gotten there in a few minutes! (That should encourage us to believe that when the loud cry of Revelation 18 goes out to lighten the earth with glory, people will respond quickly and overcome.) DDB1 98 7 Our thief confesses the sinlessness of Jesus: "this Man has done nothing wrong" (Luke 23:41). DDB1 98 8 He prays to be saved from hell: "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom" (vs. 42). Then he hears words that many a worldly billionaire would give anything to hear: "You will be with Me in Paradise" (vs. 43). DDB1 98 9 Take heart, burdened soul; there is no higher place than that of this thief, or greater reward. Let's join him where he is. ------------------------Chapter 99--A Link to the Heart of Jesus DDB1 99 1 The heavenly Father cares about those "desires of your heart" that are buried deep therein. He put them there. And He never instills such "desires" into "your heart" without planning to "give" them to you as soon as you are ready to realize them without becoming proud (Psalm 37:4). The first step is for you to know Who put them there, and that He is the One who "satisfies" them (145:16). DDB1 99 2 King David cherished such "desires" from his boyhood. While he tended his sheep he dreamed of castles in the air, fantasies if you please. He hardly dared voice them in actual prayer--his supreme secret dream that he could someday fight the battles of the Lord (be king of Israel?). He couldn't dare to mention them to his family, for his older brothers had an inkling and despised him just as Joseph's ten brothers despised him for his "dreams" (see 1 Sam. 17:28; Gen. 37:8). David, unashamed to bare his soul in his psalms, wrote about those secret "desires of [his] heart." DDB1 99 3 Have you dared to voice those "desires of your heart" in actual prayer to your heavenly Father? Or are you ashamed to admit that you have them? Or do you think they are too trivial to bring to His attention? The Savior is sympathetic; you can voice "desires" to Him that you can't admit to anyone else. He says, "Ask, and it will be given to you" (Matt. 7:7). That's why He insists that true prayer must be a secret thing between you and your heavenly Father (6:6). Such a secret with God can begin in your childhood; tell Him those hidden "desires," without shame. He won't despise you if you voice them in actual words of prayer! DDB1 99 4 David, your prototype, had to wait and wait and wait "patiently" for the Lord to give him those "desires" (Psalm 40:1)--years and decades, in fact. He offered his "secret" prayers, and finally the "Father who sees in secret [rewarded him] openly." Finish reading that psalm! It will link you to the secret heart of Jesus Himself. ------------------------Chapter 100--We Need to Know About the Day of Atonement DDB1 100 1 There have been no new worlds or planets created in the universe since God kept that first Sabbath. "Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished," says Genesis 2:1. DDB1 100 2 How has kept God busy since then? The answer: a work of reconciling heaven and earth, because "war broke out in heaven: Michael and His angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought" (Rev. 12:7). DDB1 100 3 The great controversy has involved the universe as well as this fallen planet, for verse 12 says that because of the victory won in this reconciliation, "Rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them!" Finally, it will be said: "The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation."* This blessed harmony will be the result of God's work on His cosmic Day of Atonement, which means simply, His Day of Reconciliation, the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, the ending of alienation. DDB1 100 4 Is your heart reconciled to God? Are you alert to realize that your natural human heart "is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7), except through the atonement of Christ? Do you still wrestle with a lingering sense that somehow you must make yourself good before He can be reconciled to you, and before He can really accept you and respect you? Do you have that nagging feeling that He cannot truly be your Friend until you are worthy? While you are sitting in the pigsty, do you wish you had a Father who would forgive and accept the prodigal? DDB1 100 5 If so, you need to know about the Day of Atonement. As never before in history the world's attention is directed to the atoning sacrifice of Christ where "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. ... We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:19, 20). But you can't "be" unless you first believe He is reconciled to you! So "spend a thoughtful hour" contemplating the cross where that reconciliation was accomplished. ------------------------Chapter 101--Counterfeits—How Can We Tell the Difference? DDB1 101 1 The inspired Bible formula has to be true: Listening to God's New Covenant promises plus believing them equals a changed heart and life (John 3:16, etc.). It's like a simple recipe in cooking: when God's promises are "mixed with faith," what comes out of the oven is genuine conversion (Heb. 4:2). DDB1 101 2 That was the miracle of "the hearing of faith" that the Galatians experienced when Paul preached Christ's sacrifice so clearly that they saw Him "portrayed … as crucified" (Gal. 3:1-5). And it was the miracle of Abraham's sour, bitter wife Sarai's melting of heart and repentance by hearing God's Good News. This made it possible for her at last "by faith" to receive the miracle from God, to be with child, Isaac (Gen. 16:2; 17:15, 16; 18:9, 10; Heb. 11:11). DDB1 101 3 But there are counterfeits, and how can we tell the difference? Why are so many preaching "love, love, love," yet the listeners sense no need to overcome sin itself? What's wrong? There's nothing wrong with love itself if they just knew the right idea of it when the Bible says "God is love" (1 John 4:8). They assume our natural egocentric human idea. DDB1 101 4 The New Testament word is agape, and it's a totally different kind of love than we humans know naturally. It's impossible for an honest heart to hear, to understand, to contemplate, to "survey" that agape displayed in the "wondrous cross," and then go on in captivity to sin. DDB1 101 5 There are many contrasts between the two loves, but the greatest is this: the agape-love of Christ led Him to choose to go to hell, to die the equivalent of the hopeless second death, because of His love for us. "He poured out His soul unto death," "for He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (Isa. 53:12; 2 Cor. 5:21). DDB1 101 6 You can never understand the cross of Christ unless you understand Galatians 3:13: "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree')." He voluntarily took that "curse" upon Himself, gave up all thought of life eternal, "poured out His soul" completely. DDB1 101 7 Just be sure the Good News is not distorted by an intrusion of false doctrine, such as the non-biblical natural immortality of the soul. ------------------------Chapter 102--"Bloom" Where the Lord Has "Planted" You DDB1 102 1 When we become a bit more mature than our youthful years, we can agree with the apostle Paul: "I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think" (Rom. 12:3). When we overcome our pride and arrogance, that counsel becomes easier for us; but the rest of the verse is now our problem: "but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith." DDB1 102 2 It's comparatively easy to denigrate ourselves, to say with John the Baptist of everyone else, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). We can easily consider ourselves "less than the least of all saints" (Eph. 3:8), "unprofitable servants" (Luke 17:10), "the chief of sinners" (1 Tim. 1:15). All that is healthful spiritual modesty. DDB1 102 3 What's difficult is coming to where we "think soberly" about ourselves: we're neither somebody great nor are we everybody's doormat. Where are we? Who are we? Oh, God! Give us common sense! Teach us how to avoid pride yet hold our head high--to be what You have ordained us to be, and to be happy there. Not to be more, nor to be less. DDB1 102 4 Regarding that "measure of faith" that He has "dealt" to us: the Greek word is metron, a capacity for faith. It's not impossible for anyone on earth to believe (have faith) in Christ and be saved eternally. God has given you the capacity; now open the closed door of the heart and receive as much of "the faith of Jesus" as you want to have. Then hold your head high in healthful humility as you "bloom" where the Lord has "planted" you. ------------------------Chapter 103--Hellenistic Ideas That "Watered Down" Agape DDB1 103 1 The Lord Jesus Christ loves His church on earth so much that He has sent seven special messages to His world church in seven eras of its history since the time of Jesus and His apostles. They are recorded for us in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. DDB1 103 2 "Ephesus" (Rev. 2:1-7) is the first church, that of the apostles. The Lord Jesus is happy with that "church," for He commends them for enduring persecution and for thinking clearly and exercising inspired discernment ("you cannot bear those who are evil"). The Christians there have "labored" patiently. But He has one thing against that "church": "You have left your first love [agape]." DDB1 103 3 Careful scholars have detailed how the leaders of the early church step by step abandoned the truths of agape and substituted the pagan Hellenistic concepts of love. The people blindly followed them! The Dark Ages had begun with that false doctrine imported. DDB1 103 4 Even the great Protestant Reformation of the 16th century did not succeed in completely overcoming the Hellenistic ideas that had watered down agape. What happened was that there developed a superficial view of the extent of the sacrifice of Christ on His cross. The idea was lost that Jesus had not only gone to sleep for a weekend before His resurrection, but that on His cross He had actually died the "second death" for the whole world (see Rev. 2:11, and 20:6, 14). He was serious when He screamed while on His cross, "My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Christ endured going to hell! DDB1 103 5 In consequence of losing this great truth of what happened on the cross, the early church soon fell prey to Hellenistic ideas imported into the church, one of which was the pagan doctrine of natural immortality. Today almost all Christian churches handicap themselves by holding to that idea. Those who mistakenly received that false idea were still seventh-day Sabbath observers; but having accepted that pagan doctrine, they soon abandoned the true Sabbath and embraced the observance of the great "day of the sun" (Sunday) in place of the Lord's true holy Sabbath. Now the Dark Ages became even darker. DDB1 103 6 But there is Good News: the Books of Daniel and Revelation pinpoint the end of the Dark Ages as coming at the close of the 1260 years of papal supremacy, which began in 538 A.D. and extended to 1798 when, for the first time, the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation began to become widely understood. DDB1 103 7 Fast forwarding to the end of those Dark Ages, we find that the Holy Spirit raises up a worldwide people who distinguish themselves as those "who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Rev. 12:17). DDB1 103 8 That is what is happening today, the world around. Come, take your place with them! The Lord Jesus has prepared a "place" for you there. ------------------------Chapter 104--The Crisis of the Ages DDB1 104 1 Are we sure that the Bible teaches that God's "church" is a visible organization, and not an invisible number of scattered believers? DDB1 104 2 The only times we read that Jesus mentioned His "church" were twice--Matthew 16:18 and 18:17. He used the word ecclesia, which means "called out," a people designated and separated from the world, defined and denominated in a form that the world could recognize as an entity. DDB1 104 3 The apostles called ancient Israel a "church in the wilderness" (Acts 7:38, New King James Version), and we read that Israel was a visible organization that the world could see as God's denominated people. In Matthew 18 Jesus outlined what should be done if a member in the church disgraces its name--he should be disciplined. Unless the church is organized, this cannot be done. DDB1 104 4 Paul thought of a beautiful illustration of what the church is--it's a "body." "Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually ... in the church" (1 Cor. 12:12-28). DDB1 104 5 Perhaps the reason for our question is the problem of apostasy and worldliness in the church, which is discouraging to a thoughtful, sincere Christian. Please think about Jesus: He is even more pained by this than you are. Be joined to Him by faith, share His heart burden for His church. It's the great crisis of the ages. He wants to lead her to repentance, not to ruin. ------------------------Chapter 105--The "Gospel" the Apostles Preached DDB1 105 1 The word "gospel" is a common one that has been tossed about by almost everyone. It has come to cover all kinds of ideas. But what the apostles actually preached is the only valid, authentic idea. What they said must be read in their own context, fully, not partially read and distorted to a wrong definition of that word. DDB1 105 2 Paul said that a correct understanding of the word "gospel," if it is believed, "is the power of God to salvation" (Rom. 1:16). It converted very difficult people when Paul preached it (1 Cor. 6:9, 10). What happened at Corinth under Paul's preaching will happen again on a worldwide scale in the proclamation of the Loud Cry of Revelation 18. So, let us inquire--what was the "gospel" Paul preached there? DDB1 105 3 He tells us: "When I came to you, [it] did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom, ... I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:1, 2). Was that a fanatical, monomaniacal trip he was on, preaching boring sermons? DDB1 105 4 If so, why did the people crowd in to hear him, and then embrace his "gospel" with "power"? There's an answer: there is something in "the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:5, 14) of the cross that triumphs over all the imitation, false "gospels" Satan can invent. DDB1 105 5 "Christ crucified" meant infinitely more than anything the world's great thinkers could come up with: the apostles' idea was that He died the world's second death. That was an idea no one had ever thought of at that time; no one had imagined that there was a love anywhere in the universe so great as that. DDB1 105 6 Even today, among the vast concourse of professed Christians, there are precious few who conceive of such an idea; and Muslims have not thought of it, or Hindus. Even Jews have had great trouble embracing the idea. But it moved hearts and motivated people to take up their cross and follow Him "wherever" He led (Rev. 14:4). DDB1 105 7 What about you? ------------------------Chapter 106--Can God Alter Our "Birth Certificate"? DDB1 106 1 This may not make much sense to you unless you will take the time to read all of the first six verses of Psalm 87. In most translations, it comes across either as pious gobbledygook, or at best as a misty, cloudy poem. It talks about heathen nations such as Egypt, Babylonia, Philistia, Tyre, the Sudan, and heathen people born in them. Then it contrasts the lucky people who get to be "born" in Zion. DDB1 106 2 As the psalm reads in most translations, it comes across as rather supporting the double predestination theory of strict Calvinism. If you're one of "the elect," you have it made; "Zion" is your natural home for you were born with that silver spoon in your mouth. Otherwise, too bad for you, unless you become a naturalized "citizen" (Good News Bible) of Zion, in which case your passport will eternally read that you were "born" in some heathen land but have been graciously immigrated into "Zion" as a naturalized alien. DDB1 106 3 But when I discovered an old out-of-print translation by James Moffatt, suddenly Psalm 87 came in focus as a "most precious" Good News message. What Moffatt saw is this: Yes, God is delighted with Zion as His "dear city," and notes that "this follower of Mine and that was born" in those disreputable pagan places. But "every follower of Mine belongs to [Zion] by birth." So when "the Eternal writes of every nation, in His census" (in His final judgment), He actually changes the "birth certificate" of every believer to say, "This follower of Mine was born in Zion!" No second-class naturalized "citizens"! Only genuine "native" ones! DDB1 106 4 You may object: "But I was born in Egypt or Philistia! I am a sinner by nature! To change my birth certificate isn't right!" Yes, but that is what the Lord proposes to do. A wise writer has said, "Sinful as your life may have been, for His sake you are accounted righteous. Christ's character stands in place of your character, and you are accepted before God just as if you had not sinned." DDB1 106 5 Yes, your sins have all been cast into the depths of the sea, and are honestly "remembered no more" (Micah 7:19; Heb. 8:12). God has a foolproof method of altering birth certificates. Clutch yours, hang on to it, by faith. Don't wait to see the alteration with your natural eyes; believe it in advance. And bless Him who is so generous. ------------------------Chapter 107--What Was the Death of the Cross? DDB1 107 1 Only the pure Good News of the gospel is "the power of God to salvation" (Rom. 1:16), and we can't believe the gospel unless we have heard it (Rom. 10:14,15), and we can't understand it unless we've heard it clearly presented (Acts 20:27), and we can't understand the gospel unless we appreciate what happened on the cross of Christ (Gal. 6:14; 1 Cor. 2:1-4). Conclusion: we must understand what happened there or we can never grow up out of infancy. To remain forever immature in understanding is pathetic, wouldn't you agree? DDB1 107 2 What was the death of the cross? The same as when we die--going to sleep? Are we moved only by Christ's 6 hours of physical agony? Many soldiers on battlefields have suffered longer. Isaiah says Jesus poured out His soul unto death, not unto sleep (53:12); Paul says He emptied Himself, kept nothing back, not even His hope of resurrection (Phil. 2:7), died every man's final death so nobody has to die it unless he chooses to resist and reject (Heb. 2:9). DDB1 107 3 A wise writer says of Jesus on His cross: "As man, He must suffer the consequences of man's sin." What are those "consequences"? Romans 6:23 says "death," and that's not sleep. That's the real thing which Revelation 2:11 and 20:14 say is "the second death." So that's the kind of death Jesus died for us. Isaiah 53:6 says, "The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." DDB1 107 4 Some say No, "The second death is the lake of fire, and Jesus didn't go there!" Read Revelation 20:14 again in its true context of verses 12 and 13. The horror the lost will feel is not mere physical pain, but the horror of that judgment when verse 12 says the books will be opened and every person's true guilt will be laid bare. That overwhelming sense of guilt will be worse than dying forever! With that kind of pain, physical pain will hardly be felt. DDB1 107 5 If we could only see what's in those books of record now, what a blessing that would be! And that is the Good News--get on your knees and ask for a preview. There is nothing the Holy Spirit would rather do for you than that, for there is life in that realization now, before it's too late. ------------------------Chapter 108--Confused About Conflicting Views? Take Heart! DDB1 108 1 A haze of confusion clouded the minds of the Jews in the days of Christ. Their man-made ideas were contradictory and created only spiritual discouragement in the minds of the common people. Jesus cleared it away. DDB1 108 2 Today there are also man-made ideas that create confusion in the minds of sincere people. They wonder if the time will ever come when God's people can be united in faith and can speak to the world with one voice. Jesus made a promise that's encouraging: "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted" (Matt. 15:13), meaning, all false ideas will be "uprooted." What a joy that will be when all of the ministers, teachers, leaders, and theologians see the truth alike in sunlit clarity! DDB1 108 3 If you are confused about what you can believe of all the conflicting views or ideas you hear or read, take heart. Jesus made another promise that is 100 percent true (sincere Jews didn't know if this upstart young Rabbi from Galilee was right, or whether the venerable elders from the headquarters offices were right): "If anyone wants to do His [the Father's] will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority" (John 7:17). DDB1 108 4 If the common people would follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, saying a willing "amen" to each new ray of light flashed upon their pathway, their thinking would become clear. And there you have the Light flashing on your pathway today! Then another wonderful promise of Jesus will be fulfilled: "I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. ... And other sheep I have which are not of this fold [untold numbers still in "Babylon"]; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd" (John 10:14, 16). DDB1 108 5 No one will be better than anyone else. It'll be a little heaven on earth for God's people. Come, today, and be a part of Christ's solution, not a part of His problem. Get in full unity with His truth, and you'll be one with Him. ------------------------Chapter 109--The Lord Does Not Overburden You DDB1 109 1 Are you ever bewildered by the force philosophies or theologies are thrown at you? You are busy with daily tasks that you know are your duties, and these teachings that are clamoring for your attention seem to be over your head. You're drowning in an unending flow of words. DDB1 109 2 If some genius is trying to overpower you, don't let him or her entice you away from the simplicity of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Everything that God Himself wants you to understand is simple and clear, so much so that a child can understand it. That's what Jesus meant when He said of children, "Of such is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 19:14). DDB1 109 3 The Lord told His prophet, "Write down clearly on tablets what I reveal to you, so that it can be read at a glance" (Hab. 2:2, Good News Bible). You can't get a lot of words on clay tablets. The correct understanding of justification by faith, of the atonement, of Daniel and the Revelation, must be caught "at a glance." DDB1 109 4 So stay close to your Bible. Think of the vast amount of information in Daniel and the Revelation, and in Solomon's Proverbs--all brilliantly simple. DDB1 109 5 And when that last great angel comes down with the message that will "lighten the earth with glory" it will be a message to go to "every nation, tribe, tongue, and people" with the powerful impact that Jesus' Sermon on the Mount had on the world two millennia ago, because it will all be simple (Rev. 18:1-4; 14:6, 7). DDB1 109 6 The Lord does not overburden you (Rev. 2:24). But do study! ------------------------Chapter 110--The Friend of Lonely People DDB1 110 1 When you study your way through the Gospel of John, pause a moment with the impotent man of Bethesda, healed after 38 years of despair. He was lying beside what we today would call a swimming pool where sick people would gather, because it was the common superstition that people could be healed one by one if each could jump in the water first when it gurgled mysteriously. An angel supposedly came at these intervals, to heal the lucky person who shoved and elbowed his way first into the pool. Crazy, but it was this poor man's only hope. (God would not have put the story in the Bible unless it is good for us to think about this man and put ourselves in his place for a bit.) DDB1 110 2 He had seen people healed, or at least had heard by gossip that some were. When your only hope is as slender as a spider's web, you hang on. We note that he is friendless. "I have no one to help me!" he wails (John 5:7). Happy, expectant people mill all around him daily, nobody bothers to notice him, everybody is too busy to stop and talk with him. He can't make any friends. On top of his paralysis, he has loneliness to carry. If he had a wife or children or relatives, they have given up on him and live their lives as though he is already buried. DDB1 110 3 Then the Friend of lonely people stops by to chat. Apparently the paralyzed man is the only one there ready to listen to what He might say. (Could He too have been lonely? The One "despised and rejected of men" is often lonely in big crowds of people.) The two struck up a conversation, and Jesus did what He wants us to do--He put Himself in the man's place. He felt for him, just wanted to relieve his distress, to bless him. We call it compassion. DDB1 110 4 The man didn't even know how to ask to be healed; but he did respond to the Stranger's question with a lament about loneliness. "Sir, I have no friend ..." He didn't curse his lot in life, or blame others. He responded to Jesus with simple, courteous conversation. Probably some tears in his eyes. That was all he could do: be courteous to this kind Friend. (If you're going to die in the next five minutes, at least you can be courteous and respectful to people!) DDB1 110 5 It was his salvation! He put himself in the arms of his new-found Friend and Savior. Come now, you do the same. ------------------------Chapter 111--Joined to Christ by Faith DDB1 111 1 Each individual believer in Christ is "meek and lowly in heart" as Jesus was (Matt. 11:28-30). But he will be joined to Christ by faith, which means he will say with Paul, "I am crucified with Christ: yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20, King James Version). DDB1 111 2 "The faith of the Son of God" is the faith by which He Himself defeated Satan in His human flesh. That flesh which Jesus "took" is the same that we all have inherited--fallen, sinful; but Jesus "condemned sin in the flesh," the "flesh" in which the Father sent Him (Rom. 8:3). In Christ, self was crucified long before He was nailed to His cross. DDB1 111 3 Even as a Boy of 12 He demonstrated that He had said "No!" to self, and "Yes!" to His Father (cf. Luke 2:49). Constantly He said, "I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me"; "I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me"; in Gethsemane He cried, "O My Father, … not as I will, but as You will" (this, at the price of sweating blood, John 5:30, 6:38, Matt. 26:39). DDB1 111 4 One who believes in Jesus truly, will open his heart to receive "the faith of Jesus" and will also "condemn sin" in his own fallen, sinful flesh. It can be done by "the faith of Jesus," and it will be done in those "144,000" who prepare for the second coming of Jesus (cf. Rev. 14:1-6). DDB1 111 5 The price? A Gethsemane-like struggle suited exactly to "the measure of faith" which God has "dealt to every" one of us (Rom. 12:3, King James Version). Satan's attacks will be terrible; but like the 30-hour bombardment of Baltimore's Fort McHenry in the War of 1812, when the smoke cleared away and "our flag was still there," the seal of God like a flag will still be flying over each one's personal "fort" that has endured Satan's merciless bombardment. ------------------------Chapter 112--Hands of Love DDB1 112 1 Suppose you lose someone in death, someone near and dear to you that you know up to the last breath gave no evidence of believing in the Savior. What does the Bible teach you to believe? DDB1 112 2 The apostle John has left the door open to let in a ray of hope. First, he says what he has to say, "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:12). That appears to be a tone of finality. The word "life" has to mean eternal life; this present temporal life has been the gift of the much more abounding grace of Christ who saved the world in a legal sense and has made it possible for the Father to send His rain and sunshine on both the just and the unjust (Matt. 5:45). DDB1 112 3 But that's not eternal salvation, necessarily. We know that Christ came to give Himself for us all, that every loaf of bread is stamped with His cross, and that unbelievers eat their daily food as the gift of His grace, although they don't know they are eternally and infinitely in debt to Him for all they have ever had. They have eaten from His hand all their life (Psalm 145:15, 16), but have never understood, that is, "known" it or "believed" it (John distinguishes between the two verbs;1 John 4:16). DDB1 112 4 But right here is where we must step carefully--we cannot be sure which was the case with our loved one. Only the Lord can "read" the deep recesses of that human heart. The door of encouragement that John leaves open is in 1 John 5:14-16: "This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." His will is this: "God our Savior ... desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:3, 4). DDB1 112 5 "And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him" (1 John 5:15)--that is, by faith to believe what we shall see in the resurrection morning; the Lord will wipe all tears from our eyes (Rev. 21:4). "If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death" (1 John 5:16). DDB1 112 6 As your loved one's Judge, the Lord knows the reason why he has been as he has been (you don't know!); the Savior has loved that person more than you have; your prayers may have enabled Him to do something He could not have done if you had not prayed. Cherish what hope the Holy Spirit gives you; your loved one is in His hands. And they are hands of love. ------------------------Chapter 113--Judgment Day Is Not Afar Off--It's Today! DDB1 113 1 Isaiah is often said glowingly to be the "Gospel Prophet." Yes, there is blessed Good News in his book, but it starts out in chapter one with the most devastating indictment God has ever pronounced on the corporate body of His true church at the time--the kingdom of Judah. He likened them to Sodom and Gomorrah, "laden with iniquity," morally and spiritually filthy. God throws up His hands in horror at the utter hypocrisy of their Sabbath worship services, which He plainly says He "hates" (1:4-15). He simply refuses to "go to church to meet with them," or words to that effect. He turns the other way. DDB1 113 2 But then immediately we come face to face with "Gospel": the same sad opening chapter predicts His salvation work for them. He commands the people to take a bath and clean themselves up (a common sense thing to do, 16-17), but He also promises that as the Savior of the world He will transform their wicked Sodom into "the city of righteousness, the faithful city" (25-27). He, not they, will have to wash their scarlet sin "white as snow" (18). DDB1 113 3 From the very first, Isaiah's idea is that they need a Savior; they cannot save themselves. The prophet presages the Ephesians truth that "by grace you have been saved through faith" (2:8); the entire Book of Isaiah is a grace-filled book. Nobody in Isaiah saves himself. But ... every honest person therein cooperates with the divine Savior. Each sinner takes a bath; the Savior won't hose you down against your will; but the cleansing water flows from His wounded side. It's not that you save yourself 50 percent; you let Him save you 100 percent. DDB1 113 4 You learn to abhor your filth, you welcome His cleansing. If you are one of the tiny fraction who are "willing" to believe, you get a new mind and a new heart. But if you are like the masses of God's people who He said "refuse and rebel," all the angels in heaven can't save you from the disaster you choose to bring upon yourself (19, 20). DDB1 113 5 Judgment Day is not afar off; it's today. We would be wise to assume that now is our last chance. Life is that serious. ------------------------Chapter 114--A Strange Story in the Bible That Will Help Children DDB1 114 1 The lady's prayers were just not being answered. It's a strange story to be in the Bible: Jesus just walked on as though He hadn't heard her. The Bible plainly says, "He answered her not a word" (Matt. 15:21-28). That doesn't sound natural for Him, does it? DDB1 114 2 We love miracle stories of answered prayer, and we tell them to our children hoping they will inspire them to believe. But sometimes children's prayers apparently don't get answered; we don't know how many are confused by miracle stories. Youth often end up discouraged and "lukewarm." First, we should never tell a story that we don't know for sure is true. The monks in the Middle Ages told the people "pious tales." Secondly, we should tell the children this story of the lady whose prayer Jesus didn't answer, and why He didn't respond to her. The insight in this story will help them. DDB1 114 3 He happened to have come to where she lived; she had heard of Him and believed He was the Messiah. So, as He was walking along the road, she came up to Him. Her prayer was simple and utterly sincere: "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed." DDB1 114 4 He walked on as though He had never heard her! Then she began badgering the disciples; would they please intercede with Him to pay her some attention, like many discouraged people who appeal to the saints for help. They were annoyed; she was a Gentile. They "urged Him, 'Send her away, for she cries out after us.'" They too paid her no attention. DDB1 114 5 He did respond, in her hearing: "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Gentiles are outside My ministry. Goodbye, please, it seemed He said. DDB1 114 6 But the lady wouldn't give up. She "came and worshipped Him," and begged, "Lord, help me!" Because she believed He was "the Son of David," she also believed there was another side to Him. Then He said something that must have hurt: "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." I think I would have given up and gone home angry. Me, a dog?! But she had wit as well as faith: "True, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table!" She was smart, and she was right. DDB1 114 7 Jesus all along had wanted to help her. He had staged His attitude as a lesson to His disciples, not to despise Gentiles, or women. Her prayer was answered, her daughter was delivered because she believed in His character of love, and she persisted. A good story! ------------------------Chapter 115--The Seal of a New Creature in Christ DDB1 115 1 Evolutionists tell us that we are highly developed animals. But animals are not spiritual beings. Christ tells us that "God is Spirit" (John 4:24). Does that mean that He is only a shadow or a cloud, that He is not real? By no means. The only real things are those that are spiritual--all material things can be wiped out in a moment by fire, flood, or nuclear bombs. "There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body" (1 Cor. 15:44). Only spiritual things will endure for all eternity. DDB1 115 2 Since God is Spirit, the rest that He took after creating the heavens and the earth was a spiritual rest. It wasn't that He was physically tired, for "the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary" (Isa. 40:28). Creation was not a physical work; it was spiritual. God spoke, and it was. DDB1 115 3 Therefore, to keep God's Sabbath, or rest, is to enjoy a spiritual rest. While it is true that we are not to continue our daily physical labor on that holy day, it is also true that without spiritual rest there is no Sabbath-keeping. DDB1 115 4 If the Sabbath were intended only to provide physical rest, then it would be reasonable for earthly governments to make laws requiring people to keep it. (Some want the government to make such laws, forcing people to keep another day, especially Sunday.) But since the Sabbath is a spiritual rest, no one can be forced to keep it. "Spiritual" pertains to God alone, who is Spirit. Only the Spirit of God can give such rest. And He is not subject to courts of law or parliaments. DDB1 115 5 God does not use compulsion, and He has authorized no man, church, or government to use it in His place. Compulsion or force in religious matters is evidence that the religion being enforced is a false one. It is an acknowledgement that it has no power to motivate the human heart. Christ says that He will "draw all men" to Him; but He never tries to force them. He is a Good Shepherd; a shepherd never drives his sheep! DDB1 115 6 The Sabbath is the seal of a new creature in Christ, one who is united with Him by faith. Born a creature of the dust, He is now a newly born member of the heavenly family. The Sabbath is therefore the "seal of God" which is placed upon "the foreheads" of God's servants in these last days (Rev. 7:1-4). It came from Paradise and marks those who are destined to live eternally in Paradise. As they assemble through eternity from Sabbath to Sabbath, they will "sing for joy" because of what their Savior has done for them (Rev. 5:12): DDB1 115 7 Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing! ------------------------Chapter 116--Our Planet--"Growing Old Like a Garment" DDB1 116 1 Does it make sense to recognize that our planet is growing old, or as the King James Version translates Isaiah 51:6, "shall wax old like a garment," like an old threadbare suit? The great Lisbon earthquake of 1755 immediately preceded the beginning of the Great Industrial Revolution, which reached a climax in the enormous amounts of fossil fuels that have been burned. DDB1 116 2 Predictions are that the oceans may rise several inches, inundating large areas of seaport cities and forcing the evacuation of islands. At the same time wild weather patterns are predicted as the consequence of worldwide man-made pollution of the atmosphere, a phenomenon never before known in the history of the planet. DDB1 116 3 According to the Bible, God did create a perfect world in the beginning, with all the functions of nature exquisitely balanced for the good of mankind. All went well until humanity invited Satan in with his new invention of sin. The result: the earth was "defiled under its inhabitants" (Isa. 24:5). Sin made necessary the great worldwide Flood that Genesis chapters 6-9 describe, when "the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water" (2 Peter 3:6). At that time the vast forests and wildlife were buried, producing the coal and oil that are still being burned as fossil fuel. DDB1 116 4 The results of the Flood are with us today! And sin is increasing, for Jesus said, "As the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matt. 24:37). We desperately need a new earth! If your clothes wore out, you'd need new ones! God wants to recreate a new earth, but He can't do it until the problem of sin is solved. It follows that there is a worldwide need for the proclamation of the pure true gospel that is "the power of God to salvation" (Rom. 1:16; that is, salvation from sin, not in sin). Could anything be more important? ------------------------Chapter 117--The Godhead--A Truth Beyond Our Understanding DDB1 117 1 Millions of Muslims are prejudiced against Christianity because they think Christians believe in three gods because of the commonly understood doctrine of the "Trinity." The Bible is clear: "The Lord our God, the Lord is one" (Deut. 6:4). When you pray, you pray to one God, not three gods. DDB1 117 2 But the Bible is also clear that God is the Father, God is the Son, and God is the Holy Spirit, and the three are One. Jesus taught us to pray to "our Father which art in heaven," in Jesus' name; and He promised He would send the Holy Spirit to abide with us forever (Matt. 7:9; John 14:16-18). DDB1 117 3 The Godhead is a truth beyond human ability to understand, although sincere Christian people have been baffled by the "mystery" for hundreds of years. Has Christ always been the "Son of God," or did He become so only at His birth in Bethlehem? A prominent Evangelical pastor maintains that the Sonship began at Christ's incarnation, but the Bible is clear--the Son of God has always been the Son of God. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (that's the correct translation of John 1:1). DDB1 117 4 A little understood truth may help us to understand how to proclaim the Godhead to Muslims and Jews: "God is agape" (1 John 4:8). Note the present tense; God has always from eternity been "agape." And agape must have an object to love, even from eternity; therefore the Son had to be there to be loved even from eternity. The literal translation of Colossians 1:13 says that the Father "has translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His agape." DDB1 117 5 We are not to try to understand the word "Son" in the light of our human father/son relationships, but vice versa. For God to have a Son does not mean that the Father is "older" than the Son; it means that they are of the same essence. And if God is agape, then the Son is agape; and that is why He voluntarily made Himself subordinate to the Father, although they are equal in nature. DDB1 117 6 One cannot understand John 3:16 except that Christ has been the Son of God from all eternity; and thus the love of the Father is revealed in its grandeur: He sacrificed His only Son, even to the second death, for us--yes, for you. Great, grand, mind-boggling truths that we cannot fathom, but we can choose to "believe." ------------------------Chapter 118--What's Happening Behind the Scenes DDB1 118 1 The Bible speaks of the great battle of Armageddon in Revelation 16; also, it speaks of a time of trouble coming on the world like the world has never seen before (see Daniel 12). DDB1 118 2 Please note: it is not God who brings that trouble on the earth, and it is not God who provokes the battle of Armageddon. God does not bring disaster--wicked people bring such troubles on the earth. Seeds of rebellion and hatred have been sown in all the world, and it is this spiritual rebellion against the law of God that will eventually lead the world into the time of trouble and the battle of Armageddon. DDB1 118 3 But in the meantime, there is another spiritual power at work in the world to bring peace and harmony, to make life livable. That is the power of the gospel, the good news of Christ. Whenever and wherever it is permitted to be proclaimed, there come the peaceable fruits of righteousness, and nations are blessed. DDB1 118 4 In Revelation 7:1-4 we see a vivid picture of what is happening behind the scenes--the news behind the headlines. Four terrible winds of human passion are about to burst loose like a wild tornado, but God sends four special angels to hold back those four winds until a special work is performed among mankind. Another angel is seen with the seal of God, and he tells the four angels, Hold those terrible four winds until we have sealed the servants of God in their foreheads. That seal of God is what prepares sinners like us to be ready for the second coming of Christ, to be ready to stand for the Lord through earth's last time of trouble. DDB1 118 5 That sealing work is going forward today. A vast number from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people will gladly receive the seal of God, and they will refuse the mark of the beast. You are invited to be one of them! ------------------------Chapter 119--Is There "Justice" in Today's Warfare? DDB1 119 1 For thousands of years, enlightened rulers have used dialogue and diplomacy to solve political problems. Then, if all else failed, they would use military force. The result: wars. Many sincere godly people have understood that the Bible supports the idea of a "just war." For example, the war against the Canaanites in the Promised Land. God told Israel that it was a "just war" because those people had rejected 400 years of God's continued efforts to give them repentance for their sins against humanity. DDB1 119 2 "Justice" in warfare today is elusive. Could the principles of the gospel help in such a crisis today? They are all but unknown: DDB1 119 3 (1) No personality, no race, no ethnic group, no nation, is of itself more "righteous" than another. The human race are all sinners "in Adam." "All" of whatever religion have participated in the murder of the Son of God who was sent here precisely for the purpose of saving this planet (Rom. 3:23). This is the world's corporate guilt. The truth must be recognized and believed. DDB1 119 4 (2) If there is such a thing as any "rightness" or "righteousness" in any "just war," its source is therefore the righteousness of Christ. No nation or race can claim it. It's always a gift of God's grace. Pride and arrogance immediately vanish. DDB1 119 5 (3) God laid that corporate guilt on Christ as the second Adam. The ultimate sin of mankind was His murder, and He forgave them for it (Luke 23:34). DDB1 119 6 (4) Thus He calls on us to forgive our enemies, personal and ... (did He mean it?) national (Matt. 5:43-48). Politicians will immediately say, That's impossible to do! Very well, then there's war, with all its attendant horrors. The ultimate result at the very end: Armageddon (Rev. 16:13-16). DDB1 119 7 In the meantime, is there any hope? Yes; proclaim Christ's beautiful truth of justification by faith. It will get through to some of "the kings of the earth" so angels can hold the four winds until the gospel commission can be finished in a time of relative peace (Rev. 7:1-4). ------------------------Chapter 120--What Role Will God Play in the Final Judgment? DDB1 120 1 What role will God play in the final judgment? And in human day-to-day life? Someone is injured or dies in an accident: did God ordain that tragedy? Someone gets cancer: did God give it to him or her? Does God act in the final judgment like a judge in a traffic court--His decision is the final word? The usual answer implies, Yes. He has the power, and if you're smart you'll knuckle under. He's the Judge in the grand Traffic Court. Don't ask questions. DDB1 120 2 But there are some things that Jesus said that appear to give a different idea. Rather emphatically He said, "The Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, ... because He is the Son of Man" (John 5:22, 27). You catch your breath when you realize what He said: we are all going to be judged by a human being! (Christ's divinity in no way negates the fact that He is also human, and will remain so for all eternity.) In other words, the judge and the jury are our peers! This is at last a "court" where not only does justice bear sway, but mercy also. DDB1 120 3 Then Jesus threw another bomb into our theology when He said, "If anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world" (12:47). That seems to indicate that the familiar evangelistic appeal is flawed: "Today Jesus is your Savior, your Defense Lawyer; if you don't get baptized, tomorrow He will be your Prosecuting Attorney and your Judge!" DDB1 120 4 Jesus makes plain how that is backwards: if you believe in Him, only then will He be your judge, and He will vindicate you! But if you believe not, He will refuse to judge [condemn] you: your judgment [condemnation] will be entirely a do-it-yourself process (vs. 48). In the end, even Satan will bow and confess the justice of his own self-condemnation (Rev. 5:11-14). Truth will help you with your day-to-day problems. Not force but love pleads, "Be reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:14, 20). ------------------------Chapter 121--"Beholding" Christ, Our Only Hope DDB1 121 1 When studying the humanity of the Son of God, nothing detracts in the least from His divinity. We "behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), and in so doing will "behold" Him as the One whose "name [is] Immanuel, which is translated, 'God with us'" (Matt. 1:23). DDB1 121 2 In order for us humans to "behold" Him, we must see Him as He has revealed Himself to us. That is, He is "the Word [which] became flesh and dwelt among us." It is there that we "behold His glory" (John 1:14). "Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given" (Isa. 9:6). "The humanity of the Son of God is everything to us," says a thoughtful writer. And Jesus Himself tells us to look, and look, and look to Him in His humanity, for only thus can we perceive Him in His divinity. DDB1 121 3 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:14). To "believe" in Him is the same as to choose to "behold" Him. That was the only hope for the Israelites in the wilderness bitten by the poisonous serpents--to "behold" that serpent on the pole that Moses had made at the command of God, representing Christ. DDB1 121 4 Yes, our very life itself, our salvation, depends on "beholding" Him in His humanity, which veils His divinity. No one can spend too much time "beholding the Lamb of God" there. In Hebrews chapter 1 we "behold" Him in His pre-incarnation divinity, as "God" (vs. 8); but the inspired author says we don't "see" Him clearly until we "see Him" "made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, ... that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone" (2:9). We must see Him in His humanity. DDB1 121 5 The chapter goes on to focus our view intensely on Him as One who "likewise shared in the same" "flesh and blood" that we have, so that "in all things He had to be made like His brethren" (vss. 14-17). Only so, as He has "suffered, being tempted, [is He] able to aid [us] who are tempted" (vs. 18). As we "behold" Him thus, are we becoming fanatical? A million times, no! Why? He is our only hope! ------------------------Chapter 122--A Forgotten Detail About Noah DDB1 122 1 When we read about Noah and the Flood, there is one detail that might get lost in the story of that terrible judgment that God brought upon the human race. It's true that the Bible says that God Himself brought the Flood--it was His initiative. And it appears on the surface that raw fear should be our motive in living--get in the ark or you will perish. But, take note of this often-forgotten little detail: Noah was "a preacher of righteousness by faith," not merely of a scare-mongering diatribe (see 2 Peter 2:5 and Heb. 11:7). DDB1 122 2 While he was "prepar[ing] an ark for the saving of his household" he was busy at the same time proclaiming the much more abounding grace of God, for only that is the message of "righteousness by faith" (Rom. 5:15-20). Hebrews 11 (vs. 7, King James Version) says that he "became heir of the righteousness which is by faith," indicating that he had not always understood that grace. During the 120 years of his shipbuilding and preaching, his understanding of God's character grew. He could have begun with a message of raw fear, but the closer he came to the Flood itself, the more he "became" aware of the love of God for a lost race. If he was preaching "righteousness by faith," he was preaching "the everlasting gospel"! DDB1 122 3 Further, Hebrews says he "became heir" to this understanding, an inheritance better than any of the lordly palaces that the antediluvians had built for themselves--all of which were destined to destruction. If we can become "heirs" to the full truth of righteousness by faith we shall have something that will nourish us with happiness throughout whatever trials are yet to come on the earth. DDB1 122 4 Just as Noah grew in his understanding of this "inheritance," so a church in our time may have started out with a message that to them was largely legalistic, but as time has gone on, they can "grow" in their comprehension of that much more abounding grace of Christ. DDB1 122 5 What sealed the doom of the antediluvians was not merely their acts of sin, bad as they were; they heard and rejected the glorious truths of "righteousness by faith." To reject that message of the grace of Christ is to bring judgment on ourselves. Let's listen and believe! ------------------------Chapter 123--The Probing Ministry of the Holy Spirit DDB1 123 1 Does it seem reasonable to assume that those whose "sins are clearly evident, proceeding them to judgment" have already gone through what the lost will face when their sins "follow later" (1 Tim. 5:24)? This is an experience of consciousness; it's not like a government financial audit that happens while you're sound asleep. The Holy Spirit does nothing behind your back. You don't need to be afraid of Him. DDB1 123 2 The lost come up in the second resurrection (Rev. 20) and the truth of their sins confronts them consciously in the final judgment as they stand before the Great White Throne. But those who now permit the Holy Spirit to probe beneath the surface of their character and respond "Yes!" to His deeper convictions of sin, are happy ahead of time. They have welcomed the final judgment now. They pray the prayer of the devout lady who long ago would pray, "Lord, show me the worst of my case!" Now "there is no fear in [their] love [agape], for perfect agape casts out fear" (1 John 4:18). This appears to be so simple and clear biblically that a child can grasp it. DDB1 123 3 Could this be what Daniel spoke of when he said that in the final Day of Atonement, "then shall the sanctuary be cleansed" (8:14)? It makes sense--the heavenly sanctuary itself cannot be "cleansed" until first the hearts of God's people on earth are "cleansed." DDB1 123 4 And we know there's no way under heaven that they can cleanse their own hearts without that probing ministry of that Holy Spirit, for "who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults [sins]" (Psalm 19:12). And if by the grace of God we can get as far as to pray that verse 12, then verse 13 is articulated in our prayer: "Keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me." (Peterson, The Message, renders it, "Otherwise how will we ... know when we play the fool? Clean the slate, God, ... keep me from stupid sins.") DDB1 123 5 Oh, what "most precious" Good News is in this cosmic Day of Atonement! The great High Priest in His Most Holy Place is awake 24 hours, 7 days a week--working, working, sending His Holy Spirit to convict, convict, and convict again! DDB1 123 6 Yes, He's doing it! The one sitting beside you in church may be letting the work be done, and you are childishly unaware that anything is going on. Some may say nothing's going on that hasn't been happening for thousands of years; well, think a little. "Watch!" (Luke 21:36). ------------------------Chapter 124--God's "Special Angel" DDB1 124 1 Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"Revelation makes eminent good sense. Its origin was in the Father, who "gave" the inspired message of prophecy to Jesus Christ, who in turn processed it through "His angel" who "signified it" (that is, put it into symbolic language). This task was not intended to hide it from us or confuse us; just the opposite. DDB1 124 2 Apparently this special angel has a unique job in the processes of inspiration--to take the messages of God (that would be difficult for us humans to grasp) and present them to the various inspired Bible prophets in symbolic form--that is, language that reaches the inner thinking and feeling of hungry humans. Even children can understand what would stump philosophers or historians. DDB1 124 3 If it had not been for this special angel, the message contained in the book of Revelation would fill a thousand volumes. But with that special angel's help in "signifying" it, we can grasp what the Father wants us to understand. The process of revelation does not end with John putting what he saw in words onto parchment--he who "reads" or "hears" "the words of this prophecy" becomes "blessed" (Rev. 1:1-3), that is, happy for life and for eternity. DDB1 124 4 A simple, sincere prayer on your part for the same Holy Spirit who inspired the books of Daniel and Revelation to guide you in understanding them, will be answered by the One who is more than willing for you to be "blessed." Remember, it's all a "revelation of Jesus Christ," the Son of God, the world's Savior, "the Lamb of God." Let the "everlasting gospel" of righteousness by faith be interwoven with your understanding the prophecies of these two books, and your life will be forever enriched. Yes! Even in heaven to come! ------------------------Chapter 125--One Thing That the "Almighty" Can't Do DDB1 125 1 During His life on earth, Jesus prayed--continually. And He prayed for people individually. Consider Peter, for example: "Simon, ... I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail" (Luke 22:31, 32). And it is good that Jesus prayed for him, because Peter came within a millimeter of losing out completely when he denied three times that he even knew Jesus. He was so heartbroken at what he had done that he even wished he could die. Such terrible grief or self-reproach has caused some people to take their own lives. When in his agony Peter remembered that Jesus had said, "I have prayed for you," he had a slender thread of hope left, which in his repentance, he grasped. DDB1 125 2 But now a question: did Jesus pray the same prayer for Judas Iscariot? When Jesus prayed, the Father heard His prayers; and the angels were ready to do what Jesus asked. But I find nothing in the inspired record that says clearly that Jesus prayed that same prayer for Judas, that "[his] faith should not fail" in the hour of trial. For one thing, at the time Jesus prayed for Peter, Judas had no faith to be prayed for! According to Romans 12:3, God had already given Judas (along with "each one") the "measure of faith." DDB1 125 3 But like Esau who had "despised" and "sold" the birthright which God had given him, Judas had by this time scorned all genuine faith that he once had. He had resisted every effort of the Holy Spirit to bring him to repentance. He had refused to confess and forsake (and repay) his thieving from the money box which he carried as treasurer for Jesus and the disciples (see John12:6). He had refused that appeal of the Holy Spirit when Mary had washed Jesus' feet with her tears, and that last one when Jesus washed his feet. He had allowed selfish pride to bind his heart to Satan. Thus there was no "faith" left that Jesus could have prayed for. DDB1 125 4 Jesus' prayers to His Father were powerful, but there is one thing that the "Almighty" cannot do--He cannot force a single human heart. Jesus' relation with each of us is as close and tender and intimate as His with Judas; let's be very thankful today that He is still praying for us that "[our] faith should not fail" when our final test comes. Grab every slender thread of hope you have. ------------------------Chapter 126--It's Impossible to Be Afraid of the Judgment , If ... DDB1 126 1 It's Impossible to Be Afraid of the Judgment if There Is Love (Agape) in Our Hearts. DDB1 126 2 "Love [agape] has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment. ... There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:17, 18). The reason is that this kind of love (agape) is the point where our identification "with Christ" takes place, because His agape has already gone to hell and come back, and if that love dwells in our hearts, all fear is automatically expelled. The cross does it for us. In abolishing the fear of hell, all lesser fears are also overcome. DDB1 126 3 Satan hates the cross, but if you love it, you no longer have anything to do with him. That stinging--"The Lord rebuke you, Satan!"--is a slap in his face from which he can never recover. I don't know how anyone could adequately describe the dramatic excitement of that moment in final judgment! DDB1 126 4 Scripture makes plain that so far as believers are concerned, a triumphant vindication takes place before Christ returns. Those who have died in Christ "sleep in Jesus" until the first resurrection (see 1 Thess. 4:14, 15; Rev 20:5, 6). DDB1 126 5 There are two resurrections: "The hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth--those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation" (John 5:28, 29). The first comes at the return of Christ when He calls the sleeping saints to arise: "Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power" (Rev. 20:6). The second comes at the end of the 1000 years when the lost must come forth to face final executive judgment, "the resurrection of condemnation" (John 5:29; cf. Rev. 20:5). DDB1 126 6 What determines whether one comes up in the first resurrection or has to wait for the second? Jesus spoke of a pre-advent judgment when the cases of all believers will be taken up--necessarily before the first resurrection. Those "are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead" (Luke 20:35). Such "counting" requires what some have called an "investigative judgment," a term that is meaningful in the light of Scripture teaching. All judgments must include honest investigation! DDB1 126 7 Daniel saw in vision the saints vindicated in judgment before the end of human history (see Dan. 7:9-14, 22, 26). Obviously, Jesus' confessing their names "before My Father and before His angels" (Rev. 3:5) must precede the first resurrection. "The time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, and those who fear Your name" occurs at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, while human life goes on and "the nations were angry" (Rev. 11:18; see also verse 15). DDB1 126 8 We are living in those times today. This means that this most momentous judgment is now in progress. ------------------------Chapter 127--Who Is Christ? DDB1 127 1 In the Bible story of the past we see constant tension in the ancient world about who God is. The Gentiles were pagan and worshipped idols. But the one true invisible God revealed Himself to Abraham. God called him to be His missionary, to be a blessing to "all families of the earth" by revealing who He is. The same tension exists today. Even within Christianity there is perplexity--who is Christ? Is He truly what the Bible says, "The Savior of the world," "the Savior of all men" (John 4:42; 1 Tim. 4:10)? Or does He merely want to be? DDB1 127 2 God has chosen the church today as His "missionary" as verily as He chose Abraham long ago. But before the church can reveal Him to the world, they must understand who He is. DDB1 127 3 If you think of Him as merely offering to save you if, if you do something first, inevitably you will flounder in the waves. You will think of your salvation as something dependant on your ability to do something right first. And you keep wondering if you can. Yes, Christ has thrown you a life-preserver while you are drowning; yes, He will rescue you if, if you can grab the rope and hang on tight enough. But constantly you wonder if you have enough strength. DDB1 127 4 Can you stop drinking, swearing, smoking, lying (and the list goes on)? Is the world's Savior telling you He would like to save you if, if? Or is the Holy Spirit telling you that He has done more than throw you a rope--He has already found you and has saved you by virtue of His sacrifice. He has jumped into the water where you are drowning and has become your Life Guard. He has come very close to you and has "condemned sin in [your] flesh" (Rom. 8:3, 4). It's more than something He offers you; it's something He has given you. According to John 3:16 the one contribution you make is to receive, and to believe the truth--He is your Savior. And all the promises He has made in His New Covenant become yours. The "works" that follow are endless--your total heart-dedication is to Him. DDB1 127 5 The world is yet to be lightened with the glory of this message. Believe it, now. Tell Him a big Thank You, even if you feel like you don't yet know enough to join the kindergarten. The Holy Spirit has planted seed in your heart; now let it grow. ------------------------Chapter 128--The Core Message of the Bible DDB1 128 1 There are times when we all are tempted to discouragement. Just being human exposes us to the onslaughts of Satan. He has a variety of ways of getting through to us, through our relatives, our spouse, our neighbors, our friends, our fellow classmates, sometimes even our church fellowship. Satan's basic temptations are always based on a common denominator: unbelief of God's promises. And the remedy for them, the means to overcome, is always: to believe God's promises. DDB1 128 2 That's the core message of the Bible, and you can't imagine how zealous Satan is to shake our confidence in what it says. And we humans seem to want to go on believing what Satan says instead of what God says. DDB1 128 3 Here are the promises, seven of them, that God made to Abraham (when he was still called Abram). By virtue of Christ's sacrifice, you have become a child of Abraham, so the same promises apply to you (they're in Genesis 12:1-3): DDB1 128 4 (1) "I will make you a great nation"--that is, an important, respected person. (2) "I will bless you" (the word means make you happy). (3) "I will make your name great," in other words, He will make you worthy of people's high respect. (4) "You shall be a blessing," that is, you'll make other people happy. (5) "I will bless those who bless you." God will honor you like someone special. (6) "I will curse him who curses you." Yes, you'll have enemies, probably plenty of them; but God will confound every one of them and will honor you. (7) "In you all families of the earth shall be blessed [made happy forever]"; a promise that Christ would come through Abraham's descendants, but a promise to you that you will share with Christ the joy of telling the world about Him. DDB1 128 5 How did Abraham, respond? Well, he stumbled and staggered for many years, unable to believe such fantastic Good News. But finally he broke through the clouds: "And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness" (15:6). The sooner you believe like Abraham did, the better! ------------------------Chapter 129--We Have a Choice—Live Under the Old Covenant or the New DDB1 129 1 We have a choice: we can live under the Old Covenant (the popular way it has been for millennia), or under the New Covenant. And if we choose to live under the New Covenant, all will go well with us. Right? If we are driving, all the lights will turn green; the boss will give us a raise; our spouse will smile sweetly at us; our investments will prosper. Right? DDB1 129 2 Jesus surely lived under the New Covenant, but He also died under it; from His boyhood He met constant opposition and turmoil that led Him eventually to the cross. New Covenant living is not a picnic. DDB1 129 3 As a student in the "school of Christ" you are under serious, loving discipline (Heb. 12:5-10). Some setbacks and disappointments may be good for you in the long run. But the Lord tempers our trials, giving each of us the benefit of infinite wisdom. To each of us is given the "measure of faith" (Rom. 12:3) that makes life where His providence has placed us a thing of quiet, steady joy. DDB1 129 4 Even Jesus in His incarnation endured discipline. We read that "He learned obedience by the things which He suffered" (Heb. 5:8). You will someday thank the Lord Jesus for permitting certain disappointments to come to you; your present happiness can be greatly enhanced by anticipating this through your confidence in His faithfulness. The joy of the future can become yours in the present through faith. DDB1 129 5 The first message Jesus gave to the assembled disciples after His resurrection was, "Peace be with you" (John 20:19). This is no vain compliment; peace of heart is what you long for and He gives it to you today. "My peace I give to you," and that is in the midst of tribulation (see 14:27). The peace comes with your believing the New Covenant promises, all seven of them in Genesis 12:2, 3. DDB1 129 6 You may have to pray the prayer of Mark 9:24: "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" A wise writer assures us that we can never perish while we pray that prayer. Every little prayer you pray, making that choice, makes you stronger in the Lord. ------------------------Chapter 130--Truth Always Unites--It Never Divides Honest People DDB1 130 1 There are honest-hearted people scattered in all cultures and in all kinds of religious faith who will gladly open their hearts to Jesus when they hear His message clearly. He says, "Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one Shepherd" (John 10:16). DDB1 130 2 That's the grand final ingathering of souls that Revelation 18:1-4 speaks of--when a message lightens the earth with glory, and God's people now in "Babylon" hear the Voice from heaven that says with authority, "Come out of her, My people." That Voice has been nearly silenced through a period of three centuries, but "the Scripture cannot be broken" and God's word must be fulfilled (John 10:35). The Voice will yet be heard. Isaiah describes the Loud Cry ingathering: "'Lift up your eyes, look around and see; all these gather together and come to you. As I live,' says the Lord, 'you shall surely clothe yourselves with them all as an ornament. ...'" (Isa. 49:18). DDB1 130 3 Jesus pleads with His Father that these "other sheep" become one, that is, united (John 17:21). Now they are scattered; some keep the seventh day, many keep the first; what will bring them into "one"? DDB1 130 4 It will be the cross on which the Lord was crucified; they will understand in unison what He accomplished. Today, they are divided in that vision: some see that the cross was meant only to make an offer to the world, that Christ's sacrifice does us no good unless and until we decide to believe and receive the offer. DDB1 130 5 Others believe that all the good we have ever known is the purchase of that sacrifice; that it proclaims that Jesus became our "last Adam," reversed the judicial condemnation that the first Adam put on the human race, and by virtue of His sacrifice Christ pronounced on everyone a "judicial ... verdict of acquittal" (Rom. 5:16, The Revised English Bible); that He "might taste death for everyone" (Heb. 2:9); that He earned the title "Savior of the world" (John 4:42); that He gave Himself to "everyone" and will save every soul who will let Him do so and will stop resisting Him. DDB1 130 6 As time goes on, the Holy Spirit will deepen convictions of truth in people's hearts; and truth always unites--it never divides honest people. ------------------------Chapter 131--What the Holy Spirit Did at Pentecost DDB1 131 1 Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"How the Holy Spirit works can best be seen at Pentecost. If Jesus' story had ended at Calvary, His life would have seemed a virtual failure. All His miracles and teachings would merely offer us an impossible ideal. Even on that last night of His life, His disciples were still arguing among themselves as to "which of them should be considered the greatest" (Luke 22:24). DDB1 131 2 And even after the Lord's Supper and the remarkable display of the Savior's love in washing their feet and serving them, the disciples were such cowards that at Jesus' arrest, trial, and crucifixion, "all the disciples forsook Him and fled" (Matt. 26:56). After the cross, these "brave" men holed up in an upper room with the door tightly bolted "for fear of the Jews" (John 20:19). If the story had ended there, where would Christianity be today? DDB1 131 3 Even the disciples, who witnessed the crucifixion, didn't understand until the resurrection. Then everything came into focus. Christ was "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Rom. 1:4). The most amazing reality of time and eternity had transpired before their eyes, and from then on they were constrained to tell what they had seen and heard with their own eyes and ears of the Word of life (see 1 John 1:1). Their pride, ambition, strife for supremacy, love of the world--all were crucified now with Christ. DDB1 131 4 This mysterious melting of soul was what the Holy Spirit did, setting the apostles free to cooperate with God. Always, when human souls are freed from the tyranny of self, it is as much a miracle as was Pentecost. Hammers and dynamite may blast rocks into slivers, but you can't grow a garden in gravel chips. Something must melt rock into fertile soil. The cross, validated by the resurrection, alone can do it. ------------------------Chapter 132--Is the Gospel "Soft" on Works? DDB1 132 1 God loves beautiful things, and we can learn to appreciate them, too. We can know some of the thrill of appreciating beauty; but can we feel the greater thrill of appreciating the glory of His message of salvation? Is the gospel a system of abstract theology as impersonal as the science of mathematics or chemistry? If so, we do have to force ourselves to feed on it, for no heart-hunger could then be possible! Is making sure of salvation a cold business-like process of commitment like taking out an insurance policy? DDB1 132 2 The true gospel is fantastically beautiful, a message that grips the human heart more deeply and more lastingly than any human love could do. Straightforward New Testament truth seems fresh and different to many who hear it. It seems shocking to them to realize that Jesus said there is only one prerequisite to salvation: "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). According to this, our part is to believe. (The Greek word for believe and to have faith is the same.) Thus Jesus taught clearly that salvation is by faith, and since He added nothing else, He obviously meant that salvation is by faith alone. DDB1 132 3 That makes us draw a deep breath. Isn't it necessary to keep the commandments, to pay tithe, give offerings, keep the Lord's day, and do good works, ad infinitum? Yes, but we have no right to add to John 3:16 words that He did not utter. DDB1 132 4 Then did Jesus teach the "only believe!" heresy that lulls so many people into a do-nothing-and-love-the-world deception? No; He taught the kind of "faith which works" (Gal. 5:6, King James Version), and which itself produces obedience to all the commandments of God. Such faith makes the believer "zealous for good works" (Titus 2:14) so numerous that they cannot be measured. God has already done the loving, and the giving. Our believing comes by responding to that Good News with the kind of appreciation that is appropriate--the yielding of ourselves and all we have to Him. The ad infinitum works follow such genuine faith as surely as fruit follows seed-planting DDB1 132 5 It is a tragic mistake to assume that the true gospel message is "soft" on works. Pure righteousness by faith is the only message that can produce anything other than "dead works." ------------------------Chapter 133--A "Bulletin" From Heaven's Media Office DDB1 133 1 Is it possible that our Enemy, Satan, could be pulling a fast one on us while we are asleep as Christians? DDB1 133 2 Just as Jeremiah's detractors begged him with the request, "Is there any word from the Lord?" so we would love to get some direct communication from Christ, some fresh, up-to-the-minute "bulletin" from Heaven's media office. DDB1 133 3 Well, we have it in Luke 21--a message as appropriate now as any could be in this cosmic Day of Atonement: "Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day [of last opportunity to save our souls] come on you unexpectedly" (vs. 34). DDB1 133 4 It is phenomenal how in a time of pervasive world terror, our temptations to indulge in a life of entertainment are so insistent. The more distressing the news of widespread human misery, the more alluring are the solicitations that appeal to our native-born covetousness. Not only big cities like New York and London have their giant temple-like retail stores, but the "big box" stores have come even to our small towns. The malls [and online shopping] are our new cathedrals of heart-worship. DDB1 133 5 We have metamorphosed into that "certain rich man" whose "ground yielded plentifully" so that he had to build a "greater [barn to] store all [his] crops and goods" (Luke 12:16-18). One of America's big businesses now is public storage where all the "stuff" we can't crowd into our garage, we "store all [our] goods" there. And we say to ourselves, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry" (vs. 19). That's where we are, and that's who we are. DDB1 133 6 But wait a moment: we're living in the final period of Christ's ministry in the Most Holy part of the heavenly sanctuary; all Heaven is concerned that a people, a corporate body of saints, be prepared for the close of probation; yet never in 6000 years of human history has the ground of a "certain rich man" [us] "yielded [so] plentifully." DDB1 133 7 Is there a certain clever master intelligence behind this phenomenon? Maybe you can find some missionary work to do in the grand architecture of the mall; but if not, that's no place to spend hours worshipping. Not since Christ began the last phase of His heavenly ministry. ------------------------Chapter 134--Some Refreshing News in Peter's Sermon at Pentecost DDB1 134 1 There is some refreshing news in Peter's sermon at Pentecost: "It shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh. ... Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:17, 21). That sounds like Good News, but is it too good? DDB1 134 2 The words "all flesh" surely mean everybody in the world. How can it be true? Note that Peter does not say that everybody will receive the Holy Spirit; he only says that God will give the gift to everybody. Jesus can help us understand. He says that "when He [the Holy Spirit] has come, He will convict the world of sin, ... because they do not believe in Me" (John 16:7-9). The Father "so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" (3:16). Christ is "the true Light which gives light to every man who comes into the world" (1:9). DDB1 134 3 The ancient Jews wouldn't believe this, for they thought that only they are "lighted." But Gentiles are also included! The Holy Spirit sheds light on every human heart; that person may not receive the light, but in the last great judgment day, no one can accuse God of not letting some light shine upon his pathway, some evidence on which that soul could make a choice. In every human heart the Holy Spirit has brought a conviction of sin, a sense of right and wrong. And blessed are those who respond to that conviction the Holy Spirit gives. DDB1 134 4 But there's another statement in Peter's sermon that arrests our attention: "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Of course, that must mean, "in sincerity" (Eph. 6:24). God pays attention to "all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours" (1 Cor. 1:2). Here is His "much more abounding grace": "the same Lord ... is rich to all who call upon Him" (Rom. 10:12). David says, "This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles" (Psalm 34:6). DDB1 134 5 Do you feel sinful and unworthy? Call upon the Lord, and believe that in His mercy He will hear you. Yes, He will convict you of sin; but thank Him for that with all your heart! ------------------------Chapter 135--Entrusted With an Unusual Gift DDB1 135 1 Are you one of God's special "elite"? Has He entrusted you with an unusual gift, which is fellowship with Christ in His sufferings--the most weighty trust and highest honor God can give to a human being? DDB1 135 2 An example of someone who was so "entrusted" with honor is John the Baptist who perished alone in a dungeon; he now stands higher even than Elijah or Enoch, both of whom were translated without tasting death. If you have been called of God to suffer for Jesus' sake, "rejoice," says Jesus Himself, "for great is your reward in heaven" (Matt. 5:12). This is backward from normal worldly (or even church) thinking, but it is truth illustrated all through the Bible. DDB1 135 3 Think of Paul the apostle. The Lord told Ananias that "he is a chosen vessel of Mine ... for I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake" (Acts 9:15, 16). Saul became Paul, who details for us his almost endless sufferings for Christ in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28. You wonder why the Lord let Paul suffer such an unusually heavy portion of suffering; the reason must be that he had persecuted the church in a most unusual frenzy of hatred. DDB1 135 4 Someday in the earth made new you will be walking down one of those delightful paths and you will meet him face to face. He will give you a handshake with a smile and tell you who he is and who he was, and he'll recite that list of agonies he endured and then he will ask you, Tell me, what sufferings did you endure for Christ's sake? How happy you will be if you can engage in a genuine conversation with him, and realize your fellowship with Paul! DDB1 135 5 Then, think of Jeremiah. Before he was "formed in the womb," the Lord "knew" him and "sanctified" him (Jer. 1:5); that is, set him apart for a special life of suffering, chose him to endure a life of tears all the way down to death. Others who have suffered for the Lord, such as Joseph oppressed by his ten brothers or David hunted like a wild beast by King Saul ("the Lord's anointed"!), saw their dreams fulfilled within their lifetimes; but not Jeremiah. The anguish of rejection by the perverse people of the Lord went on and on until the poor man perished alone somewhere in Egypt. He lies in some unmarked grave. DDB1 135 6 Yet after his death, the Jews began to think, and decided he was "the greatest of the prophets." That's why a sizable group began to wonder if Jesus of Nazareth was Jeremiah come back from the dead (Matt. 16:13, 14). Yet Jesus was only in His early 30s! They recognized in Jesus the "Suffering Servant," a likeness in spirit to the weeping prophet. Whoever you are, whatever your burden, "rejoice." ------------------------Chapter 136--The "Shaking" DDB1 136 1 The "shaking" is a Bible doctrine as certain as the other established doctrines. An early mention of it is when the reformer Nehemiah "shook [his] lap, and said, So God shake out every man ... that performeth not" his vow of "obedience" (Neh. 5:13, King James Version). The reformer wanted to see some "works" that would validate the people's professed faith. DDB1 136 2 God will "arise to shake the earth mightily" (Isa. 2:19), He "will shake the heavens, and the earth will move out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of His fierce anger" (13:13). However, this may come as a natural cataclysm, but the basic idea of a "shaking" among God's people is that the Lord is fed up with the hypocrisy of professed faith that is not validated by appropriate works. DDB1 136 3 The world itself is tottering in rotting immorality, with the collapse of simple, basic decency taking place before our eyes. Before the "shaking" is complete, everything that can be shaken will be shaken. But there will be some truths that will remain unshaken. DDB1 136 4 And each of us is a microcosm of the world and the church being "shaken." We watch astonished as some we knew who once professed a firm faith in biblical inspiration now cast doubts on it and spew ideas rooted in mysticism, so desperate are they in trying to endure the spiritual famine that is raging in church after church. DDB1 136 5 Side by side with the "shaking" that comes on the church will be that famine: "Says the Lord God, ... 'I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. ... In that day the fair virgins and strong young men shall faint from thirst'" (Amos 8:11-13). DDB1 136 6 Someone wisely said that the time will come when we must gather warmth from others' coldness. Yes! That's where we are now. DDB1 136 7 The warmth of the genuine Holy Spirit is given to us, through the Word (John 14:16, 17); He will not leave one hungry, thirsty soul to perish. So, tell the Lord that you believe (but please help your unbelief!) to receive into your hungry soul those New Covenant promises the Lord made to Abraham (yes, you are Abraham's descendant if you believe the gospel; Gen. 12:2, 3). Then keep on believing what "the Spirit of truth" says, and enjoy your victory. ------------------------Chapter 137--Discovering How Close Jesus Is to Humanity DDB1 137 1 Something BIG is going on behind the scenes! The great controversy between Christ and Satan is relentlessly moving toward its climax. Our public media of course are unaware of the News behind the news--as always throughout human history. DDB1 137 2 What's happening is twofold: (1) the intensification of evil (that we can learn easily through watching the media!), and simultaneously, (2) the deeper work of God's grace in human hearts. That we can learn not by human judgment (which is erroneous) but from reading the Bible. DDB1 137 3 This work of "much more abounding grace" (Rom. 5:20) also involves two developments that the Bible highlights: (a) the preparation of a people from "every nation, tribe, and tongue, and people" (Rev. 14:6) who become so reconciled to Christ and His righteousness that they are prepared to meet Him face to face without personal terror when He returns, and (b) the Bride of Christ "making herself ready for the marriage of the Lamb" (see Rev. 19:6-8). DDB1 137 4 The latter is becoming a topic of interest as a result of people rediscovering how close Jesus is to humanity. Centuries, even millennia, have been devoted to the idea of His farness from humanity. The result is that many who want to believe in Jesus are alienated in spirit from Him. False teaching about Him has put Him in a confused, mystical realm of isolation in the cathedrals rather than "with us" in the crowded marketplaces where we tread everyday. DDB1 137 5 People who read the Bible in its simplicity can discover its basic theme--the nearness of the Savior. It's News, and it's Good News. His name is Immanuel, which being interpreted is "God with us," not God with Him only (see Matt. 1:23). The Son of God has become the Son of man, and not only two millennia ago, but He still retains that human nature. He will forever be "with us." He is personal, He is a person, and His glorification has not in the least isolated Him from the closest fellowship with human beings. DDB1 137 6 Especially the last Book of the Bible is a "Revelation" of the eternal humanness of the Son of God (also His divinity). We see Him there as a Bridegroom disappointed and grieved. ------------------------Chapter 138--How Can a Hard-hearted Person Become Tender-hearted? DDB1 138 1 Why is unbelief a downright sin, and not merely a weakness of the flesh, or a little fault? DDB1 138 2 It's extremely serious, for the world is condemned for it (John 3:18), Israel was kept out of the Promised Land because of it (Heb. 3:19), it is sin itself (vs. 12), it keeps people away from salvation (Luke 8:12), and it makes one a fool (Luke 24:25). God has included everyone in unbelief--it's the sin of sins, the one universal sin (Rom. 11:32); it is the ultimate rejection of Christ (John 5:38). Unbelief is the actual love of darkness (John 3:19); it brings the loss of souls (2 Thess. 2:10-12). DDB1 138 3 Unbelief is the preeminent sin that we should pray to be delivered from (Mark 9:24). DDB1 138 4 It's hard-heartedness. Men have confessed with anguish that their hearts are just plain hard, they find it impossible to shed even a tear, anytime. Even the story of the cross leaves them cold. Thank God! They have sensed their need! That's tremendous progress. DDB1 138 5 If you have felt that same anguish, ask Him and He will "restore to [you] the joy of [His] salvation" (Psalm 51:12). But don't let your heart resent the fact that you have become hard-hearted; it's true of many people. Often unwise parents kill the little plant of tenderness in the heart of a child; fathers sometimes want to make "Johnny" become "hard," like they think a "man" should be, forgetting that we read of the greatest Man who ever walked this earth, "Jesus wept" (John 11:35). DDB1 138 6 Even the "cream" of the Twelve apostles, Peter, James, and John, went sound asleep rather than sit up with Jesus and empathize with Him in His awful hour of anguish in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:37-45). They missed an opportunity of the ages! DDB1 138 7 How can a hard-hearted person become tender-hearted? By learning to feel for Jesus, to sympathize with Him. (That's another word for "faith.") ------------------------Chapter 139--The Built-in Power of the Apostles’ Message DDB1 139 1 Before Robert Fulton's invention of the steamboat in 1803 and Stephenson's railway engine in 1825, vehicles had to be pulled by horses, mules, oxen, or donkeys--all of which needed to be whipped, kicked, or prodded into action, or shouted at. The world of that day marveled when it came time to see a self-propelled vehicle! DDB1 139 2 Is the gospel a self-propelled vehicle? Or does its proclamation and propagation depend on church members (and pastors!) constantly being prodded by church leaders into action? "Lay activities" leaders in churches can testify: to get much done it takes constant "promotion" (the polite word for prodding, kicking, or whipping reluctant "livestock" into action). The zealous "promoter" gets some publicity for his enthusiasm, until finally "evangelism fatigue" sets in. Then a new leader must be found, and new programs, methods, and systems must be devised. DDB1 139 3 The New Testament letters of the apostles reveal a strange lack of such works "promotion." They chronicle amazing activity, but seldom if ever were believers prodded or whipped into action. Their zealous activity was simply assumed, it was natural. Their gospel was a "self-propelled vehicle." Why? DDB1 139 4 Their message had the power built-in. The motivating force was greater than that of a steam engine, for the power was implicit in the News about the sacrifice of the Son of God. He burst upon everyone's consciousness as "the Lamb of God," a blood-sacrifice offered by God. DDB1 139 5 Examples: "I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2), "God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Gal. 6:14), "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29), "He … is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world" (1 John 2:2), etc. The power is not magic, certainly not mysteriously impossible for our day. The internal-combustion "engine" was the agape of Christ, which "constrained" them (2 Cor. 5:14, 15). DDB1 139 6 The Book of Revelation predicts that again such a self-propelling gospel will "lighten the earth with glory" (Rev. 18:1-4). And again the central Character of interest will be "the Lamb of God"--mentioned over and over in the Book of Revelation. Does anybody "hunger and thirst" to understand the News more clearly? ------------------------Chapter 140--Do You Share the Joy? DDB1 140 1 We must learn about (1) the most oppressive despair humans have ever known and (2) the most explosive joy that followed. We shall never lighten the earth with the glory of a fully developed "everlasting gospel" of Revelation 18 until we taste (2). And no one can ever know that until first he has known (1). The story is all in the last chapter of Luke. DDB1 140 2 Every hope that humanity is capable of knowing has been fulfilled in Jesus the Nazarene. He has proven Himself to be the Son of God; the Eleven have confessed Him so. They and many other "witnesses" have seen the coming of the Messiah. Even the Samaritans have seen in Him "the Savior of the world." "The hopes and fears of all the years," all 4000 of those years, were "met" in Him. What Abraham and all the prophets had longed to see the Eleven have seen. DDB1 140 3 "We were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel," lamented Cleopas and his friend as they trudged despondingly to Emmaus (Luke 24:21). Like a sudden avalanche, the most horrible things have suddenly happened to the Son of God; He has been murdered by the leaders of the one true church, the "chosen people," Israel. Can you begin to grasp how the followers of Jesus feel? They are "us" in a corporate sense; yes, we are one with them. We identify. DDB1 140 4 The sun has been blackened out of our sky! Not only is the Messiah dead; He has been humiliated, despised, by the most hateful, Satanic rejection the universe has ever witnessed. No way can this have happened to the Son of God! The horrible thought intrudes on our conscious or unconscious minds--could we have been deceived? Yes, say the leaders of the one true "church" on earth--Israel. The Pharisees, the Sanhedrin Council say, You've been fools to believe this charlatan. (It's easy to learn that you are a sinner; what hurts is to learn you're a fool.) Number (1) is unspeakably painful. DDB1 140 5 Then this Stranger draws near to the two. Kind, gracious. He gives them a simple Bible study: "Beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, he expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself" [the world's Savior] (vs. 27). "Ought not the [Messiah] to have suffered these things?" (vs. 26). Why, the cross fits perfectly as the crowning demonstration of God's validation of Jesus of Nazareth! DDB1 140 6 Wisely, the risen Savior doesn't tell them in words who He is; He simply reveals Himself. Then the two race back to tell the Eleven in Jerusalem. DDB1 140 7 Human hearts virtually explode with joy. All the devils in hell can't stop these "witnesses" from telling the story everywhere. Do you share the joy? ------------------------Chapter 141--Fear? Those Who Believe in Jesus Won't Know It DDB1 141 1 Before He ascended to heaven, Jesus made a promise that we hang on to: "I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:1-3). World population desperately clings to that as their only hope. DDB1 141 2 The second coming of Christ is not bad news even to those who say they don't believe in Him, for many, when they finally hear the gospel presented clearly, will believe. They've been waiting for it all their lives. And for those who finally steel their hearts and souls against it, they'll be glad that their hell is now at an end. Christ is always only "good tidings of great joy which will be to all people," as the angels originally said (Luke 2:10). DDB1 141 3 The coming last days' events have terrorized many who say they long for Christ to come again, but they cannot bear the bad news that has given so many youth their nightmares and frightened them out of the church. The "mark of the beast," for example, enforced by a death penalty as Revelation 13:15 predicts: it's not God's intention that our lives be shadowed by that heavy cloud of apprehension. DDB1 141 4 Those who have come to understand "the everlasting gospel" of Revelation 14:6, 7, "the third angel's message in verity," walk into that crisis with "the joy of the Lord" on their faces. It will be the greatest soul-winning thrill they have ever known because at last the glorious days Isaiah predicted in chapters 49 and 60 will be happening all around them. (God will never let Isaiah come to nothing!) DDB1 141 5 Fear? Those who believe in Jesus won't know it, no matter how precarious their situations may seem to be. They have at last learned what the love is that is agape, which "casts out fear" (1 John 4:18). It does it! At long last they have looked at the uplifted cross on which the Son of God died the world's second death; they have "comprehended with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height--to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge." Super-astounding as the truth may be, they are "filled with all the fullness of God" (Eph. 3:17-19). How could the desperate ranting of a frustrated devil with his empty "mark of the beast" threats disturb their peace now? DDB1 141 6 They are not enduring these trials "alone"! "Lo, I am with you always" is ringing in their souls' ears. "Yea, though [they] walk through the valley of the shadow of death, [they] will fear no evil; for [the Lord] is with [them]" (Matt. 28:20; Psalm 23:4). ------------------------Chapter 142--The Special Objects of Jesus' Compassion DDB1 142 1 Are you one of the ninety-nine sheep that never went astray? You had good parents, went to church all your life, never robbed a bank, never been in prison; you've been a good person all your life? And like the Pharisee in the parable in Luke 18:10-14, you are humble enough, grateful enough, good enough, decent enough, upright enough, to thank God that you are not like other people who do get lost, especially like the down-and-outs who have done all sorts of bad things and been alienated from God all or most of their lives? DDB1 142 2 Yes, I'm mixing up my parables here--but how about another parable, the lost son, the prodigal son? Who are you? Are you the dutiful son who never wasted your life, never had to feed the pigs, never left home? DDB1 142 3 Now please don't misunderstand me. I am not recommending that you do bad things. But my question is this: do you know how to sympathize (empathize is a better word) with the people who have done all these bad things, who have wasted their lives, lost the joy of fellowship with God and with the saints, and have wandered in darkness in the dark world? DDB1 142 4 Jesus has special sympathy for people who have wasted their lives and whose hearts are filled with remorse. They are the special objects of His compassion. In fact, they are the ones He came to save. The poor publican who beat upon his breast and wouldn't even lift his eyes to heaven, who prayed, "God be merciful to me a sinner!" is the one who went home justified--straightened out, put right with God. DDB1 142 5 Why does Jesus have such special sympathy for such people? There is only one possible answer: because He repented on their behalf; He took their nature; He was tempted like they are tempted; He is their High Priest (Heb. 2:14-18). And now He invites you to share His love and sympathy for all the sinners in the world, for all the prodigal sons feeding the pigs, for all the publicans who cry out for mercy. And when you begin to share His compassion, the joy of your own life has only begun. ------------------------Chapter 143--Each New Generation Has Had to Face a Cross DDB1 143 1 Ever since sin entered in the Garden of Eden, there has been a cross erected. An innocent creature had to be killed, its blood shed, in order for Adam and Eve to have clothing to shield them from the cold and from their newly acquired shame of nakedness. Each new generation of those who feared and reverenced God has had to face a cross whereon self has been crucified. DDB1 143 2 Abel recognized its principle and proclaimed his faith; what did he get for his sacrifice? Death at the hands of his older brother. But wait--he gets more! "He being dead still speaks" (Heb. 11:4), which means--Abel has been preaching a powerful, soul-winning sermon for all these 6000 years! If you want to talk about "stars in somebody's crown," look at that firmament! DDB1 143 3 All Isaac did was to be born as "the child of promise," and what does he get? Persecution from his older brother, Ishmael (Gal. 4:29). But there is more: God said, "Cast out the bondwoman and her son" (vs. 30). Isaac gets an eternal inheritance. DDB1 143 4 Joseph was simply being true to his conscience, and what does he get for that? A taste of the cross: sold by his older brothers into slavery in Egypt. But the story is not ended: he becomes prime minister of Egypt. This is not fiction; it's soul-saving. DDB1 143 5 David simply defends God's people against their oppressors, the Philistines; and what does he get for it? The constant enmity of "the anointed of the Lord," against whom he will not lift up his hand. But what blessing did David get? The throne? Think more deeply: his understanding of the cross that we can read about in Psalms 22 and 69. DDB1 143 6 Elijah saves Israel from ruin, is hated by the king and queen; but he is translated. DDB1 143 7 Jeremiah is called from the womb to serve the Lord, and what did he get? An entire lifetime of rejection and defamation of character at the hands of God's people, with no respite or interlude of peace. But now the Jews regard him as the greatest of the prophets. DDB1 143 8 "Whoever loses his life for My sake," says Jesus, " will save it" (Luke 9:24). They did! ------------------------Chapter 144--Read Colossians--and See the Good News There DDB1 144 1 Have you ever read the Good News that fills Paul's Letter to the Colossians? According to The New English Bible, he addresses it to the "brothers in the faith, incorporate in Christ" (1:1, 2). That idea of being "in Christ" is repeated over and over. Again, in verse 4,* "we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus," and again in verse 8, "your love in the Spirit." Paul has a magnificent idea--the human race has been adopted in Christ. We are no longer orphans! Christ has become the new Adam, the new Head of the human race. DDB1 144 2 The idea is repeated in verse 13, He has "translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son." Again, it is repeated in verse 14--here is something Paul wants us to understand: In Christ "we have redemption through His blood." You must not think that this redemption is kept away from you until you do something first--note, the redemption is accomplished through His blood, that is, the blood that was shed at the cross. It was there that our redemption as the human race was accomplished. Whatever happened at the cross applies to you. Your own personal worthiness or unworthiness has nothing to do with it. DDB1 144 3 Verses 21 and 22 repeat the thought again, "You, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh." DDB1 144 4 And in chapter 2, verse 7, Paul prays for you that you may be "rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving." That expression "the faith" doesn't mean a set of doctrines or a creed. It means a heart-appreciation for what Christ accomplished on His cross--that He redeemed you, set your feet in the path to eternal life, forgave you your sins, elected you to eternal life. DDB1 144 5 Stop worrying about whether God has accepted you or not. The truth is that He has accepted you in Christ, and now today, this new day, you are to be "rooted and built up in Him, in faith." Yes, please read this letter to the Colossians--and see the Good News that is there. ------------------------Chapter 145--Jesus' "Lightening Storm" Sermons DDB1 145 1 The phenomenal power to reach hearts that Jesus exhibited in His early ministry was not due to some special psychological gimmicks that He knew, nor was it due to a magnetic, mega-Hollywood personality. He was a quiet person (Isa. 42:2), "gentle and lowly in heart" (Matt. 11:28-30), very ordinary looking (Isa. 53:2); sad people identified with Him (vs. 3), you would meet Him in the street and never turn your head (vs. 4). DDB1 145 2 But He understood and proclaimed Gospel Good News! (Mark 1:14). That means He articulated its "truth" of justification by faith--all that Paul proclaimed later in Galatians and Romans Jesus compressed into His sermons in Galilee. The "power" was in His idea of agape that exuded from every thought, word, look, and action. The way Mark tells it we could get the idea that His sermons were what we call dry "doctrine," but they were like a lightning storm compared to the usual "doctrinal" sermons the people were used to hearing (vs. 22; Paul's sermons were a close second). DDB1 145 3 Jesus was absorbed with the New Covenant promises of Genesis 12:2, 3 and He wanted to connect every Old Covenant-saturated human He met with those "better promises" (Heb. 8:6). "He knew all men [humans], and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man" (John 2:24, 25). In other words, He simply adapted the New Covenant promises to each individual the Father let Him meet or whom He saw briefly in the crowds who came to hear Him. Yes, an enjoyable career! Never a trace of boredom! DDB1 145 4 Now He invites you to reduplicate that soul enjoyment in your own career. That means getting well acquainted with what is the "doctrine" of Good News in the New Covenant. ------------------------Chapter 146--Developing a Special Oneness With Christ DDB1 146 1 Many of us can look back on our "Christian experience" since we were "converted" and lament that often we have done like Peter: denied Christ. DDB1 146 2 Maybe we have been too cowardly to confess publicly our "peculiar" beliefs. Maybe we have laughed at a crude joke in order to avoid appearing puritanical. Or gone to an unchristlike movie for the same reason, wanting to be part of the social circle. Or voted with the majority to deny Christ. DDB1 146 3 Yes, we have forgiveness with the Lord, thank Him (Psalm 130:4). But can we overcome this inner cowardice? The Lord is obliged (cf. His promise in Hebrews 12:5-11) to try us again and again, over and over, until we finally "overcome." Remember, He was obliged to "test" Abraham in Genesis 22 (the offering of son Isaac), or He could never have inspired Paul to speak of him over and over as "the father of the faithful" in Romans 4:11-16. DDB1 146 4 Although God had called Abraham to be the "father" of all who should be faithful, he had failed again and again to be "full of faith." In several successive incidents he had not told the truth about his wife, fearful that the Lord would not protect him. Now when he has become old and weak (120 years even then, old age), Abraham must endure the most trying of all his tests of faith--to offer his "only" son, Isaac; God cannot let Abraham close his life record without proving for all time that he deserves this wonderful title. DDB1 146 5 It's in mercy to our souls that the Lord gives us opportunity after opportunity to demonstrate that we have overcome our unbelief; hence, our trials! They do not "seem to be joyful [experiences], but grievous" (Heb. 12:11); the Lord knows that. The heavenly angels must watch with deep interest--will we bear the test? DDB1 146 6 The real issue is far greater than our own personal salvation: we are called and privileged to be key personnel seated "with [Christ] on [His] throne" in the closing up of the great controversy between Christ and Satan (see Rev. 3:21). In the final battles of the "war with the Lamb, ... those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful" (17:14). DDB1 146 7 The conflict may be intense, but remember that you are "with Him," not alone. Buddies in fierce battles learn to be special friends; often they have saved each other. You are developing a special oneness with Christ that you will treasure through all eternity. ------------------------Chapter 147--The Most Terrifying News in the Entire Bible DDB1 147 1 Just when your weary, fearful heart is longing for some refreshing Good News, you bump into the most terrifying, blood-curdling news in the entire Bible: the third angel's message (Rev. 14:9-11). Or so it seems on the surface. Utterly new in world history, it's "the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation," that is, not a shred of mercy mixed in with it. (Always, the wrath of God has been mixed with mercy--a little hope or kindness included.)DDB1 147 2 DDB1 147 3 Why this unprecedented horror? What human sin will be so bad that it merits such apparent temper on the part of God? And why do "the holy angels" and even "the Lamb" seem apparently to enjoy watching these unfortunate mark-of-the-beast people roast in human agony? DDB1 147 4 The third angel's message says these lost souls "shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in [their] presence." Understand it as figuratively as you like, it still seems to come through as nothing but Bad News. The worst part: our meek and lowly, precious Jesus seems to enjoy watching this horror "in [His] presence," like the principals in the Spanish Inquisition dressing up in their finest to watch the heretics burn alive in "their presence" in the city square. DDB1 147 5 And yet a wise writer tells us that "the third angel's message in verity" is the "most precious" Good News ever sounded--a clearer understanding of justification by faith--just what your fearful, weary heart hungers for. And just what the world is dying to hear! DDB1 147 6 May the Lord give us a look into the Good News that is buried in this strange message. It's there, for sure. We just need New Covenant eyes to see it. ------------------------Chapter 148--There Is No "Do-It-Yourself" Salvation DDB1 148 1 Salvation involves more than the forgiveness of sin. If Christ did nothing beyond granting pardon, then we would continue to commit the same sins. But the grace of God involves more than pardon. DDB1 148 2 When the believer truly receives Christ as his personal Savior, Christ by His creative power makes him into a new person in Himself. He is born again—this time born of God (John 1:12, 13). Christ gives him a new heart (mind). DDB1 148 3 Filling him with the Holy Spirit, Christ lives in the believer a life of obedience to the commandments of God (Eze. 11:19, 20; Gal. 2:20). Christ makes the believer right with God. And He keeps him right. DDB1 148 4 The Old Testament unites creation and salvation in one Lord. "Thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine’" (Isa. 43:1; see also 44:24). DDB1 148 5 Creation and redemption are one in the Lord Jesus for our sure salvation. Christ cannot be divided. Acceptance of Christ as Savior includes accepting Him as Creator. DDB1 148 6 When Saul of Tarsus encountered Jesus on the Damascus road, he recognized Him as his Savior. But the interlocking truth that Christ, because He is the Creator, is the only Savior, came to him by revelation later on. Then under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit he presented it in letters to the young churches. DDB1 148 7 In his letter to the Colossians, he says that in Christ "we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins" (Col. 1:14). Then he cites the reason: "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, … All things were created through Him and for Him" (vs. 16). DDB1 148 8 We are saved by the perfect life of Christ lived on this earth; by His atoning death on the cross; by His resurrection; His ascension; and His intercession as our High Priest in heaven. But unless Jesus was God the Son and Creator in the beginning, none of these could have happened. If Christ had not been God the Son from eternity and the Creator of all in the beginning, He could not be man’s Savior. DDB1 148 9 Preaching Christ must not omit presenting Him as God the Son from eternity and the Creator of all. To do so would be to build a house without a foundation. DDB1 148 10 Why have so many who regard Him as the Savior lost sight of this Creator aspect of Christ? Did Christ provide a way for Him to be continually held in view as the Creator-Savior? Has this way been lost sight of by the vast majority? Is there a Heaven-sent message for our day to restore this truth to its rightful place in the gospel? Yes, there is such a message which causes men and women to know Christ as their Savior and Friend. It re-establishes their place as sons and daughters of God. ------------------------Chapter 149--A Message That Comes Like "A Still Small Voice" DDB1 149 1 The greatest, most important event ever to happen on planet earth was the birth of the "Savior of the world," Jesus, in Bethlehem. Yet it was unheralded in the media of that day except that the angel told a few shepherds, "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people" (Luke 2:10). The message was proclaimed by a few apostles. DDB1 149 2 The book of Revelation tells of "another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel [again, good tidings of great joy], to preach to those who dwell on the earth" (14:6, 7). This movement is to come in the last days, and it has come. But be careful--don't wait for the media to plaster this news all over the TV and the Internet. No angel from heaven screams in your ears; the message comes like it came to the humble shepherds, more like "a still small voice" (1 Kings 19:12). DDB1 149 3 Unless we are careful, this new "angel flying in the midst of heaven" can do his job, fly on, and we never knew what has happened. The work of God was done after Pentecost without great fanfare; it's being done today likewise, in humble ways. But it is being done. DDB1 149 4 Jesus describes it: "'I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.' This He said, signifying by what death He would die" (John 12:32, 33). In other words, Heaven also has its "media," some kind of organization for getting the word out. DDB1 149 5 Heaven is determined that the Son of God must not die in vain, in secret; humble instruments are to be moved by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the message of "Christ and Him crucified" worldwide. The great ones of earth are again to be surprised at the humble means that God will employ, no great, arrogant men and women. Only those will be employed in this work who have knelt at the cross of Jesus where self (pride!) is crucified with Him. ------------------------Chapter 150--Sharing a Kinship of Soul With Paul DDB1 150 1 The people immediately knew that this Preacher was different. He locked in to their souls because He let it be known that He knew first-hand what being "despised and rejected" means. At this stage they weren't sure Who He might be, but He grabbed their heart-strings when He said, "Blessed [happy!] are the poor in spirit, ... those who mourn, ... the meek, ... those who are persecuted, ... reviled, ... Rejoice!" (Matt. 5:3-12). He was backwards from every other speaker they had ever listened to! DDB1 150 2 You are going to meet someone somewhere who scans every face he or she sees, looking for someone who understands, for someone who is that exceedingly rare person who is "pure in heart," for he or she has "seen God." You may not need to say a word when you meet this person; something in your eyes will communicate that you "understand" what long waiting, yearning, and trials of faith mean. DDB1 150 3 If you will accept the conviction of sin borne in on your soul by the Holy Spirit--the conviction that has shattered your "rich-and-increased-with-goods" complacent pride, if you will let tears of contrition fall, you will be given a key to at least some human hearts. Jesus will condescend to share with you some of His secret riches of soul. DDB1 150 4 You will also share a kinship of soul with that dear man who morning after morning (probably for years!) begged the Lord to remove his "thorn in the flesh, ... a messenger of Satan" constantly "buffeting" him (2 Cor. 12:7), only to realize that God was refusing to grant his prayer. If any mortal sinner ever deserved an answer to heart-felt prayer, wouldn't it be Paul? He had endured such a lifetime of loving self-denial for Christ (read his immediate context in 2 Cor. 11:23-29)! DDB1 150 5 But after renewed fasting-and-prayer sessions, probably even "anointings," God told him, No, Paul; I'm not going to say Yes. The thorn in the flesh stays; you've got to live with it; how else can I bless your ministry? How else will you ever know how to reveal My grace to others unless you have tasted continual suffering? "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in [your] weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9). DDB1 150 6 Pretty heavy price Paul paid for what he was able to pass on to us. Was it worth it? ------------------------Chapter 151--What Does Prayer Tell Us About the Character of God? DDB1 151 1 Why do we pray? Does prayer move the hand of God so that He would do things that otherwise He would not do? What does prayer tell us about the character of God? DDB1 151 2 The second question is nearly correct, but not quite. If we change the "would" to "could," we get closer to the truth. God wills to do all the good things for us that we ask Him to do when we pray, even long before we pray. He wants to; but our prayers make it possible for God to do things that He wants to do. So it's not a matter of what God would do for us, but what He could do for us. DDB1 151 3 The question is, "Why?" Well, look at those people in Acts 12 praying all night for Peter to be released from the murderous hand of King Herod Agrippa I. He had been appointed king of Judea and Samaria by the Emperor Caligula of Rome--a legal appointment. Rome was the ruler of the world. That had not been God's plan; in the New Covenant God made with Abraham, Abraham's descendants should rule the world and there would not have been an evil empire of Rome; Israel would have ruled the world under the New Covenant. But Israel had abandoned the New Covenant and embraced the Old Covenant. So God was forced to respect the autonomy of Rome because Adam had sold out to Satan, who is "the ruler of this world," says Jesus (John 14:30). DDB1 151 4 But Christ legally wrested the sovereignty of this world from Satan by virtue of His sacrifice; therefore He can respond to prayers from His people who pray to Him in the name of Jesus. All the while Peter was in jail, God wanted to deliver him; now when His people seriously asked Him to do so "in the name of Jesus," He was free to act and He did. DDB1 151 5 Conclusion: our prayers do not "move" God to do what otherwise He would not want to do or is too indifferent to do. They bring us into heart cooperation with God, they put us on the side of God in "the great controversy between Christ and Satan." The problem is, that same "cooperation" may mean much more than the tiny little thing we happen just now to be praying for! ------------------------Chapter 152--"Evangelize"--A Misunderstood Word DDB1 152 1 In the Book of Acts the early Christians did what the modern term calls "evangelize," that is, they told everybody they met about Jesus. That word is often misunderstood today--it's assumed to mean "get people to join your church, increase the numbers of its membership." DDB1 152 2 No; the word actually means "tell Good News." And the people already in church often need to hear and understand what the Good News means, just as much as people outside (especially youth and teens). And people outside most of the time won't be interested in joining the church unless you can tell them what the Good News is and why the Lord Jesus ever established a "church." DDB1 152 3 Is it possible to state briefly what the Good News is? (That's all the space we have here!) DDB1 152 4 (1) As "our Father which art in heaven," God so loved this lost world that He "gave" His only Son to save the human race from the horror of eternal death (John 3:16). DDB1 152 5 (2) He came, and He did exactly that! DDB1 152 6 (3) People began to realize who He is: "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42), "the Savior of all men" (1 Tim. 4:10), the One who "abolished death [the second] and brought life and immortality to light through the Good News" (2 Tim. 1:10). DDB1 152 7 (4) For every human being He "brought life," that is, the life he or she now has, whether or not that person believes or disbelieves. This present life is the purchase of the sacrifice of that beloved Son of God. DDB1 152 8 (5) For every one who "believes in Him" He has also "brought ... immortality to light through the Good News." DDB1 152 9 (6) That Son of God is still ministering those "gifts" to all mankind as a present-tense Savior; by the Holy Spirit (His true Vicar!) He is taking every one of us by the hand, saying, "Come, let's enjoy eternal life" (see Isa. 41:10, 13). He "draws" you with "cords ... of love" (Jer. 31:3; Hosea 11:4). DDB1 152 10 (7) Finally, that "drawing" is so persistent (up to the moment of your last breath) that it is "hard" to resist it (Acts 26:14). DDB1 152 11 You don't really want to "crucify Him afresh," do you? Then "yield" to that drawing! ------------------------Chapter 153--A Truth Worth Living For DDB1 153 1 The Samaritans were right when they declared Jesus of Nazareth to be "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42). He is not just the Savior of the Jews. They discerned that it is He who "gives life to the world" (John 6:33). DDB1 153 2 The Father "laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6). He has "tasted death for everyone" (Heb. 2:9). He is a cosmic Savior, "the last Adam" who is the true "Father" of the human race, having taken over the lordship of the world from the first Adam (see 1 Cor. 15:21, 22). DDB1 153 3 Thus Christ has reversed the evil that the first Adam brought on the entire human race (Rom. 5:15-18). The Samaritans at the village Sychar knew nothing of what Romans and Hebrews were later to declare, but they were dead right in their conclusion about who Jesus is. DDB1 153 4 If the Samaritans were right (and they were!), then Christ also is the world's great "High Priest" that Hebrews talks about so much (2:17, 3:1, 4:14, etc.), not just the high priest of the Jews or of the professing Christians. DDB1 153 5 And if so (and it is true!), then the great antitypical Day of Atonement is the world's Day of Atonement! The news should be trumpeted everywhere. DDB1 153 6 According to Revelation 18:1-4, it will be--when the "earth [is] lightened" with the glory of the Good News. The Enemy cannot succeed forever in keeping that truth of the fourth angel's message from the world. The Lord Christ is to be crowned "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Rev. 19:16) and His "angel" knows how to get the attention of the world. DDB1 153 7 And all this glorious Good News need not await another century; all the Lord needs is a people who will no longer oppose the message, but whom He will be safe to put on the stage for the intense scrutiny of the world (and of the universe!), a people in whom He and His truth can be glorified, a people who have "grown up" out of their spiritual infancy to become "the Lamb's wife" (Eph. 4:15; Rev. 19:7, 8). DDB1 153 8 Isn't that a truth worth living for, worth giving your all for? ------------------------Chapter 154--How Does the Blood of Christ "Cleanse" and "Purify" Those Who Believe In Him? DDB1 154 1 There is a question in the book of Hebrews that Christians ponder: How does the blood of Christ (mentioned more than twenty times) "cleanse" and "purify" those who believe in Him? Note: it's not how does that blood "cover" their sins, or how does that blood provide a mere pardon. The question is: How does that blood cleanse the soul of sin's defilement? How does it change the heart, purify the very springs of character, provide "a clean heart," "cleanse from secret faults," "wash [us] thoroughly" (Psalm 19:12; 51:1-10)? Not just "cover" us with a white robe over dirty clothes--the insurance policy kind of pardon, or the other metaphor, the Judge pays your fine so you go free. DDB1 154 2 It's a waste of precious time to answer this question of questions with a pat answer that is essentially egocentric in character. It only postpones for another generation getting ready for the second coming of Jesus. The idea of an "insurance policy coverage" is egocentric in nature. Such "cleansing" is merely cosmetic, therefore deceptive. Self still rules the heart, supreme. How can I be sure I will get to heaven? Oh, yes, Lord, remember my loved ones too. The very essence of self-concern is still there. DDB1 154 3 The Lord Jesus says to many, "Thou knowest not" because they are so immature in their Christian experience that they can conceive of nothing more important than their own individual, personal salvation (Jer. 33:3, King James Version; Rev. 2:17). The great controversy concern is over their heads. DDB1 154 4 Why is "blood" so pivotal? One little suggestion: if as an ancient Israelite you brought your lamb to the sanctuary, confessing your sin over its head, and you asked the priest, please take the knife and kill the little creature, I can't do it, I can't stand to see blood, he will hand the knife back to you and tell you, I cannot slay the victim for you; you must do it yourself (Lev. 4:29, 33). DDB1 154 5 When Revelation speaks twenty-five times of "a Lamb as though it had been slain" (5:6), it's we who did it. Yes, we had the hammer and the spikes in our hands when we nailed Him to His cross. In order for the cleansing and purifying to go further than skin-deep, it seems that the full truth must be realized. ------------------------Chapter 155--Atonement--Nothing Mysterious or Complicated DDB1 155 1 The world's great Day of Atonement is the most exciting, the most joyous period of all the thousands of years of world history. Millions from past ages would have given anything just to live one day during this period of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary--what's happening right now. It's the time when the great High Priest, humanity's Savior, prepares the body of His people, His church, to be ready for the climax of the ages--His second coming in glory. DDB1 155 2 It's the time when the Bethlehem song of the angels at the birth of Jesus is finally realized: "good tidings of great joy ... to all people. ... On earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:10-14). The word "atonement" means very simply "at-one-with." There is nothing mysterious or complicated about it. (To attach the word "eschatological" to it bewilders common people.) To be "at-one-with" is to experience the joy of reconciliation, which is sweeter than honey if you have known the pain of alienation. DDB1 155 3 It's "at-one-ment" first with God, which every human heart in the world craves. We are born in a state of being alienated, separated from Him. "The carnal mind [it's natural!] is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). Imagine the life-long misery of being on the outs with God! You look through the windows into God's house and you see the light, the joy and merriment within and feel yourself thrust into outer darkness. You long to be in on the party, no longer alienated. DDB1 155 4 The world's Day of Atonement is when the High Priest, the Savior, takes the initiative to bridge that awful gap, to bring you in, to reconcile you. He performed this feat in Himself when on the cross He drank down our bitter cup of alienation, crying, "My God, why have You forsaken Me?" DDB1 155 5 Finally, on this great Day of Atonement, we learn to appreciate what He accomplished for us. We are at last "one" with Him. Simple! Yet profound. ------------------------Chapter 156--The World's Greatest Days Are Just Ahead DDB1 156 1 Our Father in heaven, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, has a way of speaking to the world. He knows how to get the world's attention. And He will when the time comes. DDB1 156 2 We read how in this special "time of the end" He sends three angels ("messengers sent") with three special messages for "every nation, tribe, tongue, and people" (Rev. 14:6-12). Their task is to prepare His people everywhere to be ready to meet the once-crucified Savior of the world when He returns as King of kings and Lord of lords. The message of the "third angel" is augmented by that of a fourth of 18:1-4, whose message "lightens" the whole earth "with ... glory." It's a message of His "much more abounding grace" (Rom. 5:20). DDB1 156 3 The story of the two covenants is interwoven with what happens in the Middle East. Abraham himself was entangled in the confusion between the two. He is claimed as "father" by Jews, Muslims, and Christians, but the two covenants are viewed differently by them all. Abraham's own story of unbelief (before his subsequent experience of faith) has spawned the bloody conflicts of his descendants. DDB1 156 4 God intends that the world itself shall have a lesson on the two covenants, and before the end He will see to it that His four "angels" whom He sends (Rev. 14, 18) shall proclaim His message faithfully. There will be great humbling of hearts before God on the part of all who remain faithful to the end. DDB1 156 5 The message that will "lighten" the earth with "glory" will be the revelation of the good news of the New Covenant. It will be a message of "Christ and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2), and He will be "lifted up" for all the world to see Him clearly (John 12:32). The world's greatest days are just ahead. Don't leave your refuge "in Him" (Psalm 91:1, 2). ------------------------Chapter 157--The Soul-Winning Work of the Fourth Angel DDB1 157 1 To whom did Jesus preach His Sermon on the Mount--to His disciples or to the multitudes? Many believe that God is not the Father of "all humanity" but only of those who are converted. All the rest are children of the devil. But Matthew 5:1, 2 says that when Jesus saw "the multitudes, He went up on a mountain ... and taught them" about your "Father in heaven," and "in this manner ... pray, Our Father in heaven," etc. (chapter 6). DDB1 157 2 The Muslim is told that he must make himself pure before he can come to Allah. But Jesus says, Come, and I will make you pure. He became one of us so that He might invite us to regard His Father as our Father. True, there are many who are unconverted; but why? Is it because they have finally, irrevocably, determinedly rejected Christ, or for many is it because they have never understood the gospel? Are they wolves, or could they be lost sheep who haven't been "found" yet? DDB1 157 3 We know that Jesus said, "Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd" (John 10:16). In those words He describes the soul-winning work of that fourth angel who "comes down from heaven, having great power; and the earth [is] lightened with his glory" (Rev. 18:1-4, King James Version). That "voice" will call to those "lost sheep," "Come out of [Babylon], my people, ... lest you receive of her plagues." DDB1 157 4 A wise writer says that when Jesus was baptized and a Voice was heard from heaven declaring, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" that Voice embraced humanity (Matt. 3:17). DDB1 157 5 If you have felt like you are an orphan outside the "family," please accept the Good News: The Father has "adopted" you "in Christ" (Eph. 1:5, 6), and He invites you to pray, "Our Father ..." You are as precious as that discouraged woman at Jacob's well when Jesus told her, "True worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him" (John 4:23). Yes, He is seeking you! Come! ------------------------Chapter 158--Good News For You Today DDB1 158 1 Have you ever thought of the 23rd Psalm as a New Covenant psalm? David is not asking for anything, he is not worried about anything; he is simply declaring how wonderful the Lord is to him. There is no bargaining with the Lord, no attempt to make an agreement with Him. DDB1 158 2 The Lord is his Shepherd; he will never "want" for anything. As a loving Shepherd, the Lord will make him to lie down in green pastures, will lead him beside "still waters," will heal him, "restore" his soul, and will lead him in "paths of righteousness." In other words, He will lead him in such a way that when life is over and David looks back, he will see that everything that has happened to him was the best, even though at the time he couldn't see how. DDB1 158 3 That's like the fantastic promises the Lord made to Abraham in Genesis 12:2, 3. (In Galatians 3:15-17 and in Romans 4:13 Paul says that those promises were New Covenant.) Abraham did not bargain with the Lord, strike an agreement with Him, or make a contract. The Lord simply promised Abraham the sky, out and out; no strings attached (read it--it's astonishing). Abraham's "part" was his melted-heart response, "I believe." The lesson is clear; it's what the Bible has been trying to tell us all along: righteousness comes through believing God's promises! DDB1 158 4 David believed that "even though he walks through the valley of the shadow of death, the Lord is with Him." Even in his last extremity, the Lord "anoints his head with oil and his cup runs over," and therefore "goodness and mercy will follow him all the days of his life." Good News for you today! ------------------------Chapter 159--Does Jesus Love Some People More Than Others? DDB1 159 1 Does Jesus Christ love some people more than others? Do the gates of the New Jerusalem open for "whosoever desires," that they may "come" and "take of the water of life freely"? And didn't Jesus die so that "whoever believes in Him should ... have everlasting life"? (John 3:16). DDB1 159 2 The Bible is clear that Jesus does indeed love some people in a special sense. The angel Gabriel told Daniel that he was a "man greatly beloved," not just ordinarily "beloved" (10:11). The meaning is clear: "beloved" of Heaven, not just of Daniel's local office staff. DDB1 159 3 We also read that the disciple John was the one "whom Jesus loved" in a special sense (John 13:23; 19:26). He gave "Peter, James, John, and Andrew" a special "private" interview on the Mount of Olives (Matt. 24:3; Mark 13:3). DDB1 159 4 Moses was one human being with whom God spoke "face to face" (Deut. 34:10). And the record is clear: God and Moses argued, and Moses several times won the argument (Ex. 32:9-14; Num. 14:11-20). And there was Jacob who "wrestled" with God all night, and "prevailed" over Him (amazing; read the story in Gen. 32:24-30). You can't say that God doesn't have special regard for a person like that! DDB1 159 5 There are others in Hebrews 11. It would be vain and selfish to covet a place of special honor, but it seems that those so honored have chosen to renounce their right to a place in heaven because of their love for the cause of God. Moses, for example, who asked God to "blot me out" of His Book of Life if He can't save Israel, and Paul who preferred being "accursed from Christ" if thereby he couldn't save Israel (Ex. 32:32; Rom. 9:1-3). DDB1 159 6 And our friend the repentant thief is promised a special place in the kingdom of Christ "with Me," Jesus said. There is something special about him--"crucified with Me!" Jesus can say through all eternity. Let self be crucified "with Him," and you too are special. ------------------------Chapter 160--Like Jesus, "Rest in Hope" DDB1 160 1 Sometimes we humans get into situations that seem to be so hopeless, so terrible, that we imagine that hell itself could not be worse. It is then that we can lose our faith, lose our grip on God; and then we really are in a hell-like condition. DDB1 160 2 Then we must remember (and we cannot remember what we have never known, so we need to learn!) that the Son of God was actually in hell itself. Peter at Pentecost spoke of "the pains of death" that were trying to hold Him at His crucifixion and in His burial, then he quotes the prayer that Jesus prayed after His victory of faith on His cross, "Thou wilt not leave My soul in hell" (Acts 2:24-27, King James Version; the word is "Hades" in Greek, "Sheol" in Hebrew; the KJV renders it correctly!). DDB1 160 3 In His incarnation, Christ had laid aside all that His previous omnipotence had been. In becoming man, He had "emptied Himself" like one drains the last drop from an upturned bottle (Phil. 2:5-7, New American Standard Version). The only residue of His divinity that remained was His character of agape, a heavenly love that chooses to go to hell in its concern for someone else so that person won't have to go to hell. That is "love"! All "the pains" that any lost person will ever feel in the last judgment, Jesus felt. The Psalmist was right--Christ's "soul [was] in Sheol," facing "corruption" (Psalm 16:10), and Peter understood it correctly. DDB1 160 4 And the point we are now considering is that when you feel that what's happening to you couldn't be worse, the News is that the Son of God is suffering its agony side by side with you, and that News is Good. He is closer even than "side by side": He is suffering as you--even to the infinite extent of what hell will be. He is intimately one with you. DDB1 160 5 Because of that, He gives you some words to believe; they are His words but they become your words the moment you choose to believe in Him: "My heart also instructs me in the night seasons. ... I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, ... You will show Me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." That is the light that shines even in the darkness of hell. Like Jesus, you "rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in hell" (Psalm 16:8-11). DDB1 160 6 Don't resent an experience that deepens your intimate oneness with Jesus! ------------------------Chapter 161--The 23rd Psalm Was Written Especially for You DDB1 161 1 What the Bible says seems such fantastic good news that it's almost impossible to believe: "The gospel [good news] of Christ ... is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Rom 1:16; that "salvation" is for now as well as for eternity). This means that the 23rd Psalm was written especially for you as if you were the only person on earth. DDB1 161 2 It also means that the promises God made to Abraham (Gen. 12:2, 3) are made to you, for you are his descendant "in Christ." What did the promises include? Not just the land of Canaan (Israelis and Palestinians fight over that), but "the promise [is] that he would be the heir of the world" (Rom. 4:13). Further, it's to be "an everlasting possession" (Gen. 17:8). And no one can inherit the earth forever unless it is made "new"; and, still further, only "righteousness dwells" there (2 Peter 3:13). That is, all who inherit it are made "righteous." Starting today. DDB1 161 3 Therefore as surely as day follows night, the 23rd Psalm and the promises to Abraham are the Good News because they include salvation from sin now. Not only forgiveness for sins, but also the gift of a new heart. That includes the original promise made to Adam and Eve in Eden--God Himself will put into your heart an "enmity" against sin (Gen. 3:15), and of course a love for righteousness. All this is included in the New Covenant promises to Abraham. DDB1 161 4 "But," you say, "I am not worthy of any of this; why should the Lord make any promise of any kind to me, for I am 'less than the least of all the saints'" (Eph. 3:8)? The answer is: the promises weren't actually made to you, they were made to Christ, for He alone is the "Seed." The Lord "does not say, 'And to seeds,' as of many, but as of one, 'And to your Seed,' who is Christ" (Gal. 3:16). But that's exactly where you come in: the Father "so loved the world that He gave" Christ to you as a Gift. "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Rom. 8:14). DDB1 161 5 The moment you stop resisting, stop fighting against the Holy Spirit of God, and you let Him "lead" you, you "receive the Spirit of adoption." Your lonely heart begins to cry, "Father ..." "The Spirit Himself bears witness with [your] spirit" that you are a child of God "in Christ," and that means you are an "heir of God and a joint heir with Christ" (see vss. 13-17). DDB1 161 6 I don't know how you'd feel if you won a jackpot of millions of dollars; but it couldn't begin to compare with the joy you now realize: you are a "joint heir of God" with Christ. You can recite the 23rd Psalm as 100 percent yours. You will "dwell in the house of the Lord forever"--because you are "in Christ," by adoption in Him and also by your day-by-day choice. ------------------------Chapter 162--The Path that Will Lead You Into Real Happiness DDB1 162 1 Everybody who is awake has "desires of the heart" that he or she longs to see fulfilled. They may be held in deep privacy, and only the Heavenly Father knows of them through our secret prayers "in thy closet" (Matt. 6:3-6, King James Version). The promise is sure: "Delight yourself also in the Lord; and He shall give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4). DDB1 162 2 If the granting of those "desires" is delayed, could it be that the "desires" themselves need to be purified? If the "desire of my heart" is for a new Maserati sports car, if the Lord truly loves me, He will not grant that "desire"--at least not now in this poverty-stricken world. Spending that much for personal gratification and pride would not be consistent with living by faith in this cosmic Day of Atonement. DDB1 162 3 First, "the desires of your heart" are not really to possess any human being. If we place any person as an idol before the Lord Jesus, that "desire" cannot bring happiness in the end. As an example, for a Christian to marry an unbeliever is something the Lord would save us from! If you knew your heart better, you would realize that the real bottom-line "desire of your heart" is to see Jesus smiling at you, to know that He is proud of you, that He honors you. Nothing in this world can give you the joy that being in harmony with Him brings. DDB1 162 4 Second, "fast-food" prayer answers don't bring the greatest joy. Immediate gratification in prayer is not what our kind Heavenly Father means in His promises. You may want something while you are a teen that later on you could enjoy far more. "He shall give you the desires of your heart" at the time when you are capable of the greatest thrill of realization--when you are more mature. So, believe, "rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him" (vs. 7). That's the path that will lead you into real happiness. Teenagers, think of it! ------------------------Chapter 163--How Does One Make Sense of the Sanctuary DDB1 163 1 After I was baptized I wanted to understand "the sanctuary." How does one make sense of the offerings and ceremonies in Leviticus? What do the rituals mean, "candlesticks," altars, "bread" baked fresh every Sabbath morning, those two apartments--one "Holy" and the other "Most Holy," the incense, the solemn Day of Atonement once a year? Why study all this when it came to an end when Christ was crucified? Is it an exercise in futility? DDB1 163 2 Then I "discovered" the Book of Revelation--God wants us to understand it today. The Savior of the world is "revealed" in history. It emerges out of the fog as leading straight to a grand climax--His second coming. The final judgment must be intensely interesting when all wrongs will be made right, there is a grand victory of righteousness over sin, "the Lamb" triumphing in His "great controversy" with Satan. DDB1 163 3 And there in the middle of the Book of Revelation suddenly appears the real "sanctuary" in heaven where Jesus Christ ministers as our High Priest, fighting His battle with Satan. The climax comes in chapter 11:15-19 where the great "door" into the Most Holy Apartment is flung open and we can peer into "the ark of His covenant"--something the world could never see before,--"the finishing of the mystery of God" (10:7). Here is a climactic change in heaven's administration. DDB1 163 4 All of Christ's resources are today expended in preparing a people for translation at His coming, a change from His previous High Priestly ministry (which was preparing people for death). The cleansing of the sanctuary in heaven requires first the cleansing of the hearts of God's people on earth--a work going on behind the scenes just now. DDB1 163 5 Now the sanctuary truth comes alive! ------------------------Chapter 164--Jesus Christ Is Very Busy--Cooperate With Him! DDB1 164 1 The big question that thoughtful people around the world are asking is: What is Jesus Christ doing today? Long ago He promised that He would return. "I will come again" (John 14:3), He said. He gave unmistakable signs to tell us clearly that "when you see all these things, know that it is near, at the very doors" (Matt. 24:33). DDB1 164 2 Careful Bible students for over 150 years have recognized those "signs." Even non-Christian people openly talk about an impending "end of the world." With one percent of the most wealthy living in shameful luxury while billions live in grinding poverty, what is Jesus doing? Does He care? Is He on an extended vacation in His "Heaven"? If "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son," does He still love the world? DDB1 164 3 The Book of Hebrews gives a clear answer to the question, "What is Jesus doing now?" He is ministering as the world's great High Priest in the true sanctuary, the one in Heaven, where the work He is doing directly relates to every human being on earth. The Book of Hebrews is easy to read, clear as sunlight. Just as the ancient high priest in Israel ministered in two apartments of the earthly sanctuary, a kindergarten sandbox lesson to God's people then, so now the real High Priest is ministering in two "tents" of the heavenly sanctuary (see Heb 9:1-9). DDB1 164 4 The idea is not finite geographical "places" in an infinite heavenly sanctuary, but clearly two phases of high priestly ministry that relate to humanity. Yes, He did promise, "I will come again," but that means of course that He must prepare a people to meet Him when He comes. "Our God is a consuming fire" (says Heb. 12:29; see Rev 6:14-17). That means that some very real preparation must take place if anybody is to endure His presence when He comes! DDB1 164 5 If Christ's true "Vicar" on earth is the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-11), it follows that what Christ is doing today is preparing a people worldwide to meet Him when He returns, a people who will be "translated" (see 1 Thess. 4:14-17; Heb 11:5). Yes, Jesus Christ is very busy! Cooperate with Him! ------------------------Chapter 165--The Tremendous Power Locked Away in Agape DDB1 165 1 The last rays of light that will fall on this darkened earth just before the end comes will be a revelation of God's character of love. This is Bible teaching. DDB1 165 2 That last "revelation" will obviously be the same as the light of that "another angel" who comes down from heaven having great power. The "earth [is] lightened with his glory" (Rev. 18:1, 2, King James Version). It's not legalism gone wild, nor soft-soap emotionalism; it's love (agape). DDB1 165 3 That "glory" in turn will obviously be the same as the message Jesus describes in John 12:32, 33: "'I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.' This He said, signifying by what death He would die." That "love" which will "reveal the character of God" must be the same love that "constrains," or compels, or motivates the ones who believe in Jesus. They are moved henceforth to live only for Him, "no longer for themselves" (2 Cor. 5:14, 15). There is tremendous power locked away in that "love" known as agape. DDB1 165 4 Again, that revelation of love in the last days must be what Paul meant when he said that he "determined not to know anything among [the Corinthians] except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2). That was not extremism; it was only a "reasonable service" that Paul saw as appropriate to the extravagant love Christ had shown for him (cf. Rom. 12:1). It was agape, not ordinary human love. Paul saw what we have not yet seen clearly. DDB1 165 5 In these last days when sin and selfishness will become so rampant, the Lord Jesus will be honored by "144,000" (figurative or literal) who "follow the Lamb [the crucified, risen Christ] wherever He goes. ... They are without fault before the throne of God" (cf, Rev, 14:1-5). Whoever they are, there will be such a people who will glorify Christ! We might eventually be surprised who will end up in that group; let's walk humbly before Him. ------------------------Chapter 166--Two Basic Ideas About Destiny DDB1 166 1 Two basic ideas about destiny are in conflict in people's minds worldwide: (1) the world as we know it will go on and on ad infinitum, or at least until it is drawn into the sun's orbit and consumed or a huge meteor strikes it and pulverizes it; and (2) the world of sin and pain as we know it will be ended and a new world, a new earth, will be created "in which righteousness dwells" (2 Peter 3:12, 13). DDB1 166 2 The first view can be labeled Uniformitarianism; the second, Adventism--a belief that Christ will return and assert His authority as rightful "second Adam" of the human race and destroy the "works of the devil." The latter view also is based on a conviction that the second coming of Christ is near. DDB1 166 3 There are tectonic changes taking place in people's thinking all around the world. The greatest upheaval is the growing conviction in the minds of many that a definite change in thinking and attitudes must take place if anyone is to be ready for that second coming of Jesus! Two great Bible truths make up the basis for this phenomenal change: DDB1 166 4 (1) The truth that human beings are mortal in nature; in other words, a rejection of the popular pagan-papal doctrine of natural immortality. The practical result of this truth in daily life? We realize that no one will get to heaven immediately at death--all of us must await either: (a) a resurrection from the dead, or (b) "translation" without seeing death at the coming of Christ (see 1 Thess. 4:14-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-54; John 5:28, 29). DDB1 166 5 (2) This tremendous heart-change that sinners who believe will experience is the work of Christ serving in the heavenly sanctuary as our "High Priest." It's more than legally labeling believers as His children--it's changing the heart from deep down, healing them of all inner alienation, giving them "the mind of Christ" (Phil. 2:5), writing His holy law in the heart and mind (Heb. 8:8-13). This great change takes place in Christ's ministry during this cosmic Day of Atonement, the full reality that the ancient Israelite Yom Kippur foreshadowed in type. DDB1 166 6 The Good News is that the High Priest is the One who cleanses His sanctuary; and He will accomplish this work today for all whose hearts respond to His much more abounding grace that is always greater than the sin which Satan invents for these last days. All around the world there are people responding positively, seeking to "follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (Rev. 14:4). Their ears are attuned to a Voice from heaven, "Come out of [Babylon], My people" (18:4). ------------------------Chapter 167--Remembering "Katrina" DDB1 167 1 How shall we live in our post-Katrina world? We should live "in the fear of God" even if there had been no Katrina. But to common people worldwide the message is clear: "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near" (Isa. 55:6). The Lord is not always going to be "near" as He is now! DDB1 167 2 Geoscientists cannot explain the flood of Noah except that "the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth" (Gen. 6:5). Only one man was "righteous," and God spared him so he could "become heir of the righteousness which is according to faith" (Heb. 11:7). Common sense would convince us that we too should so live in a sinful world as the heirs of righteousness by faith! DDB1 167 3 This is not to "judge" New Orleans in the least; "judge not, that you be not judged" (Matt. 7:1) is the law of Jesus. The sins of others would be our sins (and are ours!) but for the grace of a Savior who took upon His sinless nature our sinful nature that He might in all things suffer temptation as we suffer it, yet lived "without sin" (Heb. 4:15). He was not merely an impossible-to-equal Example, but He is a Savior from sin. Watch the graphic pictures on TV of the total devastation, and then consider your house you live in--"there but for the grace of God go I." DDB1 167 4 In that light, our only possible conclusion: "the love [agape] of Christ constraineth us ... and ... they which live should not [yes, cannot!] henceforth live unto [ourselves], but unto Him which died for [us], and rose again" (2 Cor. 5:14, 15, KJV). Let the world (or even the church?) judge us as being fanatical; but how can we "judge" otherwise? DDB1 167 5 And the "fear of God" we sense is not selfish terror, but a heart-melting sense of the "fear" in Psalm 130: "Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord; ... If You, Lord should mark iniquities, O lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared" (vss. 1-4). The "fear" in the first angel's message of Revelation 14:6, 7 is thanks for forgiveness! ------------------------Chapter 168--Our Real Test of Character DDB1 168 1 Good News doesn't tell you what to do in order to be happy; it tells you what to believe your Savior has already done that makes you happy. And what has He done? He has saved you from hell itself. And what is hell? Yes, it's terrible fire in the last day; but there's also a hell on earth. Revelation 16:15 gives a glimpse of it: "Blessed [happy] is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame." DDB1 168 2 Do you want some hell right here and now? Let the natural you that you are, with all your natural-born lust and selfishness, be exposed publicly so that your reputation for honesty, decency, and fidelity is "shattered," so that even your family, friends, supporters, and fellow workers feel betrayed. And no, you can't mercifully go to sleep or go off to some desert island alone--you have to stand naked before the world and endure the excruciating shame. DDB1 168 3 The Good News? Your Savior has saved you from having to endure that. Why do I say this? DDB1 168 4 Honestly, "There is none righteous, no, not one" (Rom. 3:10). The real test of our character is how could we handle temptation if we were fully exposed to it without a Savior. The little shrub in the calm valley shouldn't snicker when the giant oak on the mountain top goes down in the crushing fury of an awful storm; he should say thankfully, "There but for the grace of God go I." DDB1 168 5 The "garments" that cover your natural nakedness of soul are not your righteousness, but Christ's righteousness imputed and imparted to you as a gift given solely by grace and received solely by faith (Rev. 19:8). DDB1 168 6 Isaiah 54:17 tells us that we have no righteousness of our own: "'their righteousness is of Me,' says the Lord." DDB1 168 7 If you receive the gift of Christ's righteousness by faith, that means that your natural sinful heart is melted by a realization of the love that has saved you, the love that led the Son of God to endure the hell that would have been yours. Not only was He "made to be a curse" for you when He died on His cross; He was exposed there naked, so that today you might be "clothed." Reason enough to sing Hallelujah! And be humble from now on. ------------------------Chapter 169--What Will Give Power to God's Last Days' Message? DDB1 169 1 When some Gentiles from Greece invited Jesus to come (probably) to Athens, He responded with His memorable words about a grain of wheat falling into the ground and dying and then bearing "much grain" (John 12:20-24). But He must remain steadfast knowing that he would suffer in Jerusalem and die there for the world. He made a great promise: "'And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.' This He said, signifying by what death He would die," that is, on His cross (vss. 32, 33). DDB1 169 2 That big "IF" and the universal promise of "drawing all" meets its fulfillment in Revelation 18:1-4. "Another angel" will finally "come down from heaven, having great authority" (that "drawing" will be some people "lifting up Christ on His cross" as He has never before been "lifted up"). To "draw all" does not necessarily mean to win all. "All" will sense His drawing but not all will respond favorably; many will resist. DDB1 169 3 "Precious ones" are to be called forth from "Babylon," and a compelling power will move the honest in heart. God will restrain unbelieving relatives and friends so that it will be impossible for them to hinder those who feel the work of the Spirit of God upon them. The last call will be carried even to the most downtrodden of humanity, and the gospel message will close with power and strength. Servants of God will be endowed with power from on high to declare, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen," and souls scattered everywhere will answer the call. DDB1 169 4 What will give power to the message? Lifting up "Christ and Him crucified" in a clearer way than any movie or drama could portray. Why hasn't Revelation 18 yet been fulfilled? We can't lift up Christ crucified while we also lift up self un-crucified. But the Holy Spirit will solve that problem (see Zech. 12:10). There is Good News before us. ------------------------Chapter 170--God is Agape--He Gives Everyone Freedom to Choose DDB1 170 1 Who is Jesus? The Eleven disciples were still not too sure when the despised Samaritans were ahead of them in understanding: they confessed, triumphantly, "He is the Savior of the world"! (John 4:42). DDB1 170 2 But how could they say that when it is so obvious that still even today, 2000 years later, the majority of earth’s inhabitants on planet earth do not recognize Him as their Savior? DDB1 170 3 The answer is in Romans 5:15-18. In a judicial, not literal, sense Christ saved "all men." DDB1 170 4 By His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus made it possible for the Father to treat every man as though he had not sinned, to send His rain and His sun on both the righteous and the wicked alike (Matt. 5:45). Christ bore in His own body, in His soul, the guilt of the whole world: "He poured out His soul unto death" (Isa. 53:12), like you turn a bottle upside down to drain out every drop. That is why Paul says in Philippians 2:5-8 that He "emptied Himself" for us (vs. 7, New American Standard Bible). He died our second death. DDB1 170 5 But this truth is not the heresy of Universalism; although Christ on His cross died for the sins of the whole world, in no way does that mean that He will force "every man" to enter into the New Jerusalem. Because God IS agape, He gives everyone freedom to choose. DDB1 170 6 Fast forward to Revelation 20 to the story of the Great White Throne, verses 12-14. As the books of record are opened, every one will see clearly what is the extent of his sin, how he has crucified "afresh" the Lord of glory and put Him to an open shame (cf. Heb. 6:6). Each will see himself at last to be the "Esau" of the Old Testament, how he has sold his birthright, which he had, for a mess of pottage (cf. Gen. 25:34). Each will prefer the Lake of Fire to the pain of looking into the face of the Savior. ------------------------Chapter 171--Does New Covenant Faith Make a Difference? DDB1 171 1 Does New Covenant faith make a discernable difference in our daily life? Can we see the change for the better? Yes, a thousand times! Let's look: DDB1 171 2 1. If one will simply accept and believe those seven New Covenant promises that God makes to every believing child of Abraham (in Genesis 12:2, 3), his or her self-respect will be lifted immeasurably. Not self-esteem, but self-respect. (There's a world of difference.) DDB1 171 3 2. Self-esteem is praise or flattery of one's self ("I'm handsome!" or "I'm beautiful!" or "I'm better than someone else!"). It's not good. DDB1 171 4 3. But self-respect is solid appreciation for the "price" that Jesus paid for your redemption from hell itself. It grows within you the longer you live; it never becomes passé. Faith is well defined as a heart-appreciation for the self-sacrificing love (agape) of the Son of God. DDB1 171 5 4. Thus New Covenant faith causes you to hold your head high, to lift your sagging shoulders, to open wider your drooping eyes; it's all "in Christ," and therefore it's the actual beginning of eternal life. DDB1 171 6 5. It's not only "I believe." It's also the prayer, "Help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24), an ongoing blessing the longer you live. DDB1 171 7 6. It's the Holy Spirit not only doing His first work for you, according to Jesus in John 16:8, which is convicting you of sin; it's the Holy Spirit doing His second work for you, convicting you of righteousness; and yes, His third work also, convicting you that through the faith of Jesus which you have received, Satan is "cast out" of your heart and your life (vss. 10, 11). DDB1 171 8 You are overcoming! There's no greater joy in life. ------------------------Chapter 172--God Will Know How to Grip the World's Attention! DDB1 172 1 There is a promise (or prophecy) tucked away in an obscure corner of the Bible that people don't seem to talk about, but nevertheless it's there awaiting the future. DDB1 172 2 It's about the last-days' events that will startle the world when God's people humble their hearts and lay self aside and let the Holy Spirit teach and guide them--that is, when the corporate "self" of the church is "crucified with Christ," and He only exalted. DDB1 172 3 The Lord doesn't dare let this prophecy be fulfilled so long as His church would become proud or arrogant because of it, for it is something that would startle the world more than anything else imaginable; so much so that thoughtful people just say it's impossible. DDB1 172 4 It's what John the Revelator "saw": "Something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory [had gotten the victory, King James Version] over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God" (15:2). DDB1 172 5 Multitudes who love the Bible and "tremble at [the Lord's] word" (Isa. 66:2; "tremble" with excitement) recognize (a) that the "beast" of Revelation 13:1-8 is Romanism; and (b) "the mark of the beast" is its claim to have the authority to abolish and change the holy law of God that says "the seventh day" is the Lord's holy Sabbath, instituting the first day instead; and (c) that the "image" of the beast is that segment of professed Protestantism that has abandoned "protesting" and has adopted the essential nature of Romanism. DDB1 172 6 But (666)? "The number of his name"? That is the Roman Catholic headquarters of Romanism, the heart of the papacy, the Curia. And the inspired prophecy declares that there will be some from this group who will respond positively to the "light" of that "other angel" of Revelation 18 whose message will "illuminate" the earth with "glory," a final message of justification by faith that will startle the world and will call every honest-hearted soul now in "Babylon" to "come out of her, My people" (vs. 4). DDB1 172 7 Does the Lord Jesus Christ Himself personally want this glorious denouement of Bible prophecy to take place now in "this generation"? Yes! DDB1 172 8 When the collective or corporate "self" of "the remnant church" (Rev. 12:17) has received the "atonement" and is reconciled to Him, the earth will be "lightened." God will know how to grip the world's attention! ------------------------Chapter 173--"Through the Lord's Mercies We Are Not Consumed" DDB1 173 1 You wake up the morning after, wishing, Oh God, that it were just a nightmare, a Hollywood horror movie! And then it sinks in, it [9/11] was real. The world is different now. Those who pay to watch horror movies have gotten their money's worth--for free. Oh that horror movies could forever end--if we watch them we place ourselves in the biblical judgment of those who "love violence" (Psalm 11:5). The holy prophet pleads with us, don't look (Isa. 33:15), nor let our children see it. DDB1 173 2 But now the world's children have seen it, in undreamed-of horror. "We" were those running down the canyon streets to escape the falling fiery debris; "we" were no better than they; we corporately identified with them. DDB1 173 3 Only one event in history can match it in emotional impact--the 486 B.C. burning of Solomon's holy temple and the wanton destruction of "our" precious Holy City by the Babylonians. Think of yourself as one of "God's chosen people" transfixed by watching what you always thought was impossible. Where was "He who keeps Israel [who] shall neither slumber nor sleep" (Psalm 121:4)? Why did He let this "impossible" judgment happen? DDB1 173 4 The other passage of Scripture that suddenly comes into focus is what we never thought would be real in our lifetime: the sudden destruction "in one day" of "that great city" of Revelation 18 when it falls into the sea like a giant millstone. "Alas, alas, that great city!" (9-16). DDB1 173 5 Not only is American pride humbled, but so is that of the whole world that has gloried in "Babylon's riches" symbolized by glittering giant skyscrapers. An appropriate Bible chapter to read today is chapter 3 of the Lamentations of Jeremiah, written after the destruction of Jerusalem: "Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed. ... He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. ... Let us search and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord" (22-40). ------------------------Chapter 174--The Bible is Clear--We Are Living "In the Last Days" DDB1 174 1 The Bible is crystal clear: we are living "in the last days" (2 Tim. 3:1); "the time of the end" (Dan. 12:4); the time for us to "endure" until then (Matt. 24:13); the time when we are to "watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming" (vs. 42); the time when we are to "take heed to [our]selves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on [us] unexpectedly" (Luke 21:34). The "time of the end" is "today" (Heb. 3:13). DDB1 174 2 We are living in the very time described in Revelation 14:8 and 18:1-4 when "the present truth" (2 Peter 1:12) shouts in our ears that "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen," the very time when God calls to everyone whose heart has been stirred by the sacrifice of Christ on His cross, "'Come out of her, My people, lest you share in her sins.'" You simply can't enjoy the opulence and arrogant pride of "that great city" if you appreciate the atonement of Christ. You have seen "the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up" and have seen yourself as "unclean" in that light which streams from the cross (Isa. 6:1-5). If you are dallying in "Babylon," you are miserable. You want out. DDB1 174 3 What it boils down to is that we are living in that unique time of "the day of atonement." It's not the one literal day of the year that Jews observe as "Yom Kippur;" it's the grand original, the antitypical, cosmic, real "Day of Atonement" that was prefigured in the Israelite sanctuary services of long ago. Now is the grand time that the angel described to Daniel as "then the sanctuary shall be cleansed" (8:14). It has come on time after the 2300 "days," 2300 literal years, which the angel singled out as "the appointed time" to bring us to this "time of the end" (11:35; 12:4). It's the important time when Daniel said, "the wise shall understand" (12:10). It's the same time that Jesus spoke of, "Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." It's a time to be awake for joy (Luke 21:36). DDB1 174 4 Around the world there are millions who are waking up; they believe that those 2300 years have expired as Daniel said. They see that the world is now in the ongoing fulfillment of Revelation 14, and has been ever since the early part of the 19th century (since 1844, to be exact, for the Bible prophecies are exact). This is the time when the great angel proclaims "to every ... tongue, and people, ... 'the hour of [God's] judgment has come'" (vss. 6, 7), the time for the greatest joy the world has ever known. ------------------------Chapter 175--God Wants Every Teen to Hear His Promise DDB1 175 1 I wish when I was a teenager I had understood that God's great promises (in Gen. 12:2, 3) to Abraham were to me also. Nobody told me! My whole life would have been different. All that God promised Abraham was precisely what worried me. (Teens seem to be the most worried people on earth.) I wanted to be "a great nation," that is, I wanted to be "somebody." I didn't want to be a "zero" in humanity. I wanted to live for a purpose, to amount to something. Was I sinful? Of course I was! But the desire to be "somebody" is also God-given; and He wants every teen to hear His promise, "I will make you somebody important!" DDB1 175 2 I also needed to hear Him tell me, "I will bless you." That would have lifted a load of fear from my heart. And yes, I wanted to hear Him tell me that He would make my name "great" in some meaningful way--if only to some one girl or woman who would become my wife. I didn't want to be a glob of jelly, a "blah" young man. I wanted to be "some one" in those eyes of hers! DDB1 175 3 And yes, sinful though I was, I did indeed dream of God doing for me what He promised to do for Abraham, "And you shall be a blessing." From early years I dreamed of becoming a missionary somewhere. I didn't know how, but I wanted to be a useful person in God's great plan for the world. I would have been so happy if I had known that all along God was promising me these wonderful things He promised Abraham. DDB1 175 4 All seven of those fantastic promises in Genesis would have rejoiced my young heart if only I had known that God was telling me all that! I would have stood taller and walked more sprightly had I known. I would have studied better, developed my abilities more efficiently. DDB1 175 5 And best of all, if I could have known that God was promising me that someday I would fellowship with Christ in "all the families of the earth [being] blessed," that by His grace I would be an agent He would use in some small but meaningful way to convey that "blessing" everywhere I would go--the New Covenant would have made all the difference in my thinking and my life. DDB1 175 6 Now, how about passing on those New Covenant promises to some child or teenager? ------------------------Chapter 176--Those Who Love the New Covenant Never Persecute Others! DDB1 176 1 What motivates good, sincere people to persecute others who differ from them in religious conviction? The opposition can take cruel forms. Wars have been fought over religion. The United States was "conceived" by a desire to escape religious persecution (said Abraham Lincoln). DDB1 176 2 Thank God that now we don't throw theological opponents into prison or burn them at the stake, but we malign them, seek to destroy reputations, slam doors against them, misrepresent them. What's back of this strange phenomenon of unrighteous indignation that blazes forth against someone who differs from us in biblical interpretation? DDB1 176 3 The answer is--our obsession with the Old Covenant. History is clear: those who love the New Covenant never persecute others! Paul himself was a fanatical follower of the Old Covenant who couldn't stand to watch the New Covenant apostles proclaim gospel Good News. He thought their message destroyed his keep-the-law theology. He misunderstood them--their gospel was the only way anyone truly could become a "doer of the law," but he felt he had to "punish them often in every synagogue; ... and being exceedingly enraged against them, ... persecuted them even to foreign cities" (Acts 26:11). His zeal for the Old Covenant even led to murder. All, supposedly "righteous"! (And highly popular.) DDB1 176 4 When finally he discovered the New Covenant, he saw something he had never seen before: Ishmael, the son of the Old Covenant Hagar, "persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit," that is, Isaac. "Even so it is now," he added (Gal. 4:29). That brought him to his knees--in his frenzy against the apostles he saw he was acting out the role of Ishmael! DDB1 176 5 "Even so it is now"! Old Covenant obsession is spiritual poison. If it doesn't outright kill your devotion to Jesus and His church, it weakens it so it becomes "lukewarm." Many Christian youth lose their way because they have been taught Old Covenant concepts under the guise of "Christian education" in church or school. Lord, please help our blindness! ------------------------Chapter 177--"Sighing and Crying" Positively Reaches Out to Bless Others DDB1 177 1 We have long seen in "the signs of the times" the evidences that indicate the end is near, the coming of the Lord "draws near" (Luke 21:28). Those "signs" were the dark day, the falling of the stars, the increase of knowledge, "perilous times in the last days" (2 Tim. 3:1), etc. DDB1 177 2 But are there "signs" that through spiritual maturity the Lord is preparing a people for the final crisis? Here is where the possibility exists that "the latter rain may be falling on hearts all around us" and we may be ignorant of the reality. Scripture warns us not to "despise the day of small things" (Zech. 4:10), and that the latter rain may come like the dew, not necessarily like a cloudburst or gulley-washer. At least, its beginning. DDB1 177 3 We are right now walking on the enchanted ground that Pilgrim walked through in Pilgrim's Progress, where the temptation to go to sleep is almost overwhelming. The economy is great, cars are getting more luxurious and more powerful; entertainment was never so widespread; and the church is doing great. DDB1 177 4 But could it be that there are sincere and enlightened souls maybe seated next to you in church who are pinpointed in Ezekiel 9:4 as those who "sigh and cry for all the abominations [being] done in the midst of Jerusalem"? It is only they who finally receive a " mark," "the seal of God." An angel is commanded to "kill" all those who do not "sigh and cry"! Sounds terrible, but there it is. All the rest end up ultimately taking the mark of the beast. DDB1 177 5 That passage in Ezekiel has been cited so often to strengthen "holier than thou" self-righteousness that it is seldom thought of today. But it does not encourage judging the person next to you in church as though you are more holy because you "sigh and cry" and he or she is not serious-minded. DDB1 177 6 Those who sigh and cry negatively fall into the trap of self-righteousness; but those who sigh and cry positively realize that they are no better than anybody else by nature. They have no goodness of their own; their hearts (and eyes) are melted by the love of Christ and the realization that they are indebted to Him 100 percent. DDB1 177 7 "Sighing and crying" positively reaches out in humble contrition to bless others concerned more for the honor of Christ than because of our own personal fear for security, or for hope of reward. ------------------------Chapter 178--What Does It Mean to Be a True Christian Today? DDB1 178 1 A terrific battle is being fought behind the scenes for the very soul of Christ's church. What does it mean to be a true Christian today? How can we honor Him in this period of world history? The answer is in the Bible teaching of the cosmic Day of Atonement, the "cleansing of the sanctuary" typified by the ancient Hebrew Yom Kippur. That was the only day in the year when God's people were required to fast. Why? Was God angry with them? No, it was the day for a final reconciliation with Him (the word "atonement" means at-one-with), the day when the last vestige of buried, unrealized alienation from God was to be healed. DDB1 178 2 That alienation is the result of sin: "The carnal mind is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7). We don't realize the depth of that "enmity" ("do not know that [we] are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked," Rev. 3:17). The ancient Levitical day of atonement was only a kindergarten lesson: "on that day the [high] priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord" (Lev. 16:30). DDB1 178 3 The real Day of Atonement is now, accomplishing a work of atonement never before fully achieved for the body of God's people. As most of an iceberg is hidden beneath the sea, so most of our sin is hidden from our consciousness, buried, so that we invariably are self-deceived about our real character before God, not ready for the final issues in "the great controversy between Christ and Satan." DDB1 178 4 Hence God has provided a special opportunity of preparation known as the Day of Atonement, the real thing, not the kindergarten edition of long ago. It's the time Jesus spoke of: "Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day [of final judgment] come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, ... [prepare] to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:34-36). DDB1 178 5 That final atonement, final reconciliation with Christ, is a time for closer sympathy with Him; impossible unless there is also a closer sympathy with humanity that Christ took upon Himself. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus ..." (Phil. 2:5). ------------------------Chapter 179--Encouragement From Jacob DDB1 179 1 Suppose you have lived most of your life under the Old Covenant and now only in later years you have discovered the New Covenant. You can glean some encouragement from Jacob. DDB1 179 2 His family gave him the terrible name of "Supplanter" at his birth, the name he had to go by. He lived up to it when he tricked his brother Esau into selling him the birthright for a meal of his tasty stew; then he had to flee for his life. At Bethel the Lord gave him a wonderful New Covenant promise (Gen. 28:13-15). Jacob spent decades doubting that the Lord could bless him that much. His future father-in-law, Laban, in turn tricked him in his heart-felt love for Rachel (you can love someone truly while still under the Old Covenant!), giving him Leah instead on the wedding night after his seven years of hard labor; now seven years more to have Rachel, the one he truly loved. Endless heartaches. DDB1 179 3 Finally, in later life, Jacob finds himself wrestling with an Angel in the dark, struggling, he thought, for his life. When dawn began to break, the Angel (Christ) said, "Let Me go!" but Jacob, quick to seize what he saw as his initiative, said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!" (meaning, deliver me from this Old Covenant soul-bondage). The Angel was caught; He couldn't wriggle free from Jacob's grasp. Whereupon He changed Jacob's name: "Your name [is] Israel [Prince with God], for you have struggled with God ... and have prevailed"! (32:26-28). DDB1 179 4 There's no way to get that name of Israel except by fighting that same battle of faith--believing God's promise "in Christ" in spite of doubts you think are from God! One thoughtful writer suggests that while they were wrestling, the Angel asked him how could He bless him? Wasn't he too unworthy? We say it reverently, we have to "overcome" what even appears to be God's will against us! To secure the name "Israel," we must triumph over Him! Remember, the elite Israel "club" is limited only by unbelief. ------------------------Chapter 180--Jesus Is Seeking to Save Us, Not Seeking an Excuse to Condemn Us DDB1 180 1 Revelation 3:5: "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels." DDB1 180 2 Can you imagine a more thrilling honor than for Jesus Himself to take your name upon His lips, to confess you as His holy child before the Father in heaven and before the millions of loyal angels? In the Judgment which is now in session (see Rev. 14:6, 7), our text says there will be a time when all the assembled hosts of heaven will look at each of us alone and scrutinize our individual lives. DDB1 180 3 Will they see all our mistakes, all the shameful things that we hope will never come to light? Jesus knows that it was not our true purpose to do all those ugly things. We have been captives of sin. When we believe in Christ and begin to hate sin, "it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells in me" (Rom. 7:17). "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). He will cleanse them with His blood. DDB1 180 4 Remember that Jesus is seeking to save us. He is not seeking an excuse to condemn us. He wants us in His Kingdom, not out. At this moment, the Holy Spirit is drawing each one to Christ, and imparting to us His heavenly grace so that we may "overcome" if we will cease resisting Him and yield to His grace. He will draw us all the way. Our real battle is to trust God, to believe that He loves us--sinners, unthankful, impure, mean persons, that we know ourselves to be. "Overcoming" is overcoming doubt that God accepts us individually and personally. "This is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith" (1 John 5:4). DDB1 180 5 If you believe Him, you will overcome. No one who appreciates the love of Jesus can possibly continue living in sin. "The love of Christ constrains us" (2 Cor. 5:14). DDB1 180 6 It is well to think often about that moment soon to come (no one knows how soon) when Jesus will take our names on His lips and say, "Father, this is My true child; he trusts Me, and I cannot abandon him! I died for him, and I must have him in My kingdom!" And when Satan whispers to you that you are too great a sinner, that you must give up hope, remind him of what Jesus said of the greatest sinner on earth, "The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out" (John 6:37). Claim that promise, and come! DDB1 180 7 Another Look at the Judgment DDB1 180 8 The reality of a pre-Advent or "investigative" judgment is so clearly taught here that another look is in order. Some who contend against such a judgment say it is unnecessary because "the Lord knows them that are His." It is true that the Lord's omniscient knowledge makes such a judgment unnecessary from His point of view. An investigative judgment is not a time for the Lord to decide whom to save. Rather, it is a time for Him to defend the decisions He has already made, and to convince the world and the universe that He is just and righteous in making them. DDB1 180 9 Further, Christ's seven promises (in chapter 3) "to him who overcomes" show that a superficial "once-saved-always-saved" assumption is spiritual arrogance. It is a misunderstanding of Scripture to say that when a sinner initially professes faith in Christ that he has already come into judgment in the sense of a final acquittal. In a purely legal sense this is true; and it is true so far as God's desire and intent are concerned; but if a believer turns from his faith and resists the ministry of the Holy Spirit in overcoming, he frustrates the grace of Christ and chooses that his name be blotted from the Book of Life. DDB1 180 10 This passage reveals a heavenly investigation of every man's character to determine if he has in fact continuedto believe toward the goal of overcoming. The present tense of the verb in John 3:16 also emphasizes this continuity: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever keeps on believing in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." ------------------------Chapter 181--Is Prayer Really Necessary? DDB1 181 1 That all-night prayer meeting in Acts 12 was very effective, because in answer to the united prayers of those people in Mary's home (the mother of Mark), the apostle Peter was released by an angel from prison and certain death. But now some questions arise: DDB1 181 2 If those people had not prayed, would the Father of our Lord Jesus have not sent an angel to set Peter free? What is God like? Would He have sat on His throne in heaven and casually permitted Peter to be killed the next day as King Herod Agrippa wanted to do? Did God need those earnest-with-fasting, all-night prayers to arouse Him to do something that otherwise He would not have thought to do, or even want to do? Do our prayers arouse Him to do nice things that otherwise He would not do? Why is prayer important? Is it really necessary? Suppose those people had all gone home nonchalantly and had a good night's sleep (like Peter sleeping in prison--he wasn't praying all night!), would God have done nothing? People are seeking the answers to these questions. DDB1 181 3 The Bible has them: (1) The rulership of this world is in the hands of Satan--Adam sold out to him. (2) Therefore this world is Satan's territory, by vote of its inhabitants, who crucified God's Son and thus expelled Him from the planet. (3) God cannot legally intervene any more than the ruler of one nation can intervene in another's internal affairs. (4) But God can legally intervene if His people, praying in the name of Jesus His Son, intercede with Him against Satan. (5) Probably God could have saved James if His people had prayed for him! (6) We must not entertain a false view of God's character; He wants to intervene in our behalf! (7) It's only fair that God have the privilege of seeing that we mean business in our prayers. DDB1 181 4 That's the reason for Christ's parable in Luke 18:1-7 about the widow who wore out the unjust judge with her constant begging for justice. Christ's idea was not to represent the Father as being like him, but to urge us to make certain we are earnest when we pray, and not be like a child who doesn't really know or remember what he is asking for. ------------------------Chapter 182--The Joyous Labor of Helping Someone Else DDB1 182 1 Have you ever been angry with God? For any reason? You prayed for something that you felt you needed, maybe healing, maybe happiness in marriage, maybe for a child, maybe for an honest job--and your prayer wasn't answered. Seemed like Heaven was closed to you. DDB1 182 2 This is a common problem many people have; and some just turn their backs on the Lord. "If He doesn't care enough for me to help me, I'm through with Him!" But that's not the solution! Let's try to help a bit: DDB1 182 3 (1) God never promised He would be your lowly servant, to come and go at your request. DDB1 182 4 (2) He never promised that His children would be exempt from suffering, disappointment, pain. If He did "exempt" them, people would profess to follow Him who only wanted material benefit. Heaven would get crammed with hypocrites. DDB1 182 5 (3) Though He hasn't promised you "exemption" from what all human beings have to endure, He has unequivocally promised to give you grace (an inner peace) to endure your pain, sorrow, disappointment, in a way that honors your Savior. DDB1 182 6 (4) That endurance (Rom. 5:1-5) immediately admits you to the privileged inner circle of those who are "partakers of Christ's sufferings" (1 Peter 4:13). DDB1 182 7 (5) Bearing your suffering (whatever kind) in that spirit then qualifies you to be a member of the Lord's University Teaching Staff where you are given the joyous labor of helping someone else in his or her suffering. DDB1 182 8 A Christian psychiatrist told me that a humble lay member who has genuine faith and sanctified understanding, can help a needy person as much as a psychiatrist can. (I didn't say that--he did.) See Exodus 19:4-6; if Israel had been willing to believe the New Covenant, they would have become a "kingdom of priests" (psychiatrists). ------------------------Chapter 183--Does It Make Any Difference What One Believes? DDB1 183 1 Nearly the first lie Satan ever told us was about who man is: "You will not surely die" (Gen. 3:4). And Eve believed him; and nearly the whole world believes him--that man is naturally immortal, that he exists somewhere in consciousness after death. That's why Spiritualism flourishes--in Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, even in large segments of Christianity. DDB1 183 2 Many imagine they find support for it in the Bible: the witch of Endor bringing up "Samuel" (1 Samuel 28), Christ's parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), and the supposed eternal conscious torment of the lost. Does it make any real practical difference what one believes, so long as you try to live a good life? Yes! DDB1 183 3 (1) If the lost are tortured forever under God's rule, He becomes a cruel tyrant beyond imagination. You can't be truly "reconciled to God" if in the back of your mind you cherish this evaluation of His character. DDB1 183 4 (2) False natural immortality destroys the truth of the cross of Christ, leaving an empty symbol without meaning. If His death was merely graduating to a higher, more pleasant life, then He did not truly die the equivalent of the second death, nor did He pay the penalty for our sins. "The wages of sin is death," not eternal life in a new sphere. He could not "pour out His soul unto death, " nor "empty Himself" as Isaiah 53:12 and Phil. 2:5-8 (New American Standard Bible) tell us. Instead, He withheld His most precious Thing--His own "life." And that would mean He could not be the Lamb who was slain, and who redeemed us by His blood (Rev. 5:9). DDB1 183 5 (3) And unless He is "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" by an infinite sacrifice (John 1:29), we can't learn to hate sin and love righteousness. Aside from the Lamb's revelation of agapeon His cross, practical "Christian" living is reduced to veneer and lukewarmness. ------------------------Chapter 184--The "Secret of the Cross" DDB1 184 1 How can we "save" our children and youth "from this perverse generation" (Acts 2:40)? The floodgates of moral filth are open; evil cascades upon them. DDB1 184 2 One Bible chapter suggests two apparently opposite remedies: "Knowing ... the terror of the Lord, we persuade men" (2 Cor. 5:10, 11). The idea seems to be--more fire-and-brimstone preaching and teaching. Does it work? Well, it seems to get them into the baptismal pool, but does "sanctified terrorism" hold these children and youth when temptation shall come in like a flood (Isa. 28:18, 19)? They face terrific peer pressure plus the drives of their own sensual nature. DDB1 184 3 The same chapter gives an alternative motivation: "The love [agape] of Christ constrains us ..." or motivates us to total consecration to the One who died for us and rose again (2 Cor. 5:14, 15). In fact, Paul devotes much more time to developing this motivation than to his brief mention of "terror." He goes so far as to present a Savior who "was made to be sin for us" (vs. 21), in other words, who was forced to be immersed in all the moral filth of the entire human race, who suffered the most awful peer pressure and had to resist the most powerful inner urges as He "resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin"--all "without sin" (see vss. 16-6:1; Heb. 4:15; 12:4). Read it: it's all "grace much more abounding." Don't despise it! DDB1 184 4 When we read that it's "the terror of the Lord that persuades" us, do we correctly see what Paul said? The word translated "terror" is phobos in the Greek; it's not a New Testament word for raw, mind-numbing terror. The honest truth is that God does not want to terrorize children and youth. He is too wise; He knows that terror cauterizes and hardens hearts. That word means a mingled awe and reverence that solemnizes the heart of a child and youth. A wise author once said, "Share with [your children] the secret of the cross." Will it work? Nothing else will! ------------------------Chapter 185--The Essence of the New Covenant DDB1 185 1 How can you learn to understand and believe the New Covenant? Your happiness for now and forever depends on it. Yes! Didn't Jesus say, "God so loved ... that He gave, ... that whoever believes in Him should not perish ..."? To believe in Him means to believe that He Himself is Good News--the essence of the New Covenant. DDB1 185 2 Confusion about the Two Covenants is cleared up as sunshine clears away fog by noting one question: Who makes the promise? DDB1 185 3 If we make the promise to God, immediately it's Old Covenant. DDB1 185 4 It's Peter promising that he will never deny Christ, and then doing it before the rooster crowed next morning. It's "all the people" promising at Mount Sinai, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do!" (Gen. 19:8) and then bowing down to a golden calf in a few days. The problem is simple: we humans don't keep our promises; in fact, we can't, because we have no righteousness of our own. DDB1 185 5 Someone may say, "What's wrong with making good promises to God even if you do break them?" Several things: God Himself has never asked you to do so; and further, Paul says that making and breaking promises to God brings you into spiritual "bondage" (Gal. 4:24). It was the beginning of centuries of sad Israelite history that finally led them into the "bondage" of foreign captivity and then at the end, to crucify their Messiah. Those who think that the Old and New Covenants are the same thing are confusing liberty with slavery! DDB1 185 6 When God makes the promise, there you have the New Covenant. DDB1 185 7 And believing His promise is liberty, not slavery. He always keeps His promise. "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4). You may say, "That's such Good News--I can hardly believe He will ever do that for me!" Sarah couldn't believe it either, until she repented of her unbelief (Heb. 11:11). You can repent, too. That's the Good News! ------------------------Chapter 186--Do You Feel You Are Praying for Nothing? DDB1 186 1 There are many dear people who are confused and even discouraged because it seems their prayers are not answered. As far as they know, they are "keeping [God's] commandments" and their "heart does not condemn [them]"--two basic requirements if our prayers are to be heard and answered (see 1 John 3:21, 22). Further, as far as they know what they are asking the Lord to give them is "according to His will," and therefore the promise in 1 John 5:14, 15, means their prayers should be answered. But it seems they are not. They feel they are praying for nothing. DDB1 186 2 Jesus tells us that if we see Him, we have seen the Father because He has come to reveal the Father to us (John14:7). There is one special incident in the life of Jesus that may be an explanation why our prayers are sometimes apparently ignored. It involves the character of the Father. DDB1 186 3 He had led His disciples to the verge of the border between Israel and "the region of Tyre and Sidon." There a pagan woman came to Him crying, "O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed" (see Matt. 15:21-28). Surely if anyone's prayer could be "according to the will of God," this one would be! But Matthew reports that He just walked on as though He hadn't even heard her (maybe this has happened to you). So she begged one after the other of the disciples either to heal her daughter or to intercede with Jesus to persuade Him to be nice to her. So they came to Him and begged Him to send the woman off. "She cries out after us." DDB1 186 4 Jesus didn't do what they asked, but He did reply to the woman, Sorry, I can't help you. "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." You are not an Israelite, so I can't help you. Sounds cruel! DDB1 186 5 She didn't get angry and leave (that would have been fatal for her). But she threw herself down in His path and pleaded, "Lord, help me!" Then He said something to her that would (I think) have utterly discouraged me: "It is not good [doesn't make sense] to take the children's bread and to throw it to the little dogs." I fear I would have jumped up and stormed off angry. "He called me a dog!" DDB1 186 6 But she held on. She had wit and a ready tongue: "True, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master's table." DDB1 186 7 Jesus couldn't take any more; His heart of compassion and love had been moved for this woman from the very beginning. He had staged this encounter for the education of His disciples who really did think that non-Jews were "dogs." Now He broke down as He told her, perhaps with His own tears, "'O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.' And her daughter was made whole from that very hour." DDB1 186 8 Yes, sometimes Jesus appears to be hard and unmerciful; hang on. You must believe He is who He is. You must be convinced of His character. ------------------------Chapter 187--When the Lost "Perish," Will God Still Love Them? DDB1 187 1 When the lost at last "perish" in what the Bible calls "the Lake of Fire," will God still love them? Or will His once-present love have changed to hatred or indifference? This may seem like a silly question, but your answer may well mean the difference in your attitude toward God, whether you are happy in His love, or uncertain of it. DDB1 187 2 There is a profound statement in Revelation that indicates that great sorrow will grip Heaven when the lost perish at last. Introducing the passage about final judgment is this statement: "When He [the Lamb] opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven ..." (8:1). We read that "God is love" (agape; 1 John 4:8), and that "agapenever fails" (1 Cor. 13:8). We read that when wicked men crucified the Savior, He prayed, "Father, forgive them." We read that He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Eze. 18:32; 33:11). That means He takes severe pain in their death! DDB1 187 3 God's love is different than ours; it never fails. When at last the wicked realize, like Esau, how they have sold their "birthright" to eternal life, they can find no place of repentance, though they seek it with tears (see Heb. 12:16, 17) because they have burned all bridges behind themselves and rendered their own souls incapable of repentance. Their anguish will be indescribable, for at last they will be fully conscious. DDB1 187 4 Most severe will be the pain of those who at one time rejoiced in "the knowledge of the truth" but who like Judas Iscariot betrayed their sacred trusts (see Heb. 10:26-29). But does God love them to the bitter end? Yes! Will He share their sorrow? Yes. Will the "righteous" inside the New Jerusalem gloat over their anguish? No; there will be "silence in heaven ..." We can see how God will feel when we look at how He cried about ancient Israel going down to destruction. Hear Him weeping: "How can I give you up?" (Hos. 11:8). DDB1 187 5 And we see Jesus (who revealed the Father to us) as He is convulsed with sobbing anguish as He looks on the temple one evening for the last time: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, ... how often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!" (Matt. 23:37). What's the point? Think seriously about that divine love for you. Beware lest you slip into that position of "you were not willing!" Be gathered under those "wings." ------------------------Chapter 188--Problems With Pride and Arrogance--Let's Find a "Self-starter" for Humbling Self DDB1 188 1 There was once a man who was proud, haughty, arrogant, even cruel--a king whose name was Nebuchadnezzar; and Iraq was his kingdom. Like most kings of his day, he could have lived and died in hopeless proud self-deception except that a man of God prayed for him personally--Daniel the prophet. DDB1 188 2 Daniel discerned in the king a streak of honesty and reality. He did what the apostle John said we should do: "If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He [God] will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death" (l John 5:16). The king's dream of Daniel 4 was God's answer to the prophet's prayer. The Lord permitted Daniel to be an "evangelist" to teach Nebuchadnezzar gospel truths. DDB1 188 3 The Lord loved the king so much that He gave him a special blessing--He humbled the man in the dust. The Lord gave him a form of insanity in which he thought he was an animal or a cow, and in seven years of gross humiliation the proud king learned a proper heart attitude of reverence for the King of kings and Lord of lords. You could hardly say that the king humbled himself; God humbled him, even humiliated him. DDB1 188 4 We too have problems with pride and arrogance. God has given each of us wonderful gifts that we can easily become proud over. But let's not be so stubborn that we wait for the Lord to humble us, like the king. To be humiliated is a very severe ministry of the Lord! It's too late for the Lord to resort to those extreme measures to "heal" us, for we are living in the great cosmic Day of Atonement; now we want to humble ourselves. Self-starters were a wonderful invention for old Ford Model T cars. Let's find a "self-starter" for humbling self, and not wait for the Lord to have to do it for us, as with Nebuchadnezzar! DDB1 188 5 "When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died, my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride." That's better--its self-humbling. ------------------------Chapter 189--How Every Loaf of Bread Is Stamped With the Cross of Christ DDB1 189 1 A wise writer has said that every loaf of bread is stamped with the cross of Christ. But how? What does this mean? The answers are found in the following Bible verses: DDB1 189 2 John 6:33: By His sacrifice, Christ "gives life to the world." Verse 51: He has given His "flesh ... for the life of the world." DDB1 189 3 1 Timothy 4:10:He is already "the Savior of all men." DDB1 189 4 John 4:42:His name is "the Savior of the world." DDB1 189 5 Isaiah 53:5, 6:He has died for every person's sin, paid the full penalty because "the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." DDB1 189 6 Hebrews 2:9:He has "taste[d] death for everyone," not the "sleep" that we humans call death, but the real thing, "the second death" (Rev. 2:11; 20:14). DDB1 189 7 Romans 5:16-18:As our second Adam, Christ has taken the place of the first Adam. The entire human race was "in him" when he sinned in Eden; now because Christ has taken his place as our second Adam, the entire human race is "in Him" in the same legal, or corporate sense. He has reversed the "condemnation" that came upon "all men" in Adam, and God has given us instead "a verdict of acquittal" in Christ (The Revised English Bible). DDB1 189 8 John 3:16-19:Therefore the only reason any soul can be lost at last is his or her refusal to believe the Good News. DDB1 189 9 Revelation 13:8:If Christ had not become "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world," the entire human race would have perished in Eden; the human race "lives" because of Him; the sun shines, the rain falls, because of Him; we are all infinitely and eternally in debt to Him, whether or not we know it and whether or not we believe it. "By His stripes we are healed" (Isa. 53:5). DDB1 189 10 1 John 2:2:He is "the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world." DDB1 189 11 2 Corinthians 5:19:When Christ was on His cross, God imputed the world's trespasses unto Him, not just of a few. DDB1 189 12 The conclusion:John 6:51-53 applies both to our present physical life as well as to our spiritual life. No one can excuse himself from the obligation to yield all to Christ, for He has purchased all; thus His cross is stamped on every loaf of bread, and every meal becomes a sacrament--by faith. The believer "eats and drinks" to "God's glory" (1 Corinthians 10:31). ------------------------Chapter 190--A Prayer God Has Promised to Answer With a Yes! DDB1 190 1 Would you like to pray a prayer that you know for surewill be answered? (That is, of course, if you don't resist and reject the answer God has promised to give you.) Here's the one He has promised to answer with a Yes! "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5). DDB1 190 2 Note what's involved: (1) You must realize that you "lack wisdom" (that immediately eliminates some people; they are satisfied with what they think they have). (2) Praying for wisdom is the right thing to do. (3) In response, God gives every human that gift, with no stipulation other than to ask in faith. In other words, you don't bring any merit with your prayer; unworthy people are invited. (4) Don't be afraid that God will "reproach" you, crush you with humiliation and fault-finding. He wants to build you up, not tear you down. DDB1 190 3 Psalm 25 is a perfectly worded prayer for wisdom (James may have had it in mind). No less than seven times David prays about and asks for it: "Teach me Your paths" (vs. 4). "Teach me" (vs. 5). You "teach sinners" (that's Good News, isn't it?; vs. 8). "The meek will He teach His way" (vs. 9). "All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth" (vs. 10). If someone reverences the Lord, He shall "teach [him] in the way that He shall choose" (vs. 12). He teaches you "the secret of the Lord" (vs. 14). DDB1 190 4 Jesus agrees. If you ask the dear Lord to give you a piece of bread, He does not put a stone on your plate (Matt. 7:7-11). He doesn't tease you or ridicule you. (But you can be sure that Satan will tempt you to think that God has double-crossed you.) DDB1 190 5 Then why do so many people who ask God to "teach" them and ask Him for "bread," end up in disagreement as to what God's wisdom is? Often they oppose each other. DDB1 190 6 It's a call to humility, to pray again, to re-study God's word. Psalm 25 leads to Psalm 40 where you "wait patiently for the Lord" until He "sets [your] feet upon a rock, and establishes [your] steps" (vs. 2). Hang on, by faith. ------------------------Chapter 191--What It Means to "Glory in the Cross" DDB1 191 1 What does it mean to "glory ... in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" as the apostle says in Galatians 6:14--"God forbid that I should glory, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ"? To "glory" in something is to revel in it, to be absorbed in it, to think of it day and night, to live for it; we do that all the time when we "glory" in our speed boat, or in our wardrobe, or in our palace-like house, or even in our garden, or in our special abilities that make people envy us. How can we learn to "glory in the cross"? DDB1 191 2 To "glory" in earthly things is idolatry; and the end is boredom. To "glory in the cross of Christ" would be a delightful experience if one knew how to do it; but what does the cross mean to us? DDB1 191 3 Christ suffered for us, but soldiers on the battlefield are also suffering; some of them lie in agony, wounded, for longer times than Jesus suffered on His cross. What is so special about the suffering of Jesus? When Paul "gloried in the cross" the world itself was "crucified to [him]" and he was "dead" to its alluring temptations; the cross of Christ had done something for him and to him. The love (agape) demonstrated there impacted him so deeply that "henceforth" he was "constrained" to devote himself to the cause and mission of Christ; he was "crucified with Christ" (Gal. 2:20). It wasn't because Paul was a super-hero; he was a sinner by nature as much as any of us; he said he was "less than the least of all saints [sinners]" (Eph. 3:8). DDB1 191 4 What the apostle "saw" we can "see" today: the death that Jesus died on His cross was not the ordinary "death" we know; He died "theseconddeath" (Rev. 2:11; 20:14), which meant under "the curse of God," the horror of the endless darkness of hell; and Christ suffered it for every human soul on earth (Gal. 3:13; Heb. 2:9). Let the solemn truth stretch your mind and "enlarge [your] heart" as David prays (Psalm 119: 32), so you can "comprehend" its vast dimensions (Eph. 3:14-19). ------------------------Chapter 192--Our Biblical Poet Laureate DDB1 192 1 The prophet Isaiah belongs in a class by himself. Not only has he written the longest book in the Bible (66 chapters), he is our biblical Poet Laureate. And not only that, the Holy Spirit employed him to portray Christ in prophecy in the most intimate way. We meet Jesus personally in Isaiah. The words the poet chose in chapter 53, for example, are heart-stopping. Of inspired writers of all time, Isaiah stands at the pinnacle. DDB1 192 2 But it is in his chapters 7 and 9 Isaiah confronts us with a most profound revelation of Jesus as a Baby. Not only is Jesus born of a virgin, but the Baby's name is "God with us" (Matt. 1:23). The only Baby in all eternity to be both divine and human is given to "us" for all eternity. "Unto usa child is born." All you inhabitants of other worlds who have never fallen, stand back; all you holy, sinless angels, stand back; Jesus is ours. We fallen, sinful mortals, wehave Him. The Son of God! And we have Him forever. DDB1 192 3 Just knowing and believing this kills sin at its roots. (If you are still a slave to sin, you don't yet believe it.) DDB1 192 4 But 9:6 details an almost unbelievable truth about this Baby. Even in His infancy, as soon as He was born, the "government" of the universe was laid upon His shoulders--baby shoulders. From His first breath as Mary's Child He was set to fight in a war--the great controversy with the Enemy, Satan. If as a child, He were to "choose" the "evil" and "refuse" the "good" (as every other baby in all time has done; see 7:15; Rom. 3:23), He would have marred His record and "the government" of the universe would have fallen. DDB1 192 5 The plan of salvation was laid upon a Child. He couldn't be allowed to wait until what we say is "the age of accountability." He was "accountable" from His first breath. And He wasn't programmed to be flawless: He was so from human choice--"He knew to refuse the evil and choose the good" (7:15). DDB1 192 6 Stand back, all human beings: your salvation as well as that of the throne of God was on the shoulders of a Baby. ------------------------Chapter 193--The Unnecessary Prayer DDB1 193 1 Have you ever read The Unnecessary Prayer in the Bible? It was offered from a sad heart that was broken with Unnecessary Sorrow. That prayer came from a very good man whose sorrow was possible only because of his unbelief (the same unbelief all of us have known, by nature). DDB1 193 2 In Genesis 37:3-11 God has chosen Joseph, old Jacob's son, to be a prophet, and has given him two inspired dreams. His father, mother, and eleven brothers would all someday bow down to him. The ten brothers hated him (just as we good church people find it easy to hate any true messenger the Lord may send to us--it's a perpetual phenomenon). DDB1 193 3 Jacob almost believes, but then disbelieves. When the ten brothers sell Joseph as a slave into Egypt, they tell the old father a lie, and he believes it instead of the prophetic Good News. "A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces" (vs. 33). Jacob believes that lie for many years. Meanwhile Joseph has become Prime Minister of the great Empire of Egypt. DDB1 193 4 He pretends to talk rough to the ten brothers who finally come down to buy grain. Don't you dare come back unless you bring your youngest brother (Benjamin)! So they tell this "sad," bad news to old Jacob who concludes (like so often we all do!), "All these things are against me" (42:36; they were actually for him!). DDB1 193 5 Finally, with reluctance he lets them take Benjamin and go back to buy some grain to save their lives. The ten have told him about that "mean man," the Prime Minister; they're all afraid of him. Jacob lets them go, and prays: "May God Almighty give you mercy before the man!" (43:14). He prays that Joseph, who loves them all with all his heart, will be merciful! The Unnecessary Prayer! DDB1 193 6 All those many years of Jacob's sorrow were needless except for his doubt of the Spirit of Prophecy. He should have believed that since God had called Joseph to the gift of prophecy He would never have let "a wild beast devour him." He should have told the ten, "You're lying!" He should have kept the faith and been happy all those long, sad years. ------------------------Chapter 194--The Good News in Suffering DDB1 194 1 Have you ever known someone who was faithful and obedient to the Lord, yet who was left to suffer sickness and pain for a long time, unhealed? Yes, it does encourage us to hear stories of other people whose prayers were answered miraculously. But for some people, the miraculous answer doesn't come. DDB1 194 2 I knew of one case, a lady whose ministry blessed many people, whose love and unselfishness were unquestioned, whose life record was one of wonderful good works, yet her illness went on and on. Have you suffered and yet it seemed your prayers were not answered? Let me encourage you: DDB1 194 3 Elisha was undoubtedly a man of God, a true prophet, yet he became ill and he actually died of his sickness (read 2 Kings 13:14). Can you imagine Elisha praying for healing and wondering why the Lord did not heal him? If anybody had merit accumulated by a life of good works, he did. Why did God leave him to suffer until he died? DDB1 194 4 And then there is Paul, so sick that he almost died (2 Corinthians 12); well, yes, Paul must have been healed, but he tells us that when he begged the Lord three times to take away the "thorn in his flesh," the Lord said No. Why? Doesn't the Lord answer our prayers? Yes, He answered Paul's with a straight-out No. But that "No" brought immense joy and peace to Paul's heart and he was on Cloud Nine from then on because the Lord said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (which means human helplessness). Then Paul said, "Most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ... For when I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Cor. 12:7-10). DDB1 194 5 The real Good News in suffering like this is that you "partake of Christ’s sufferings" (1 Peter 4:13) and that is real cause for rejoicing. ------------------------Chapter 195--An Alternative to Being "Under Law" DDB1 195 1 A man wrote of his experience as a youth when he would read the Bible every day simply because he enjoyed it. He had a Good News Bible, and was attracted to it. Then he went away to college and got in with a group of earnest-minded people who emphasized discipline. "Have you had your 'quiet time' with the Lord?" they would ask him frequently. "Are you maintaining your devotions?" DDB1 195 2 He got so he dreaded to hear the questions. Now, reading the Bible and praying had passed from a pleasant experience to a burden, an obligation imposed upon him with dreaded consequences if he slipped up. Now his "Christian" experience had become a list of "shoulds": you "should" pray more, you "should" read your Bible more, you "should" do this or do that more. DDB1 195 3 What happened? He tried to think it through and concluded that he was in the spiritual condition that Paul describes as "under law" (Rom. 6:14, 15). He was trying to do all the right things for the wrong reason. The joy was gone. DDB1 195 4 The "world" is much with us; we are enmeshed in countless activities and it seems the busy days fly by and we drop exhausted into bed at night and remember, "Oh, I forgot to pray, or I forgot to read my Bible! Now what's going to happen to me?!" That's what it's like to be "under law." DDB1 195 5 Yes, you're busy; but when you drop into bed at night do you suddenly reproach yourself, "Oh, I forgot to eat breakfast this morning! I've been too busy to eat lunch! And there was no time to eat supper! And I haven't even had a snack for a week!"? I doubt it. You have a built-in device called "hunger" that pretty well makes that impossible, at least for very long. DDB1 195 6 There's an alternative to being "under law"--being "under grace" (Rom. 6:14), under a new motivation imposed upon you by a heart-appreciation of God's loving and His giving that you might not "perish" (John 3:16). And thatproduces a "hunger and thirst for righteousness" that simply will notgo unsatisfied for long! (Matt. 5:6). ------------------------Chapter 196--A "Student" in Christ's School DDB1 196 1 You'd think that if a person knew, even before he was born, that he was called of God to be a prophet, such a high honor would give him a healthy sense of self-respect. The Lord told that to Jeremiah (1:5), but here he is so down in the dumps that he wishes he could die (9:1, 2; 20:14-18). Of all the Lord's prophets, he is the most open in telling us of his inner battles with self, and of the disappointments in his relation with the Lord. DDB1 196 2 Elijah also wished he could die (1 Kings 19:4), but the Lord gave him the very high honor of being translated, and not dying. Isaiah went through an experience of deep humbling of his heart before God (Isa. 6:5), but the Lord gave him the joy of ministry to a king who appreciated him (37:1, 2, etc.). DDB1 196 3 But Jeremiah! He suffered nothing but rejection and disappointment for his entire lifetime, and even after the remnant of people who were left alive after the ruin of the kingdom saw the unmistakable evidence that he had been right all along in his ministry, they treated him like dirt (43:2-6ff.). His story comes to an end in tragedy. After he was dead, his people changed their mind about him, and they rated him the greatest of the prophets, even thinking that Jesus Christ might be Jeremiah resurrected (Matt. 16:14). DDB1 196 4 One experience in his life is of special encouragement to all of us who are "students in the school of Christ." Jeremiah prays in 10:23-24: "O Lord, correct me, but with justice; not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing." Do you believe the gracious, kind Lord answered that prayer? Yes! Did He bring the poor servant of His "to nothing"? No! Jeremiah tells us how the Lord kindly rebuked him, corrected him, disciplined him as a "student" in His school (15:15-21), and made a great man out of him. You are a student, too. Don't quit "school"! ------------------------Chapter 197--Confused by Conflicting Ideas of Righteousness by Faith? DDB1 197 1 Are you confused by conflicting ideas of "righteousness by faith"? Many are! It's quite likely that preachers, theologians, and writers have muddied the waters for you. Try reading the naked Bible. Yes, reading it, not merely listening to it on YouTube or on CDs to some preacher whose voice betrays his own confusion or hard-heartedness. DDB1 197 2 Here's a brief suggestion: try reading the Gospel of John. (Those who try to learn New Testament Greek usually begin there, for John's Greek is the most simple of any of the New Testament writers.) But before you open the Book offer a sincere prayer that the same Holy Spirit who inspired the apostle will condescend to inspire your mind and heart to grasp what he writes--then you and John will be kneeling together at the throne of grace! DDB1 197 3 If you have been afraid to read the naked Bible for fear you will be misled, make a choice to believe what the Savior of the world has promised: "Ask, and it will be given to you; ... What man is there of you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ... Your Father who is in heaven [will] give good things to those who ask Him," not fanatical or poisonous ideas (Matt. 7:7-11; Luke 11:13 explains those "good things" to be the Holy Spirit). DDB1 197 4 It's a healthy thing to be afraid of fanaticism! Plead with the Father to save you from pride, for fanaticism is spiritual pride. A good, healthy prayer to pray daily is in Romans 12:3, "not to think of [oneself] more highly than [one] ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith." DDB1 197 5 Now, with confidence that the Father is not teasing you, but that He respects your humble prayer, start reading John. Remember, no commentaries for now, maybe later. By the time you get to John 3:16, much of the confusion will be cleared out of your mind, like sunshine after a storm. DDB1 197 6 You will see that it is God's job to tell you Good News, and it is now your job to believe it. That's the same as exercising that "measure of faith" God has already given you; and lo and behold, what happens? Righteousness by that faith; yes, willing and happy obedience to all the commandments of God--reconciliation of your alienated heart to Him and to His holy law. Another word for that? Salvation! ------------------------Chapter 198--According to Jesus, There Is Only One Thing We Must Do DDB1 198 1 This may shock you, but it is true: as you read the New Testament, there is only one thing that we are told we must do--and that is "believe." It's clear in John 3:7-16, and in Hebrews 11:6, as well as Acts 16:30, 31. DDB1 198 2 The New Testament does not teach the heresy of what is known as "only-believism," that is, that a mental assent and confession are all that are necessary--without obedience. Romans 10:10 says that "with the heart one believes to righteousness." And if you believe with the heart, there is certainly a change in the life that leads you to obey all of God's commandments. DDB1 198 3 Put all those texts together and let them speak, and it becomes clear that the Bible meaning of the word "believe" is quite different from the usual idea held by Roman Catholic and Protestant evangelicals. To "believe" is not an exercise of selfishness, like buying a lottery ticket. Every such purchase is a hope to win a bonanza. But Bible faith is not centered in winning something, even if it is a heavenly fortune instead of an earthly jackpot. Bible faith is a heart-appreciation of the love of the Father in giving His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. According to Jesus, this is the one thing you must do. DDB1 198 4 But someone says, wait a minute--doesn't He say, "If you love me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15)? Yes, but please notice: the motive is love, not fear or hope of reward! And Jesus prefaces that remark with this: "believe ... in Me" (vs. 1). He is talking about receiving the atonement, the reconciliation (Rom. 5:9, 10). Paul pleads with us, "Be reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20). Why, and how? The next verse answers: "He made Him [Christ] who knew no sin to be sin for us." DDB1 198 5 Let your heart contemplate what happened on that cross; then as David says, your heart will be "enlarged" (Psalm 119:32). In such faith is everlasting life. And the message about it today is the third angel's message in verity. ------------------------Chapter 199--The Savior Needs Your Willing Cooperation DDB1 199 1 When you think about it, you marvel: whenever Jesus worked a miracle to give people food or drink, He always needed the willing cooperation of some human beings. At the wedding in Cana of Galilee, He needed the help of the servants to go get the wine jars and fill them with water. Then He chose not to wave His hand and suddenly fill all the guests' glasses with supernatural wine. Instead, working behind the scenes with the servants, He gave the party wine. DDB1 199 2 In the two miracles of feeding the thousands, it's interesting that in each instance He waited for the cooperation of the disciples before He could feed the multitudes. In the case of the "four thousand men, besides women and children" (Matt. 15:32-39), when He expressed His compassion on the people being so hungry that they might collapse on their journeys home, He first asked the disciples, "How many loaves do you have?" Apparently they went off to inquire and came back, "Seven, and a few little fish." Very well, now He can do something; "He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude." DDB1 199 3 In feeding the five thousand (Mark 6:30-44; John 6:5-14), again He was dependent on the little boy's gift of his "five loaves and two fish" (obviously the lunch his mother had made for him; he was so enthralled listening to Jesus he forgot to eat it). The lesson seems clear: although Jesus could "create" bread from nothing as He created the world in the beginning, now the rules in the great controversy require that He be dependent on willing human cooperation for something to begin with! DDB1 199 4 Astounding as the truth may be, the Savior actually needs you! Perk up, lift up your head; you are important in His great plan for the world. ------------------------Chapter 200--Christ's Prayer Must Be Answered DDB1 200 1 The Lord encourages each of us to pray to Him alone; Jesus gave us permission to address His Father as "our Father in heaven." We are to pray in the name of His only begotten Son: "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it" (John 14:14). Big promise! DDB1 200 2 But sometimes it seems that He doesn't hear us or answer us. We beg Him to tell us why. John may help: "This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us" (1 John 5:14). "His will" is love for our souls; it's possible we are asking for something that in the end would harm us, because we don't know better (or it might harm someone else). DDB1 200 3 Then John explains further: "And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him" (vs. 15). The "if" is important. Some dear people spend a lifetime trying to understand, but you can "fast forward" your understanding if you will choose to believe that He loves you as an individual, that He does hear you, and that He will grant you whatever is best for you, to be realized when you need it. DDB1 200 4 But there is something about answered prayer we must not forget: "If twoof you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven" (Matt. 18:19). Praying by yourself may not be good enough! You'd be surprised how rare it is to find two individuals (even in a church) who are totally in heart unity. Not that one must be a clone of the other, but the Holy Spirit just has trouble "convicting" two people alike; one seems always to be breaking away from heart unity in some way. If only "two" could fulfill that promise "in Christ," they could turn the world upside down--let alone their church. DDB1 200 5 The prayer of Christ's heart still is for His disciples "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me" (John 17:21). With His church fragmented, it may seem that even Christ after 2000 years can't get His prayers answered when He prays by Himself! But don't give up your faith: Christ's prayer mustbe answered, or He must lose the great controversy with Satan! Pray with Him, on His side, that His people may be brought into that true, blessed one-ness "in Him." ------------------------Chapter 201--When Jesus Almost Returned DDB1 201 1 Almost 175 years ago a group of people joined a New York Baptist farmer, William Miller, in expecting the Lord Jesus Christ to return in fulfillment of His promise, "I will come again," on a certain date, October 22, 1844. DDB1 201 2 Of course, they were mistaken and their experience became known as the "Great Disappointment," for it was widely publicized. Their belief grew out of the study of Daniel 8:14, "Unto two thousand and three hundred days [which they correctly understood as literal years]; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed" (King James Version). It was the general assumption in the churches that "the sanctuary" is this earth to be cleansed with fire at the second coming. The assumption was wrong but they had the date right: "the sanctuary" is the heavenly one to be cleansed by the heart preparation of a people readyto meet Jesus when He does return. DDB1 201 3 Does the genuine Holy Spirit ever permit people to be "disappointed" if they haven't studied? Yes! He permitted the Lord's disciples to suffer a terrible disappointment in His crucifixion, because they misunderstood the event. The true Holy Spirit was working in that 1844 movement, for it heralded the beginning of Christ's closing ministry as High Priest in the Most Holy Apartment ministry of the heavenly sanctuary, just as Pentecost heralded the beginning of His ministry in the first apartment. DDB1 201 4 But the ridicule heaped on William Miller has burgeoned into a dislike to think of anyone living to see Jesus return. "Everybody will die" is freely said repeatedly; but the apostle Paul boldly says the opposite: "Listen! I will unfold a mystery: we shall not all die, but we shall all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet-call. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will rise immortal, and we shall be changed" (1 Cor. 15:50-52, The New English Bible). DDB1 201 5 Now the question faces us: is the second coming of Christ near? Can we still cherish what Paul also said is the "blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and our Savior Jesus Christ"? (Titus 2:11-14). DDB1 201 6 In our zeal to ridicule that sincere and godly Baptist minister of long ago let's not sacrifice a fundamental Bible truth for today. Jesus iscoming again--soon. And He intends that people now living will see Him come. ------------------------Chapter 202--Progress Will Become Phenomenal--In One Generation DDB1 202 1 Is it possible that the Lord Jesus Christ in His glorified state is discouraged with the slow progress of His church on earth? Their progress, that is, in getting ready for His second coming? He says He wants to return, "that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:3). Their lack of spiritual progress delays that homecoming. DDB1 202 2 We may not say that He is "discouraged" (we are told that "discouragement" is a sin); but the word that we may use to describe how Christ feels is "disappointed." Divine "disappointment" cannot be described as a sin, but it is very painfulfor Him to endure while we go on generation after generation in a spiritual state that is childish. His "disappointment is beyond description." We should be growing up to be a bride for "the marriage of the Lamb" (cf. Rev. 19:7, 8), but generation after generation goes by with each repeating the spiritual childishness of its predecessor. In fact, it's century after century! DDB1 202 3 Can you imagine the "beyond-description disappointment" that the Lord Jesus feels? DDB1 202 4 He loves His corporate people who are His church; yes, He loves them individually. He loves youas an individual, yes you, the one-of-a-kind person you are; but He also loves His church corporately.The church has a corporate personality that in Scripture is given the female pronoun (Rev. 19:7, 8). DDB1 202 5 A teacher is disappointed "beyond description" when his student makes no progress in learning. Such was my first violin teacher's feelings about me as a student. I was working to hold the bow correctly, etc., but my heart wasn't in it. Nothing in violin music attracted me until one day I discovered an old broken Victor Red Seal record of Jascha Heifetz. My mother had left it before she died (when I was two); my father glued the two halves together on the back of another record. Heifetz was playing a Schubert-Wilhelm melody on the G-string of a genuine Stradivarius violin. DDB1 202 6 I thought, if that's what a violin should sound like, I love it! From then on my teacher saw progress. DDB1 202 7 This is a crude illustration; but when God's people learn to appreciate the kind of love (agape) that motivated Jesus to die the world's "second death," that is, when they see the "width and length and depth and height" of that love "which passes knowledge" (Eph. 3:18, 19) their progress will become phenomenal--yes, in one generation! ------------------------Chapter 203--The Miracle of Unity DDB1 203 1 The Bible speaks of unity within the church: how Christ prayed for it (John 17:20, 21), how Paul said that Christ's agapewill produce it (Eph. 4:13-16), how the very doctrine of God demands it (vss. 2-6). But we have to face reality: churches often have disagreements and divisions, within one denomination and even within one church body. DDB1 203 2 Even after a literal reading of Genesis 1 and 2, there are powerful voices advocating evolution. There are divisions about ordaining women, about what music to use during church worship services, and on and on. And for many, "the blessed hope" of the soon second coming of Christ is receding into the background, and a materialistic earthly lifestyle is taking its place. DDB1 203 3 Why does disunion seem to flourish? And how can the church lighten the earth with glory if it is in a divided state? And what can bring the true unity that Christ prayed for? DDB1 203 4 There is a solution! If God is real and if His Bible is true, it follows that God willbring His people into unity. DDB1 203 5 What today seems impossible, the Holy Spirit will accomplish. He brought the disunited eleven apostles into unity before the Day of Pentecost. They were "all with one accord in one place" (Acts 2:1). That was "the former rain," and the "latter rain" is promised to be even greater. God cannot use force to accomplish it. For Him to burn down churches or strike them with lightning wouldn't solve the root problem. DDB1 203 6 Ephesians gives us the solution: for those "tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine" is the message of agape(Eph. 4:14, 15). Such a message tells what Christ accomplished, the pure biblical truth of justification by faith. DDB1 203 7 Christ has promised solemnly that if He is lifted up on His cross, that is, if His agapeis clearly proclaimed, He "will draw all peoples to [Himself]," and that of course is perfect unity (John 12:32). If the leadership of a church that is being fragmented receives the precious message of Christ's righteousness, the miracle of unity is as certain as day follows night. ------------------------Chapter 204--God's Unwilling Messengers DDB1 204 1 What can God in heaven do to awaken "this present evil world" in which we live? The story of Nineveh may illustrate how He works. DDB1 204 2 He cared about that wealthy pagan city (and Assyrian empire) with "more than 120,000 persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left" (Jonah 4:11). He pitied their ignorance of truth, which Israel had "kept away from the world." We do not read that He sent a literal "angel" to teach them (except for the angels at the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, His messages have always been sent by humans under His guidance). So God chose Jonah and sent him, "Go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it" (1:2). DDB1 204 3 But the messenger was unwilling; he did not have the compassion of heart that God had. Almost by coercion God sent him again, and his mission proved fantastically effective. "The people of Nineveh believed God, ... from the greatest to the least of them. Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king …" (3:5-7). DDB1 204 4 For once Jesus’ prayer was answered, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven"! The world’s most cruel empire was on the way to being converted! But the Lord’s messenger stumbled, staggered, and failed. Jonah could have become a great evangelist to Assyria itself, and the history of the four cruel empires, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, would have been different. DDB1 204 5 God also had a problem with His messenger to the Kingdom of Judah (worse than Assyria!) in Josiah its last "good" king. Almost fanatical in following the Spirit of Prophecy of his day (the books of Moses), he rejected its living demonstration in the message from Pharaoh Necho; and Josiah’s reformation failed (2 Chron. 35, 36). DDB1 204 6 But in the great final Day of Atonement, all the failures of ancient Israel and Judah must and will at last be rectified in a repentance of the ages (Rev. 3:19, 20). Then at last "Nineveh" will be given the Lord’s message (18:1-4), and Christ will be honored. ------------------------Chapter 205--Sharing the Savior's Joy in Telling His Good News DDB1 205 1 The Bible mercifully does not teach an eternally burning hell where lost humans writhe in conscious torment. If you and I were safe in God's New Jerusalem, how could we be happy knowing that these people were in such agony? If we were loving people, we'd be in hell with them just through being compassionate! In truth, the whole universe would be hell itself--there couldn't be a spot free of the horrible plague of anguish felt by everyone. DDB1 205 2 We'd be utterly hard-hearted if we encased ourselves in isolation and forgot about them while reveling in self-centered "heavenly" enjoyment. Modern electronics makes us conscious of the world's agony today. Many people are virtually in a hell already, like that in which King David found himself after his double sin of sexual adultery and murder. The heart-pain was lethal: "Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God" (Psalm 51:14). "My bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me." "Out of the depths I have cried to you, O Lord" (32:3, 4; 130:1). DDB1 205 3 In Christ, God has become one of us in bearing this same "bloodguiltiness," for on His cross Christ was "made to be sin for us, who knew no sin" (2 Cor. 5:21, King James Version). Our modern electronic age which has made us sensitive to the horror of so many people is concomitant with the Bible truth of God's cosmic Day of Atonement. That's when "the hour of His judgment has come," when the "seventh angel sounds" his trumpet (Rev. 14:7; 11:15). God feels all this agony of hell; but now we look into His sanctuary and feel for ourselves at least a little of what God feels. DDB1 205 4 The closer we come to Him (or rather, the closer we allow Him to come to us!) the more we are in sympathy with Him, and thus with our fellow men who suffer. It's a sin to live on this Day of Atonement while denying this closer fellowship with Him and with others. DDB1 205 5 But just sharing His agony is not good enough; sharing the joy of His salvation (what guilt-ridden David prayed for in Psalm 51) becomes ours, too. That means: from now on our very life is understanding and sharing that special "truth of the gospel" that comes with this grand Day of Atonement! Now we also share the Savior's joy in telling His Good News! ------------------------Chapter 206--Does God Ever Smile at Us? DDB1 206 1 There is a simple, common word that we use all the time that amazingly is not found in the common English translations of the Bible: "smile" (the King James Versionconcordance goes from "smell" to "smite"). Smiles brighten our lives, but does God ever smile at us? If your only beloved one gives you a smile with eyes shining, your heart is lifted. But if only God would give you such a smile, how your inmost heart would sing for joy! Actually, all our yearnings for human love are in reality a longing for God's smile, to see His eyes shining upon us. DDB1 206 2 The idea of God smiling upon us (or frowning!) is in the Psalms of David: "There are many who say, 'Who will show us any good?' Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us. You have put gladness in my heart" (4:6, 7). God's people "perish at the rebuke of Your countenance" (that is, His frown, 80:16). "How long will You hide Your face from me, ... having sorrow in my heart daily?" (13:1, 2). DDB1 206 3 When David built himself a new house, he dedicated it to the Lord. He wrote: "His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; ... You hid Your face, and I was troubled" (30:5, 7). "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous [obviously shining and smiling], ... The face of the Lord is against those who do evil" (34:15, 16). If you can't see His smiling face, you are depressed: even for the "innumerable teeming things [of creation] ... [if] You hide Your face, they are troubled" (104:25, 29). DDB1 206 4 Can you earn a smile from God by good works and obedience? "Many" think so, for in the judgment day they "will say," "Have we not ... done many wonders [wonderful works]?" (Matt. 7:22). What they thought was a "smile" for their good works only fed their complacent ego. DDB1 206 5 We are on safer ground when we appreciate that when the Father "smiled" on Jesus at His baptism ("This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased") He was smiling on us also (Eph. 1:6). ------------------------Chapter 207--The Miraculous Repentance Yet to Come DDB1 207 1 Does the ancient book of Jonah, and his strange story say anything to us in our modern world? Millions of Christians have long ago dismissed the book as a hopeless myth telling impossible tales: how could a fish swallow a man and he survive? DDB1 207 2 However, Jesus Christ believed the story of Jonah and referred to the book as straightforward historical fact (Matt. 12:40, 41). In the process, He told of a second miracle in the book of Jonah that eclipses the fish story in wonder: when the prophet preached his most precious message (all of God's messages are that!), the people of this very wicked pagan city actually believed his message and repented! Moreover, the highly sophisticated "king and his nobles" led out in the work of repentance, "all of them, from the greatest to the least"--a most unusual twist of human history. DDB1 207 3 Usually, it has been assumed by Christian people everywhere that any genuine revival or reformation must begin at the grass-roots level and then with the blessing of the Lord spread upwards to the leadership. But this time, it was backwards. "When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, ... and sat down in the dust. Then he issued a proclamation" calling upon the city as a whole, as a corporate body, to repent and be reconciled to God (Jonah 3:5-9, New International Version). It worked! The "city" responded! They repented! DDB1 207 4 The Father "sent" Jesus Christ, His Son, to the wicked city of Jerusalem, calling upon them to repent. But the leadership rose up in rebellion against Him, and murdered Him. And by and large, the people followed their leaders into national ruin. Imagine what a blessing it would have been to the nation (and the world) if Caiaphas, their spiritual leader, had followed the example of "the king of Nineveh," and had risen from his seat of leadership and led the nation into repentance! In that Matthew passage, Jesus appealed to the story of Jonah as an example of the kind of repentance He was calling for, from the Jewish people. But tragically, they refused. DDB1 207 5 Is there some lesson here for us? God's people can learn from the book of Jonah about the repentance of the ages, the miraculous repentance yet to come. Jonah's God still lives, still works. ------------------------Chapter 208--Building a House? Think of Psalm 127 DDB1 208 1 Have you ever built a house? Working day after day until near midnight? It leaves you exhausted! DDB1 208 2 If so, think of Psalm 127:1 (Good News Bible), which says: "If the Lord does not build the house, the work of the builders is useless." That sounds a little discouraging at first reading; as though the Lord doesn't care about all your hard work. But on second reading, there is Good News: it actually says that the Lord is building your "house" if you don't stop Him! The word "house" means "home," for everybody knows that the most beautiful palace in the world is a lonely prison without the light and warmth of family love. DDB1 208 3 What this beautiful psalm is telling us is that the Lord is working to give us that light and warmth. Verse 3 says: "The Lord provides for those He loves, while they are asleep." Now, that is not teaching laziness--only a fanatic would read it that way. DDB1 208 4 But it says we cooperate with the Lord; a happy marriage and happy home relationship is something that the Lord builds--that's what the text says. He wants us to enjoy that happiest gift on earth, a happy, stable home. We let Him "build" it. His Holy Spirit day by day, night by night, is laying a brick, a stone, a timber, in this "house," because He is constantly convicting us of our sin of love of selfishness that gets in the way. DDB1 208 5 Such blessed healing depends on self being laid aside. Or, stated more clearly, self dying with Christ. If we are rigid in our self-vindication, if self is proud flesh (so to speak) that can't be touched without a howl of protest, the Savior simply can't "build the house" for us. Someone says it's "hard" for self to be crucified, to die; sure, but identify with Christ on His cross, and it becomes easy. DDB1 208 6 As He builds your "house," don't get in His way. Don't stop Him. ------------------------Chapter 209--Ask the Father to Lead You to His Son's Cross DDB1 209 1 Someday we will be in God's eternal kingdom of glory, thanks to our Savior. We'll look back on our earthly pilgrimage, wondering why it took us so long to overcome our worldliness, our selfishness, our sinful addictions, yes, our Laodicean lukewarmness. We will see that pure "river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb" (Rev. 22:1). DDB1 209 2 "The Lamb"? Yes, the crucified Christ. We will at last understand why Paul said long ago that he would "glory" in nothing else "save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Gal. 6:14), why he "determined not to know anything among [us], save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2). DDB1 209 3 We will then begin to understand, "clear as crystal," how Christ as the Lamb of God "tasted" our second death; endured the horror of hell in our behalf; endured being made the "curse of God"; "made to be sin for us, who knew no sin"; experienced in Himself all the agony of the total of all our human terror multiplied by the unspeakable agony also of divine terror; and endured to the fullest the reality of every man's worst nightmares. Then at last we will sing with new understanding the anthem, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain" (Heb. 2:9, Gal. 3:13, 2 Cor. 5:21, Rev. 5:12). DDB1 209 4 But what a pity if we can't begin to understand all that today! Or can we? If we could, we would find the victory over our worldliness, our sinful addictions, yes, our deep-seated selfishness, not sometime far off in eternity but now, today. True, a little child can't appreciate what happened on the cross; he or she can only laugh and coo and enjoy his superficial level of life (thank God he or she can!). But who of us is content to remain a little child forever? Is it not time to begin to grow up into Him, to "come" into "the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13)? DDB1 209 5 Ask the Father to lead you to His Son's cross so you can begin to see what happened there. You'll never be the same person again. ------------------------Chapter 210--"Abide in Me," Stay Where I Have Put You DDB1 210 1 Personal assurance of salvation: It's serious, because you can waste a lot of psychic energy worrying about your eternal future. All kinds of personality disorders can develop because of this deep anxiety, making not only yourself miserable, but others closest to you. DDB1 210 2 The apostle John says, "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13). Is that like knowing you have a certain amount of money in the bank? You feel better if you know it's there in your name. Obviously, God does not want us to fret and worry. DDB1 210 3 On the other hand, He wants us to exercise common sense. The Bible does not teach the heresy of Universalism. Clearly, some people, "the number is as the sand of the sea" (Rev. 20:8), will not enter into eternal life. Christ will be forced to tell many, Sorry, "I never knew you" (Matt. 7:23). DDB1 210 4 So, how do we walk this fine line? Several Bible principles may help us: DDB1 210 5 (1) The only Person in the Bible who has ever been guaranteed eternal life is Christ Himself. God says of Him, "Behold! My servant ... My Elect One in whom My soul delights!" (Isa. 42:1). "I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame" (1 Peter 2:6). DDB1 210 6 (2) All the rest of us are chosen "in Him" (Eph. 1:4), because His new role is that of "last Adam," or second Adam. He is the new Head of the human race; and just as the human race is naturally "in Adam" by birth, so now by faith we can individually ratify His election of us "in Him." DDB1 210 7 (3) He wills that "all men" should be saved (1 Tim. 2:3, 4); you waste your time if you worry about whether He wants you to be saved. DDB1 210 8 (4) His love is so strong, His persistence is so great as "Good Shepherd" that He will continue to assure you of His search for you as His lost sheep. DDB1 210 9 (5) He claims you as His purchased possession, purchased with His blood (Acts 20:28). DDB1 210 10 (6) He says that He has you in His hand. "My sheep hear My voice ... and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand" (John 10:27, 28). "Assurance"? Yes! DDB1 210 11 (7) But let common sense kick in right here: If you cling stubbornly to unbelief, if you deliberately choose to rebel, you can jump out of His hand. So He says, "Abide in Me," stay where I have put you by means of My great sacrifice for you (John 15:4). ------------------------Chapter 211--Nehemiah--We Are Inspired by His Devotion DDB1 211 1 Nehemiah was a wonderful man, if for no other reason than that he has a book in the Bible named for him. That's an honor for anyone! DDB1 211 2 The Lord blessed him wonderfully; everything he did was a success. It was his job to direct the rebuilding of the broken down walls of Jerusalem, walls that the Babylonians had broken many years before when the Lord's people had been punished for their idolatry and exiled to Babylon. DDB1 211 3 Tobiah and Sanballat were Nehemiah's enemies who opposed him relentlessly. Nehemiah stood firmly for the law of the Lord, no compromise. He led the people in the straight path of obedience to the law of the Lord. He was successful in leading them to re-build the walls of Jerusalem; he re-instituted the Feast of Tabernacles that had not been kept by Israel for hundreds of years since the days of Joshua the son of Nun. DDB1 211 4 And Nehemiah clearly perceived the deceit of those enemies of Israel. Wonderful work! DDB1 211 5 Nehemiah begged the Lord repeatedly not to forget how wonderfully he had worked. For example, "God, remember this to my credit, and do not wipe out of Your memory the devotion which I have shown in the house of my God and in His service!" (13:14). He ends his book with this plea to the Lord, "God, remember me favourably!" (vs. 31, The Revised English Bible). DDB1 211 6 Dear Nehemiah! He worked so hard for the Lord. And the Lord was "not unjust to forget [his] work and labor of love which [he had] shown toward His name" (cf. Heb. 6:10). The Lord gave him a book in His Bible! We are inspired by his devotion. DDB1 211 7 But we are blessed by the knowledge of the New Covenant. We are not even thinking of any reward the Lord will give us. We don't beg Him like Nehemiah to remember all our "good" works. We are constrained by the love (agape) of Christ "henceforth" to realize that if Jesus died for us "all," then we all died "in Him," so that we can claim nothing for ourselves but to share that grave with Jesus, and then in sheer joyous gratitude devote all our lives to Him. If some angel someday should try to give us a crown of glory, we will cast it at Jesus' feet. ------------------------Chapter 212--The Voice That Embraced Humanity DDB1 212 1 Did Jesus preach His Sermon on the Mount to His disciples or to the multitude? DDB1 212 2 Some say that God is not the Father of "all humanity" but only of those who are converted. All the rest are children of the devil. But Matthew 5:1 says that when Jesus saw "the multitudes, He went up on a mountain" and preached about "Our Father in heaven," etc. (chapter 6). DDB1 212 3 The Muslim is told that he must make himself pure before he can come to Allah. But Jesus says, Come, and I will make you pure. He became one of us so that He might invite us to regard His Father as our Father. True, there are many who are unconverted; but why ... ? Is it because they have finally, irrevocably rejected Christ, or for many is it because they have never understood the gospel? Are they wolves, or could they be lost sheep who haven't yet been "found"? DDB1 212 4 We know that Jesus said, "Other sheep I have which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd" (John 10:16). In those words He describes the soul-winning work of that fourth angel who "comes down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth [is] illuminated with his glory" (Rev. 18:1-4). That "voice" will call to those "lost sheep," "Come out of [Babylon], My people, ... lest you receive of her plagues." DDB1 212 5 A wise writer says that when Jesus was baptized and a Voice was heard from heaven declaring, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," that Voice embraced humanity (Matt. 3:17). If you have felt like you are an orphan outside the "family," please accept the Good News: The Father has "adopted" you "in Christ" (Eph. 1:5, 6), and He invites you to pray, "Our Father ... " DDB1 212 6 You are as precious as that discouraged woman at Jacob's well when Jesus told her, "True worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth: for the Father is seeking such to worship Him" (John 4:23). Yes, He is seeking you! Come! ------------------------Chapter 213--Does Jesus Limit His Healing Grace Only to Good People? DDB1 213 1 Don't we wish we had a million days, not just 365 every year, to proclaim the gospel as Good News! There's no end to the crumbs of the bread of life that can nourish our famishing souls each new day. Take for example these verses from Psalm 103: "Bless the Lord, O my soul; ... Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases" (vss. 1, 3). The Good News says that the "you" is you, even if you are unworthy, even if you are a sinner. DDB1 213 2 The Bad News says No; that promise is only if you are a church member or at least a good person who has repented and done everything just right, and your conscience is clear. Only then can you expect the Lord to hear and answer your prayers and heal you. But which is true? DDB1 213 3 We can find the answer in the story in Mark 2 when Jesus healed the paralytic who was carried to Him by four men who broke up the tiles on the roof and let him down. Jesus knew very well that this man had brought sickness upon himself by sinful living. But He didn't ask the poor man any questions, or to make any promises. He didn't even ask him if he had repented; He said straight out, "Son, your sins are forgiven!" DDB1 213 4 Does Jesus limit His healing grace only to good people? Don't bad people get healed, too? If a bad person cuts his finger, doesn't the blood clot also? Read all those wonderful promises in Psalm 103 about your mouth satisfied with good food, and your youth renewed like the eagle's, and your life redeemed from destruction, etc. Doesn't the dear Lord do this for all His children--even the wandering, prodigal sons who haven't yet gone home?? And if that's so, then doesn't it follow that He also "forgives all your iniquities"? If not, how could anybody live, even for a moment? DDB1 213 5 If the Lamb of God hadn't paid the price for our sins on His cross, how could we take even another breath? Well, the Good News is good; believe it, and sing the Hallelujah Chorus today! ------------------------Chapter 214--Is There Ever a Time When a Church Member Should Confront a Leader? DDB1 214 1 There are many Christians around the world who are loyal to and support their church leaders. Rebellion against Moses was a sin; and the New Testament teaches loyalty to elders and pastors, and church administrators. But is there ever a time when a lowly church member should confront a leader? Is it ever possible that loyalty to Christ should supersede supporting a bishop? The Bible records many instances: DDB1 214 2 Young Joseph, by conscience, had to oppose his ten older brothers and even his elderly father, Jacob, and angered them. They were equivalent to leaders of the true church of his day! They misunderstood him. DDB1 214 3 David, only a youth, innocently found himself opposed by the anointed king of Israel, Saul. But his example of deference and loyalty to Saul is beautiful. DDB1 214 4 Elijah was forced by his conscience and by his love for Israel to pray that God would withhold rain from them for three and a half years. He withstood King Ahab to his face. He is a type of those who will be saved out of the world in the very last days, for he was translated to heaven. The Baal worship that Elijah faced is rampant in the world and in the church today. (Baal worship is the worship of self disguised as the worship of Christ.) DDB1 214 5 Jeremiah suffered persecution from the leaders of the one true church of Christ of his day. Yes, Kings Jehoikim and Zedekiah sat on David’s throne; when Zedekiah asked him, "Is there any word from the Lord?" Jeremiah was forced by his conscience to tell him the truth, which he didn’t like. DDB1 214 6 Jesus was forced by His conscience to tell the leaders of the one true church of His day the truth they didn’t like to hear. Yes, but there were tears in His voice! And He was loyal. DDB1 214 7 Paul was forced by his conscience to rebuke Peter to his face, at Antioch. But he did it in love, and in absolute loyalty to the organized church. ------------------------Chapter 215--A Lesson From the History of David DDB1 215 1 Young David, in relation to King Saul (who hated him and wanted to kill him), was loyal to the government of Israel, but that does not mean that the government of Israel needed a "king" other than the Lord Himself. The prophet Samuel anointed Saul to be the king not because that was God's will for Israel, but because the people wanted to be like the surrounding nations, and He let them have what they wanted. DDB1 215 2 The lesson we need to learn from this history is the importance of loyalty to the organized church that the Lord in His infinite wisdom has raised up. DDB1 215 3 The prophecy of Revelation 12:17 is clear: the Lord has a "remnant" church which He sustains in a world of apostasy and "Babylon" devotion. And 18:1-4 tells of a message that will swell to a loud cry that will "lighten the earth with glory." The call to "come out of Babylon" will sound so clearly and powerfully that multitudes who have been held back by family, friends, or even jobs, will respond. A wise writer says it well: DDB1 215 4 "The message will be carried not so much by argument as by the deep conviction of the [Holy] Spirit of God. … Many whose minds were impressed have been prevented from fully comprehending the truth or from yielding obedience. Now the rays of light penetrate everywhere, the truth is seen in its clearness, and the honest children of God sever the bands which have held them. Family connections, church relations, are powerless to stay them now. Truth is more precious than all besides. Notwithstanding the agencies combined against the truth, a large number take their stand upon the Lord's side." DDB1 215 5 That time has not yet come; we are still living this side of it. The second coming of Jesus is the next great event for planet earth; but just before His return, this message must go to all the world for it would not be fair for Jesus to come in glory and power unless every soul on earth has been given the full opportunity to see the truth and to choose to be loyal to it. DDB1 215 6 Let's not wait until then to take our stand! Let's do so today! ------------------------Chapter 216--A Glimpse Into the Heart of Jesus DDB1 216 1 We get a most precious little glimpse into the heart of Jesus during the moments that He was arrested in the Garden. His "loyal" disciple Peter has drawn his sword and slashed away wildly (like we do sometimes when we try to "defend" the truth thoughtlessly), and he chopped off the ear of the high priest's slave. Ludicrous accomplishment, Peter! You thought you were protecting the King of the new kingdom, didn't you; you said so proudly that you will never deny Him. This is a sorry performance to begin with. DDB1 216 2 Well, Peter meant to do the right thing. Jesus patiently endured him, this time once again; he had often done foolish things. But Jesus now told him to stop fighting and let things happen. The Father, after all, was leading. DDB1 216 3 Then our Lord uttered a brief soliloquy that tells us something profound: "How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?" In other words, Jesus didn't know what was going to happen except for what He had read in the Old Testament! Moments later He told His enemies, "I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me. But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled" (Matt. 26:52-56). Jesus held in His hands the same Book you hold in your hands, and the same Holy Spirit who taught Him the word is teaching you. Study! DDB1 216 4 Jesus was the divine Son of God, but He had laid aside the prerogatives of divinity (not the divinity itself!), that He might take upon Himself our humanity and live life as we must live it, "in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15). He learned what He learned as we must learn--from His study of the written word. He risked everything on what that written word said. We are daily tested: will we also trust our all to it? ------------------------Chapter 217--You Can Tell the Story of the Cross--Only If You've Had Your Isaiah 6 Experience DDB1 217 1 Isaiah 6 describes the young prophet's vision in the Temple of seeing "the Lord ... high and lifted up." It seems obvious that his vision was not of materialistic "glory"; it was a vision of the character of the Lord, a heart-humbling appreciation of His glorious self-sacrificing love. The cry of "holy, holy, holy" was a revelation of the cross. The young Isaiah was overwhelmed with a humbling sense of his own sinful selfishness in contrast. It became the foundation of his entire lifetime of service. DDB1 217 2 "Woe is me!" he cries. "I am undone!" A steamroller has flattened me in the dust. I thought I could devote my life to the Lord's ministry, he says; now I see that "I am a man of unclean lips." I have wandered into the "temple" of the Lord and I see I don't belong here; my heart is polluted in contrast with the righteousness of Christ. So prayed Isaiah. DDB1 217 3 There was another man who had a similar experience. The apostle Peter had spent some three years in the Lord's special theological seminary and had felt quite qualified for apostolic "ministry." Then when he had publicly blurted out three times his abject denial of Christ, he felt so crushed, so self-humiliated, so polluted in soul, that he threw himself on the ground and wished he could die. Lord, I'm finished! I can never be an apostle; I'm totally unworthy to be one of the Twelve; do let me die! So prayed Peter. DDB1 217 4 Sometimes the dear Lord lets us have cause to say, "All day long I have been plagued, and chastened every morning" (Psalm 73:14). Then when we feel done in, another word from the Lord comes to mind, "Whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives" (Heb. 12:6). DDB1 217 5 Isaiah could never have written his 53rd chapter about the cross of Christ unless he had experienced that self-abasement early on, in chapter 6. Someone somewhere is hungry to hear what happened on the cross of Christ. You talk about winning souls; well, if you can tell the story of the cross you'll win souls. But you'll never be able to tell it unless you have had your Isaiah 6 experience, and knelt down beside him there, and knelt down beside Peter, too. ------------------------Chapter 218--New Covenant Good News That Melts the Angry Heart DDB1 218 1 The Bible is clear--God's New Covenant is His promise. Jeremiah says that the New Covenant is the same as writing His holy law in the human heart (31:31-34). Now the question of questions: When God makes a promise, is there power in the promise itself? Or is the power in your doing what's right? Is there power in the gospel itself (the gospel understood as Good News, Rom. 1:16)? Or is the power in your own obedience to the gospel? DDB1 218 2 Here's the old controversy between righteousness by faith and righteousness by faith plus works. Don't dismiss the issue; it's serious. DDB1 218 3 Sarai was the name of the lady who was Abram's wife. The best one can find is that her name meant "contentious," quarrelsome. This is borne out by what we read of her. When God says He is not accepting Hagar's child, Ishmael, as the promised "heir," she feels bad because she is the problem; she is unable to conceive a child. She blames God. Then in Old Covenant thinking she comes up with a bright idea to solve Abram's problem: she practices Old Covenant self-denial and gives her maid (Hagar) into Abram's embrace--not an easy thing for any wife to do (Gen. 16:5). DDB1 218 4 Then the affair goes sour, Hagar despises Sarai, and lords it over her--the new queen of the household, and Sarai? Cast down. So she acts out her name and berates poor Abram: "My wrong be upon you! ... The Lord judge between you and me," and she storms off in a huff (Gen. 16:5). All Abram did was exactly what she told him to do, yet now she blames him! This lady is angry with God and everybody else. Now what can God do? DDB1 218 5 He gives her some New Covenant Good News. While she is the same contentious woman, He changes her name to Sarah, which means "Princess"; and He tells her He believes in her! All the promises to Abraham are to her, too. And now, just that simple word, that New Covenant Good News, melts her proud, angry heart, and "by faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age." How? "Because she judged Him faithful who had promised" (Heb. 11:11). DDB1 218 6 Sounds like there is power in the word of God. All it needs is for someone to believe it. ------------------------Chapter 219--It's a Winning Message DDB1 219 1 Proverbs tells us that "the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day" (4:18, King James Version). The "just" means the corporate body of God's people, which is the church that Jesus founded. In other words, the church is to grow in their grasp of the truth until the last day of world history--the second coming of Jesus. DDB1 219 2 The Books of Daniel and the Revelation come on stage here; that's where this "path" is detailed. Both describe the monstrous apostasy and deception of "the other [little] horn" of Daniel, which was to prevail against the saints for 1260 years (Dan. 7:19-26; Rev. 12:6, etc.). DDB1 219 3 But before the 1260 years should end, the light begins to grow brighter for those who are watching: the Protestant Reformation beginning in the 16th century brings what Daniel calls "a little help" (11:34). Finally, the long period of papal darkness and persecution ends in 1798 (538 A.D. to 1798 A.D. = 1260 years), and the Book of Daniel is unsealed (12:9) worldwide; "the time of the end" has begun (12:4). Then comes the beginning of the great Day of Atonement for the world--the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary (Dan. 8:14; the 2300 years end in 1844), and the complementary message in Revelation of three angels comes (14:6-12). DDB1 219 4 The result of the three angels proclaiming their message to "every nation, tribe, tongue, and people" is the raising up of a new corporate "remnant" church who believe. It is specified as those who "keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (12:17). They are raised up for the purpose of preparing a people to be ready for the close of human probation, to endure the "time of trouble," and to witness the personal, literal, visible return of Jesus Christ (cf. John 14:1-3; 1 Thess. 4:16, 17). It's the great "blessed hope" cherished by all who "love His appearing" (Titus 2:11-14; 2 Tim. 4:6-8). DDB1 219 5 Jesus wants to come; He is in love with a "woman," the corporate body of the church that loves His appearing. But He cannot come because there is an angel who is telling Him, No, You can't come yet. John describes that angel: "Another angel came out of the temple [in heaven], crying with a loud voice to Him that sat on the cloud, 'Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe'" (Rev. 14:15). Not until that "harvest" is "ripe" can the Lord come the second time! DDB1 219 6 The message that must now go to all the world is that "Loud Cry" message of Revelation 18. It's not only a warning message; it's a winning message--it's of Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2). ------------------------Chapter 220--Letting Pure Gospel Sunlight Get Through DDB1 220 1 For hundreds of years reverent-minded Bible scholars have recognized that Revelation 9 presents the story of Islam. It is the "smoke [that] arose out of the bottomless pit" (vss. 2, 3). It has darkened the bright sunshine of the pure gospel of Christ. But professed Christianity has also not let much more of the pure gospel sunlight get through. The Crusades were not a proud chapter in our history. DDB1 220 2 The coming of the Messiah to Israel and to the world was to be the best good news; the truth of the gospel of Christ was to lighten the earth with glory. The coming of Christianity was to go forth "conquering and to conquer," symbolized by the rider on the white horse of chapter 6, verse 2. The pure gospel of Christ was so clear, so powerful, that it would sweep through the world and demonstrate its character as what Paul says, "the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16). The Messiah was to save the world, and devout Jews for many years had looked forward to this glorious climax of all human history. DDB1 220 3 But then the prophet Daniel was given a vision in which he saw an evil power arise that would pervert that pure gospel of Christ, and to his amazement and horror it would become a greater curse to the world than paganism had been. The story is in chapter 8. The great cosmic controversy between Christ and Satan was won by Christ on His cross, assuring us of its final triumph; Satan knows that he is already a conquered foe. But he is fighting with mad desperation in his hatred of Christ, trying to keep people in deception, and thus keep them from being reconciled to God. DDB1 220 4 The enemy's masterpiece has been to introduce into Christianity the key doctrines of paganism, which Muslims have from their beginning seized upon as their cause célèbre to justify them in rejecting the gospel truths of the cross of Christ and of His atonement. DDB1 220 5 Still, it's not too late to seek, like a Good Shepherd seeking His lost sheep, for honest souls among Muslims who will respond to the pure gospel (what Paul says is "the truth of the gospel," Gal. 2:5, 14). Foremost among anti-evangelism obstacles are the mistruths of double predestination, idolatry and image veneration, justification by works, and all confusion regarding what Christ accomplished for the world. The cross of Christ is the focal point of Satan's subtle enmity. DDB1 220 6 God's promise is that in these last days the pure "truth of the gospel" will emerge from the darkness of misapprehension of God--and accomplish what the apostles did after Pentecost. ------------------------Chapter 221--Thanks Be to God for His "Unspeakable Gift" DDB1 221 1 Too many of our celebrated holidays are of pagan origin and bear those marks even today; but one is free of it--Thanksgiving. But even this one last touch of national gratitude to God is marred now by the designation "Turkey Day," so the Day is marked by indulgence of appetite. DDB1 221 2 A popular Bible text for Thanksgiving Day sermons is, "Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift!" (2 Cor. 9:15). The one gift above all gifts He has given us is this: "God so loved the world that He gave ..." It was all that He had in the gift (not the loan, not the mere offer) of His Son (John 3:16). The Son of God is now the Son of man; He is eternally a member of our human race, but that wasn't far enough for the Father to "give." He went further in pouring out the "gift." DDB1 221 3 The Father gave Him to take seven steps in stepping down lower, itemized in Philippians 2:5-8: (1) He gave up His "equality" with God; (2) "emptied Himself" (New American Standard Bible) like you turn a bottle upside down to drain it; (3) gave up His "reputation"; (4) was "made in the likeness of men," lower than the angels; (5) "humbled Himself," became a slave washing people's feet (John 13); (6) "became obedient unto death," the only one in 6000 years to do so (this "death" that Christ was "obedient" to is the real thing--the "second death," the "curse of the law" (Gal. 3:13; Rev. 20:14); (7) He died "the death of the cross," the curse being "forsaken" by God forever; the most horrible death one could know. DDB1 221 4 "Thanks" for that, says Paul! DDB1 221 5 The death which Christ died was far more than the physical, social agony of His cross. "The second death" is the death in which there is no hope of a resurrection (the death that Christ saved us from!). He carried with Him all His life that hope of a resurrection, until the time when "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us" (2 Cor. 5:21), when He cried out in most bitter agony, "My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46). That point was where the "giving" was the greatest; it was a gift for eternity, an infinite gift. DDB1 221 6 Contemplating that gift of His love has a subduing effect upon the human soul; no one canbe the same after his heart grasps that! If the idea can be translated and the consciousness of its "width and length and depth and height" (Eph. 3:18) can be understood, there is salvation in the very thanksgiving, as there is salvation in faith. Such thanksgiving is close to what faith is! The human heart is moved forever. DDB1 221 7 Those heavenly beings who are still humans (the "twenty-four elders," see Rev. 4:4; 5:9) never cease to give their thanks. Neither will you, once you comprehend what that "unspeakable gift" entails. ------------------------Chapter 222--Can We Make the Good News of the Gospel Too Good? DDB1 222 1 Throughout the world there are deep stirrings in people's souls about what Paul's term "the truth of the gospel" means (Gal. 2:5, 14). Is it maybe, perhaps good news? Or is it glorious Good News? Does God's real gospel have fine print hidden in it that ultimately means your salvation depends upon your own strength? What has Christ actually accomplished for the human race? Has He made us an offer that if we exert ourselves sufficiently we might make it? DDB1 222 2 Does He tell us that if we hold on tight to His hand like a child crossing a busy street holding on to Daddy's hand we'll be safe, or does God tell us that He loves us so much that He is holding on tight to our hand? (See Isa. 41:10, 13.) The answers mean that our walk with the Lord will be happy and triumphant, or it will be discouraging and defeatist? Can we make the Good News of the gospel too good? Is salvation really by faith, or by faith plus works? DDB1 222 3 A friend sent me a precious thought that impresses me as being genuine, solid Good News: DDB1 222 4 "Through Christ's birth, life, death, and resurrection, the [human] race was encircled by God's arm and redeemed. The gulf between God and man was fully bridged, the penalty/consequence of sin was demonstrated and exhausted, humanity was restored to God's image and to His right hand, and sin and death were overcome. God could look at His Son sitting beside Him and say, 'Humanity has been restored to righteousness and life.' This corporate statement is the justification to life [of Rom 5:18]. ... The price to keep an unrepentant sinner alive for this life is identical to the price paid for the repentant sinner to spend eternity with God, the life of God Himself poured out in Jesus Christ. ... Faith is reckoned by God to be righteousness. Because of what Christ has done as the Head of the human race, God can plant the seed of this reality in each heart. ... It is not the end of the process, but it is the beginning. And it is real, not fiction." DDB1 222 5 To my friend Fred Bischoff I say a hearty "Amen!" ------------------------Chapter 223--"Your Truth"--The Only Way to Unity DDB1 223 1 How people in a church can truly believe the same thing (unity) is important, because Jesus said that the only way the world can be brought to believe in Him is when His followers "all may be one, ... that the world may believe that You sent Me" (John 17:21). Something He calls "Your truth" is the only thing that will unite them (vs. 17). DDB1 223 2 Paul calls it "the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:5, 14). The success or failure of Christ's mission for the world therefore depends on that "truth" bringing His people who profess to "keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" into one (Rev. 14:12). DDB1 223 3 For example, how could a group of mathematicians come into unity unless they all believe that 2 + 2 = 4? Suppose some said it equals 5? Is that "truth of the gospel" so simple and clear that it appeals to honest hearts with a similarly powerful logic? DDB1 223 4 Take the problem of Genesis 1. Christ and His apostles accepted that "the truth of the gospel" required sincere, honest hearts to believe that God created the earth in six literal days. People who insist they are equally sincere understand the idea of six literal days to be ancient mythology; science makes such belief naive, they say. DDB1 223 5 Then there's the problem of Jesus Himself. When He became incarnate, did He "take" the sinless nature of the unfallen Adam, thus breaking the genetic line of His descent from the real Adam? Or did He accept the working of the great law of heredity and enter the stream of humanity by taking our fallen, sinful nature yet living a sinless life? Here again is disunity; the assumption is that unity is impossible. Or is it? DDB1 223 6 The kind of faith that "believes in Jesus" is not anti-intellectual, but it is enriched with something called "wisdom that is from above." Such faith can see beyond the limits of science, for it "works." It is "alive" (Gal. 5:6; James 2:17, 18; 3:17). ------------------------Chapter 224--Can You Overcome a Handicap That Has Been Yours Since Childhood? DDB1 224 1 Suppose when you were little, your parent(s) did not know how to teach you, train and nurture you in love. So, now you have problems inherited ever since childhood. (Sometimes you even hate yourself for the way you feel or act!) Can you overcome the handicap that has been yours since childhood? DDB1 224 2 Your Father in heaven knows all about it. He does not blame you for what you had nothing to do with before you were accountable. He loves and respects you as an individual for whom Christ gave the sacrifice of His life. DDB1 224 3 Still, God cannot excuse defects of character that ruin your own and others’ happiness even though you acquired them through DNA or in less-than-perfect childhood upbringing. He has given us a Savior whose special job is to save us fromour inherited and cultivated tendencies to evil. He is the Great Physician who heals wounded hearts. We don’t need to carry around the defects that our parent(s) saddled upon us. DDB1 224 4 This promise is in Psalm 27:10: "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me." Not that they willfully abandoned you on someone’s doorstep. Your parent(s) "left" you in the sense that they didn’t know how to help you. There was a point beyond which emotionally they couldn’t give you what you needed, and it was no fault of theirs. (Perhaps they inherited weaknesses from their own childhood! The problem goes back to Adam, really.) DDB1 224 5 Therefore, you will find healing in letting the Savior write the fifth commandment in your heart which says, "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you" (Ex. 20:12). "In Christ" you can "honor" them as the parents that they wouldhave been if only they had known Christ better as their Savior. DDB1 224 6 That fifth commandment is a promise more than a stern command when you see it as the New Covenant. Even if you feel like a youthful friend of mine who said he could never "honor" his alcoholic father, the principle of corporate guilt and corporate forgiveness enables you to "honor" them "in Christ". DDB1 224 7 At the very point where your parents failed, that’s precisely where "the Lord will take care of [you]." ------------------------Chapter 225--Abide in Christ Seven Days a Week DDB1 225 1 For our happiness, our Creator and Savior has told us that "six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God" (Ex. 20:9, 10). Granted, we believe that. We gladly give Him that "seventh day." DDB1 225 2 But is there another bit of what may be seen as "holy time"? The remaining "six days" of the week are not an escape from God; seven days a week we are to "abide" in Christ and we are to invite, to welcome Him to "abide" in us (John 15:4). After the toil of each of "the six working days" the dear Lord "gives His beloved sleep" (Psalm 127:2). Thus we awaken each new morning refreshed to "abide" another day in Christ, while we go about our lives. Jesus gave us an example for our encouragement about how to live those "six working days" of the week: DDB1 225 3 "In the morning, having risen a long time before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed" (Mark 1:35). This is not an example of deprivation of needed sleep which the Lord "gives His beloved," no; it's just a healthy way to live; it was His habit to go to bed early so He could do this(unless someone like Nicodemus would come and keep Him up late, see John 3:2). DDB1 225 4 In God's plan, each new day begins at sundown (Gen. 1:5). It was Roman paganism that changed this so it begins at midnight. On this cosmic Day of Atonement, those who follow our great High Priest in His cleansing His sanctuary, choose to "abide" in Him; we jealously guard that morning timewhen He awakens us (see Isa. 50:4, 5).Guard that evening hour too. ------------------------Chapter 226--Will Christ Really Find Faith on the Earth? DDB1 226 1 The Seven Seals of Revelation (chapters 5-8) are an overview of world history so clear that even a young person can understand. They take us from the apostles through the bloody massacres of Christians under the pagan Roman Empire, the breakdown of the Empire, the great "falling away" from the truth that nearly killed true Christianity inside the church, and the horrible persecutions of Daniel's 1260 years of the Dark Ages. Then they carry us into the final "time of the end" when a people is to be prepared for the second coming of Christ. The great Seventh Seal is the triumph of the Son of God in His great controversy with Satan. Breathtaking! DDB1 226 2 When the great Sixth Seal was broken, magnificent events were to follow, telling the world that Daniel's "time of the end" was near. The first: "behold, there was a great earthquake." Other celestial "signs" were to follow: "The sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind" (6:12, 13). DDB1 226 3 All through the horrors of the Dark Ages faithful Christians loved the truth of the Bible. They recognized the terrible Lisbon earthquake of November 1, 1755, as the first of those "signs." Not only did it shake Europe physically, it did so in every other way. John Wesley saw it as a divine judgment on the immorality of Europe. DDB1 226 4 The same devout Bible readers saw the mysterious Dark Day of May 19, 1780, as the next "sign." And when the greatest celestial display of falling stars ever recorded came on November 13, 1833, thousands were convinced: God was at work preparing a people for the coming of Christ. DDB1 226 5 Now, more than 185 years have gone by since the time of which Jesus said, "This generation will by no means pass away till all these things are fulfilled" (Matt. 24:34). Faith in the nearness of Christ's return seems what He talked about when He asked, "When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8). DDB1 226 6 The answer is Yes! The same spirit that recognized those "signs in the heavens" lives today in the hearts of those who understand there is a reason for the mysterious "delay." They will "keep the faith." ------------------------Chapter 227--A Rock-Solid Understanding of the Prophecies of Daniel and Revelation (Part 1) DDB1 227 1 The books of Daniel and the Revelation are an integral part of the Holy Bible: Jesus expressly charged us with the duty of "reading" and "understanding" Daniel (Matt. 24:15), and Revelation is obviously the fulfillment of His promise to the disciples that "the [Holy] Spirit of truth ... will tell you things to come" (John 16:13; Rev. 1:1-3). DDB1 227 2 We need a rock-solid understanding of those prophecies as valid as the original inspiration that gave them to us. Daniel was "sealed" until it was opened when "the time of the end" came at the end of the 1260 years of the Dark Ages (Dan. 7:25; 11:35; 12:4; Rev. 12:6, 14, etc.). That unsealing was a dramatic miracle of awakening that occurred simultaneously in many lands among many Christian churches in the early decades of the 19th century. DDB1 227 3 Foremost among the early pioneers of prophetic study was a little group who were united in a common hatred of slavery in the United States of America. They risked their lives in publishing their abhorrence of that devilish traffic in the souls of men and women and children; these students of the prophecies were in "at-one-ment" with Jesus Himself, for He too has always hated the slavery cruelty of man to man. They actively opposed the terrible injustice of the Fugitive Slave Law and helped runaway slaves to freedom at the risk of their own lives (would you do that today?). DDB1 227 4 Several of these noble men were led by the Holy Spirit to pursue a study of all the prophecies of those two inspired books. They may not have had every tiny detail perfectly understood, but they were united in the same basic convictions; people far and wide became convinced that the Spirit of God was leading; it wasn't emotional miracles based on shallow understanding--these were solid, reasonable dissertations on Daniel and Revelation that appealed to and convinced highly intelligent, honorable, reasonable men and women. DDB1 227 5 The little group developed until they became a leading movement of 19th century Christian reformation that also led the world in health reform, building the finest health institution of the day in Battle Creek, Michigan, to which came kings across the Atlantic. DDB1 227 6 The point of this little soliloquy: the understanding those pioneers gained from Bible prophecy was taught by God; none was of the "private interpretation" that the apostle decries in 2 Peter 1:19-21. These pioneers were led by a loving fellowship in Christ to lay aside their private views and recognize together the leading of the Lord. The Holy Spirit led the community, and His leading has stood the test of these centuries of time. ------------------------Chapter 228--A Rock-Solid Understanding of the Prophecies of Daniel and Revelation (Part 2) DDB1 228 1 Some of the best good news the Bible has for us is found where we read that the Lord wants us to understand that last book of the Bible, and yet many think it's impossible. Here's the promise of God: "Happy is the one who reads this book, and happy are those who listen to the words of this prophetic message and obey [that is, cherish] what is written in this book!" (Rev. 1:3, Good News Bible). DDB1 228 2 The book of Revelation has never been sealed as was Daniel; and even Daniel was un-sealed as we entered "the time of the end" as defined in 11:35, 12:4, and 7:25. Interest in both Daniel and Revelation was widely aroused in the first half of the 1800s. DDB1 228 3 But who can we trust as capable and reliable teachers of those key prophecies? Today there is a multitude of voices saying they have the right knowledge, but they disagree with one another. That tells us to look again at what Peter says, "No prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation" (2 Peter 1:19-21). In other words, don't follow any "solo" interpreter; "By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established" (2 Cor. 13:1; Deut. 19:15). Truth will attract more than one supporter! A reliable student of Bible prophecy must be a person in whom self is crucified with Christ, someone who is courageous to stand for Him against the crowd, yet who recognizes that God leads others, too. DDB1 228 4 At the first church council in Acts 15, the elders spoke of those faithful servants of God "who have risked their lives in the service of our Lord Jesus Christ" (vs. 26, GNB). DDB1 228 5 Such were those pioneers of the early 1800s who not only championed the fresh message of Daniel and Revelation, but also the dangerous public defense of the slaves in the South. Many listened to these godly men, among whom were J. N. Loughborough, Joseph Bates, J. N. Andrews, and Uriah Smith with his monumental Daniel and the Revelation, a 700+ page book that has become a treasure to many worldwide, and has stood the test of time. It may be written in Victorian English but it is solid truth. This is not to say it's perfection--no book is, aside from the Bible; we need common sense and God gives it. DDB1 228 6 The dear Lord is leading His peoplein these last days, not just a stray soul here and there. Everything in Daniel and the Revelation points to a corporate body of believers preparing for the second coming of Jesus, a world "church" in unity and harmony in Christ. ------------------------Chapter 229--Does the World Know What Christ Accomplished? DDB1 229 1 The towering and "wondrous cross" of Christ is the great truth around which all truths mankind can know are clustered. It validates the prophecies of Daniel, which in turn validates the prophecies of Revelation. All that makes any sense in world history finds its focal point in that cross. Its truth is proclaimed in every seed which is cast into the earth and grows: "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. ... This He said, signifying by what death He would die" (John 12:24-33). DDB1 229 2 By His sacrifice in which "He poured out His soul unto death" (Isa. 53:12) Jesus has won the hearts of honest people everywhere. He has ascended His throne not by military conquest but by the power of love (agape). He did the unthinkable: He died the second death, which "every man" has earned for himself (Heb. 2:9; Phil. 2:5-8; Gal. 3:13). DDB1 229 3 But does the world know what He accomplished? Two millennia after He demonstrated His love in His life and death, does mankind know and understand? Since "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son," shouldn't people everywhere know the reality of that truth? DDB1 229 4 Take for example the Muslim world of a billion souls: the faith of Jesus has been distorted and misrepresented to them. The history of the Crusades still rankles in their hearts, and the Crusades were a distortion of that genuine love of Christ. The Hindu world sees the cross of Christ as just another icon to be reverenced and knelt before. And more than a billion professing Christians have yet to "survey that wondrous cross and pour contempt on all their pride," discerning its "width and length and depth and height," an agapethat re-motivates selfish, world-loving human hearts as nothing else can. They all must have a chance! DDB1 229 5 The human souls distressed by our innate selfishness, longing for deliverance, for freedom to escape the tyranny of self-love and the allurements that plague this world, cannot despair when they "behold the Lamb of God" enduring the "curse of God" so that we might live. "Pour contempt on [our] pride," yes; but let's not pour contempt on that cross and its divine Sufferer. That would be a sin with the dimensions of eternity--unpardonable. ------------------------Chapter 230--The Greatest Election Ever--God Is Voting for You DDB1 230 1 All along the road that leads to death there are pains and penalties, sorrows and disappointments, and warnings not to go on, but God's agapehas made it hard for the heedless and headstrong to destroy themselves. More than this, by the Holy Spirit the Savior is sitting beside each of us as we travel down that Freeway in the wrong direction, constantly nudging us to get into the right lane and take that blessed exit ramp to life eternal. His job is to be a parakletos, "one called to the side of" us and to constantly "convict" us of "sin and righteousness and judgment" (John 16:8, New International Version). He will never tire of His job or leave us to our perverse ways unless we beat Him off. DDB1 230 2 An old song says something true: And once again the scene was changed, new earth there seemed to be; I saw the Holy City beside the tideless sea. The light of God was on its streets, its gates were opened wide, And all who would might enter, and no one was denied.--The Holy City, by Fredrick Weatherly, 1892 DDB1 230 3 In other words, God is voting for you.He has elected us all to be saved. Our job is to say, Yes, to believe, to let our hearts be softened by the sweet influence of the Holy Spirit, to show appreciation for the love by which we were redeemed. DDB1 230 4 Remember, the Lord is a Divine Gentleman. He will not force Himself on anyone who doesn't like Him and doesn't want Him around. He cannot use coercion. If He forced all to be saved, many would be miserable in an environment where the prevailing spirit is heartfelt gratitude to the Lamb for His sacrifice. If by accident one rebel found himself in the City, he would head for the nearest exit. DDB1 230 5 When you see what happened at the cross, the kind of love that pushed Christ to do what He did, all this talk about it being hard to obey, hard to give all to Him, hard to surrender, hard to persevere, becomes silly. It's only our pathetic blindness in the face of the greatest Light that ever shown in all eternity that makes us imagine for a moment that we are sacrificing anything when we give all for Christ. For one who accepts God's Good News, obedience that once may have seemed impossible becomes now a joyous principle. DDB1 230 6 Something will be accomplished that has never been done since time began: a people from all over the world will be prepared to be ready for Christ's glorious appearing. There will be no faces downcast with shame in that vast throng. To have let the Lord do something for them,and in them,will be looked upon as their greatest joy. ------------------------Chapter 231--The Prophetic Drama Is Starkly Simple DDB1 231 1 During the greater part of two centuries there has been a group of Christians who see in the Bible a vast cosmic "controversy" between Christ and Satan--Christ in Daniel is spotlighted as "the Son of man," and in Revelation as "the Lamb." World history is symbolized by seven angels sounding "seven trumpets." Under the sixth, Islam is pictured as a torment and torture to apostate Western Christianity, but not as gaining a final ascendancy over it. DDB1 231 2 Under the seventh trumpet God's love is highlighted in a final message of mercy and warning for "every nation, tribe, tongue, and people" just before the second coming of "the Son of man." Revelation 14 introduces the final scene as a conflict between the pure, true "everlasting gospel" and a massive counterfeit known as "Babylon." The prophetic drama is starkly simple; even a child can grasp its overall significance. The special enlightenment of the Holy Spirit is what God solemnly promises to anyone who will seek to understand (see Dan. 12:4, 10; Rev. 1:1-3). DDB1 231 3 The mysterious machinations of Islamic terrorism are seen in Revelation as simple compared with the subtle religious deceptions foisted on the world by "Babylon." It will all end with a final confrontation between "the mark of the beast" and "the seal of God." DDB1 231 4 But there is great Good News: (a) a "remnant" "follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (Rev. 14:4); (b) their "names [are] ... written in the Book of Life of the Lamb" (13:8); and (c) "those who are with Him [the Lamb, on His side] are called, chosen, and faithful" (17:14). DDB1 231 5 What does it take to be in that blessed group? You "survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died"; your heart is moved by His agape (He died your second death). As His love motivates you, self is crucified with Him. You can't help but live to His glory. ------------------------Chapter 232--The Devil Made Me Do It? DDB1 232 1 Bible prophecy is clear: we have come to Daniel's "time of the end" (11:35; 12:4), to the "last days" Paul describes (2 Tim. 3:1), to when "the end will come" that Jesus speaks of (Matt. 24:14). DDB1 232 2 Yes, "there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was" (Dan. 12:1). But it will also be a time of lighting "the earth with ... glory" such as has never been because God will prepare a people all over the world to stand at Christ's second coming. It will be the time when God's people shall be delivered from fear. The righteousness of Christ will clothe them, and so clothed, they cannot be afraid any more than Christ was afraid when He was among us and faced the raging tempest (Matt. 8:26), or the wild men of the Gadarenes (vs. 28). DDB1 232 3 Deliverance from fear "in Christ" will be a glorious blessing; but even now we can learn to receive such deliverance from fear. DDB1 232 4 This is accomplished through understanding how close Christ is to us, says Hebrews 2:9-15: "We see Jesus, ... that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. ... Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy [paralyze, Greek] ... the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." DDB1 232 5 Note: eventually, Christ will destroy Satan; but for now, He paralyzes [Greek, makes ineffective] the one who has "the power of death." We are "the children" who "have partaken of flesh and blood" now; and we do have a mortal enemy; but Christ has "shot" our enemy with a tranquilizer that paralyzes him, so we do not need to be afraid of him. DDB1 232 6 The common excuse that we give for falling into sin is a false one, "the devil made me do it." The devil cannot force us to do one wrong thing! Temptation to sin may be fierce but the much more abounding grace of Christ is far stronger. The key truth involved here in learning to overcome fear is that in His incarnation Christ " likewise shared in the same ... flesh and blood" that we have received from our fallen "head," Adam. Thus we realize that we are united with Christ; His faith becomes ours; His fearlessness also becomes ours. There is no need to fear a paralyzed enemy! DDB1 232 7 Over and over the Lord tells us, "Don't be afraid!" In fact (and I speak softly and reverently) it's a sin to be afraid; it implies that there is unbelief buried or woven into our so-called "faith." And unbelief is the sin of the ages, the last sin to be overcome on planet earth. DDB1 232 8 But we can overcome it! And we must overcome it, and for all those who "follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (cf. Rev. 14:1-6--God will have such a people!) there is that blessed gift of freedom from fear. ------------------------Chapter 233--Moses’ Tragic Mistake DDB1 233 1 Have you ever lost your temper in a momentary trial of your patience? Well, poor Moses did. And it wasn't when he was a young man. The tragic mistake came in his old age. Now Moses may not have felt "old" like people do today, for we read that at the time of his death at the age of 120 "his eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor abated" (Deut. 34:7). DDB1 233 2 But it was at the end, not the beginning, of Israel's 40 years of wandering for their unbelief that Moses' patience gave way. Maybe his physical and mental stamina was a bit weakened by then. The "straw that broke the camel's back" in his case was the cynical cry of the rebellious people, blaming him for lack of water. "Hear now, you rebels!" he cried out. "Must we bring water for you out of this rock?" (Num. 20:10). Then in his fit of temper, he struck the rock twice with his rod instead of once, thus destroying the accuracy of the ceremony which symbolized the death of Christ. DDB1 233 3 What Moses had done was to teach that Christ must die twice for the sins of the world, and he took to himself (Moses did) the glory for producing water out of a dry rock. God loved Moses; the man was very special. But his public sin of losing his temper made it impossible for Moses to lead Israel at last into their Promised Land. "Because you did not believe me, ... you shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them" (vs. 12). DDB1 233 4 It's not only old people, but young people too have this same test of impatience. It seems severe for the Lord to sentence Moses to die for such an apparently "innocent" sin of momentary impatience. But Moses must be a teacher for succeeding generations as well; no matter how high we have been in the favor of God, a sin of impatience is serious. But the root of their sin was not merely being angry (even God sometimes is angry, and several times Moses experienced "righteous indignation"). The problem, said the Lord, was Moses' unbelief. "Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, ..." the Lord said to both Moses and Aaron. DDB1 233 5 It is impossible for you and me to lose our temper so long as we believe the word of the Lord! Whatever the trial that tempts you to impatience, a choice to believe the promises of God will every time deliver you from sin. ------------------------Chapter 234--The Only Way the Holy Spirit Can Reach the Heart of the One You Are Praying For DDB1 234 1 When you think of Elijah the prophet, you think of a towering personality bossing King Ahab around like he was a child. The prophet stood alone before a huge crowd on Mount Carmel, and his prayer brought heaven's endorsement in fire flashing from heaven. DDB1 234 2 But wait a moment. Think also of Elijah's humiliation, his years of apparently unanswered prayers up in the mountains of Tish as he pleaded for Israel's repentance, all apparently in vain. The Lord had given him an understanding of truth, but it brought him pain as he was forced to watch his beloved Israel sink ever deeper in the horrible morass of Baal-worship. It seems that a precious knowledge of God's truth always brings pain to God's servant who must watch his people turn from it. DDB1 234 3 No one knows how many years Elijah spent in such apparently fruitless prayer, denying himself also in fasting. Finally the Lord invited Elijah to share the "Revelation 3:21" experience: "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne ..." Come Elijah, you have the good of My Israel on your heart. What do yousay we do for them, to save them from utter ruin? DDB1 234 4 As we study the story, it seems that the 3-1/2 years of drought was Elijah's idea (James 5:17, 18). This drastic step was the only way the nation could be awakened to reality. (Yes, Elijah agreed with what James says when he told King Ahab there would no rain until he himself, unworthy as he may have been, gave the order for heaven to send it, "except at myword"; 1 Kings 17:1.) DDB1 234 5 As the weary 42 months dragged by and all vegetation gradually dried up, the lone but sorrowful prophet was forced to watch the people suffer and some children die; he survived only by a little water trickling through the Brook Cherith, and food the ravens brought him. And when even that brook dried up, the Lord sent him to the widow of Zarephath in pagan Sidon (giving Jesus a magnificent story to tell the people of Nazareth, Luke 4:25, 26). DDB1 234 6 You too may have sincere prayers lifted heavenward daily for the good of someone else. Elijah never stopped praying, but he also let the Lord show him what to doto bring about an answer to his prayers. DDB1 234 7 Yes, pray; but such prayer may not be enough. Ask the Lord to deepen your knowledge of His gospel, especially that "everlasting" one of Revelation 14:6, 7, which is the only way the Holy Spirit can reach the heart of your beloved one you are praying for. Come, sit with the Lord on His throne. It takes more than fasting and prayer--it takes study and understanding to be at-one with Him. ------------------------Chapter 235--The Best Good News You Will Ever Hear From the Lips of Jesus DDB1 235 1 The best Good News you will ever hear comes from the lips of Jesus when He says, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). In the Greek Old Testament used in the days of Christ (LXX), that word "rest" is used continually to describe what one gets in keeping the Sabbath. Why is this true? Because His presence is in the Sabbath. At a time when Moses was afraid to face each new day with its problems, the Lord promised him, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest" (Ex. 33:14). DDB1 235 2 When we keep the Sabbath holy, when we cherish that precious gift He gave us from the Garden of Eden, as each Sabbath steals upon us with the setting of the sun Friday evening, we enter anew into the presence of Jesus. On that day He meets with us in a special way. Yes, He is with us every day, but He is with us in the program of work. He says, "Six days you shall labor and do all your work" (Ex. 20:9). So, in the market place, the factory, the school, the office, wherever we go about our labor on "the six working days" (Ezek. 46:1), the Lord is with us in a working capacity. He Himself was a carpenter. DDB1 235 3 So we work with Him side by side these six working days. But on the Sabbath, Jesus lays down His tools, closes His carpenter shop, and goes to the house of God with other people who also "come" in response to His invitation, and we rest "with Him." He teaches us; He comforts us; He encourages us; each new Sabbath day we "learn from Him," for He says, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me" (Matt. 11:29). We learn more and more about who He is, what it cost Him to save us, why He had to die on a cross. And our souls are knit with His soul, we become one with Him, His joy fills our hearts. And then comes verse 30: "My yoke is easy and My burden is light." DDB1 235 4 The joy of keeping holy the Sabbath day of rest is not merely physical rest (good as that is!), but the rest of soul; a day of heaven on earth. That wonderful word "rest" means rest from self, rest from anxiety. It's what the Bible speaks of as "justification by faith." You won't want to miss this precious gift! ------------------------Chapter 236--How Much Does God Love You, Personally? DDB1 236 1 How much does God love you, personally? Your happiness (here and forever) depends on how you believe it. None of us was born already believing; we have all had to learn how to believe; and for that we need the Good News in the Bible. Winning the lottery is not the way to learn that God loves you; everything of human happiness you’ve been given can take wings and fly away. DDB1 236 2 You may say that "God so loving the world that He gave His only begotten Son" sounds too far away—2000 years ago. But the Bible reveals His on-going love for you. For example: DDB1 236 3 (1) Your Savior takes you by the arm to lead you "in the paths of righteousness" (Psalm 23:3). He actually takes you by your hand and says, Come, let’s go to happiness! He loves you like a father loves a little son who is just learning to walk. Read it in Hosea 11:3, 4: "I taught Ephraim [My people] to walk, taking them by their arms; … I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love." No, He doesn’t force you; but He does everything possible short of it. If you don’t refuse, He will be to you the Good Shepherd of Psalm 23. DDB1 236 4 (2) Isaiah says that He actually takes you by the hand to lead you to heaven: "I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you’" (41:13). DDB1 236 5 (3) If you make a mistake and take a wrong path in your blindness or foolishness, He does not forsake you. He will do for you what He did for Saul of Tarsus who was hell-bent on taking the wrong path. The Lord put obstacles in his path to make the wrong way seem like kicking against the goads (see Acts 26:14). Yes, the Lord made it "hard" for Saul to be lost! Isn’t that personal love? DDB1 236 6 (4) And the Savior continually reminds you that He has made His "yoke ... easy, and [His] burden is light" (Matt. 11:28-30). DDB1 236 7 You believe it, or you dis-believe it; but if you are having trouble believing it, He "helps [your] unbelief" if you will let Him (Mark 9:24). In fact, ask Him to; you can never perish if you pray that prayer. ------------------------Chapter 237--The Light That Will Blaze Across the World DDB1 237 1 The second coming of Jesus is wonderful good news, but there is other good news that must come first--a light that will blaze across the world. It will penetrate into the homes and the markets of both the poor and the rich. Since God is declared to be "love," He cannot leave anyone out of seeing this light of the angel's message who "comes down from heaven, having great power; and the earth [must be] lightened with his glory" (Rev. 18:1,King James Version). DDB1 237 2 In the Bible, light is always something that comes from heaven. It causes the gospel to shine. This "light" will be a message in which "light" is shining. Therefore it will be truth, for "Your word is a ... light to my path" (Psalm 119:105). That final revelation of light will therefore be the truth of God's word more clearly spread out before the world than ever seen before. DDB1 237 3 The one spot in world history where the Light of heaven shone most brightly was the cross of Christ, for it was there that a heavenly love (known as agape) was most clearly demonstrated in its "width and length and depth and height," a love "that passes knowledge" (Eph. 3:18, 19). DDB1 237 4 But how can this ever happen in our modern materialistic, pleasure-loving, godless world? That "light," which will at last shine brightly, will not be a message of terrorism (the terror will come after the light has been rejected, finally); the message will be a "lifting up" of the crucified Savior of the world. DDB1 237 5 God will not scare people into His kingdom like cattle being gathered for the roundup; the world's moment of truth will finally dawn for all mankind. The love revealed at the cross will corral every honest-hearted soul who will sense the "constraint" that is implicit in that love. A totally new motivation will prevail--not fear for one's personal security, but a new concern newly realized--that which a bride can know for the man whom at last she loves (Rev. 19:7, 8). DDB1 237 6 Forget thinking about the Gospel as a static set of cold doctrines; it is an ever-growing, heart-moving experience of identity with the Son of God. ------------------------Chapter 238--Thank God for the "Religion of the Baby Jesus" DDB1 238 1 A local newspaper carried the story of a little Jewish boy age 6 who was fascinated by a Christmas tree. Not the ordinary ornaments and lights, but the little figurine of the Baby Jesus lying in a manger. He liked it so much that he took it off the tree, stole it if you please. When his mother had him bring it back, she kindly explained to him, "Son, some religions--like ours--are different; they don't have the Baby Jesus." His response: "Then why don't we get the religion that has the Baby Jesus?" DDB1 238 2 I can only hope that his childish heart will always hunger for the religion that has Him. DDB1 238 3 "The religion that has the Baby Jesus" believes, understands, appreciates, is thankful, that the Son of God came to earth and began His life here as a Baby, subject to all the trials and heartaches that every human baby grows up to experience, "yet without sin." DDB1 238 4 Was He tempted from within, as we are tempted from within? Or was He tempted only from without, as the adult sinless Adam was tempted in the Garden of Eden? Thank God, He won ourbattle, not merely Adam's battle. He tells us, Yes, He was tempted from within: "I can of Myself do nothing. ... I do not seek My own will, but the will of the Father who sent Me" (John 5:30). "I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" (6:38). "Christ did not please Himself" (Rom. 15:3). DDB1 238 5 You say that there was no inner conflict, that it was easy for Him to "not seek [His] own will, but" the Father's will for Him? Think of Gethsemane where the lid came off and we can see inside His tortured soul: "O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will" (Matt. 26:39). DDB1 238 6 Only an outward struggle, not internal? What about the agonized bloody sweat that came with that prayer of self-surrender? He tells us He "took" a self as we have a self to contend with (Heb. 2:11, 14, King James Version); but whereas we have allyielded to self and thus have been selfish, He perfectly denied self all His life--from His manger all the way to His cross. Thank God for "the religion of the Baby Jesus." ------------------------Chapter 239--The Lord Will Help Us Save Our Children DDB1 239 1 Christmas betrays its pagan origin as a holiday in that it inspires materialism never seen throughout the year. It's always what can we buy in order to satisfy our corporate self-centered cravings. DDB1 239 2 If you had been living in 4 B.C. and you knew (like the wise men from the East) that Jesus is born in Bethlehem, would you bring gifts to Him?Giving gifts for ourselves is foreign to the story of Bethlehem. DDB1 239 3 But it is universal, and it would not be wise to challenge it for the sake of the children whose disappointment would be almost impossible to relieve; but we can tell them the true story and ask the Lord to help us teach them so they don't grow up egocentric materialists. The Lord will help us save our children. DDB1 239 4 There is a delightful story in John 4 that we can teach: Jesus has gone on a long journey with His disciples, having taken a short cut to Galilee that goes through Samaria (where Jews feel unwelcome). They have come to a town called Sychar. John tells us that Jesus was hot and tired, and of course, thirsty. (In His incarnation, He was forbidden to create for Himself a drinking fountain.) He sits down at Jacob's famous well, hoping someone will give him a drink. Here He is, the Creator of heaven and earth, helplessly dependent on some human's generosity! DDB1 239 5 The disciples have gone to the market to buy some food to relieve their hunger, and that of Jesus. A lady comes at this noontime to draw water (but she doesn't want to mingle with the other women; she has had an unfortunate marital problem and wants to come when there is no one else there because of the heat). She bumps into Jesus who humbly asks her for a drink instead of waiting for some Jew to give him a drink; He is not ashamed to request a favor from a Samaritan (despised by the Jews). DDB1 239 6 The disciples then come back with their groceries, and paint us a delightful little picture: in the King James Version, they "pray a prayer" to Jesus that is in reverse gear from all the prayers we are so wont to pray: instead of asking Him to feed them, they pray "Master [You] eat!" (vs. 31). DDB1 239 7 It's time we learned to think of the need that Jesus has for Himself. Principally, He longs for His Bride-to-be to repent and give Him her heart--in corporate consecration and repentance. ------------------------Chapter 240--Can We Dwell Too Much on the Sacrifice of Christ? DDB1 240 1 At this holiday season, many people around the world are listening to Handel's "Messiah." One of the grandest anthems is "Behold the Lamb of God." Then there is a beautiful section that dwells on the sufferings and the sacrifice of Christ. And the oratorio ends with "Worthy is the Lamb That Was Slain" and the magnificent "Amen" chorus. DDB1 240 2 Can we dwell too much on the sacrifice of Christ? His high priestly ministry in the heavenly sanctuary is also important and must not be neglected. But Paul helps us understand the balance: "Every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices; wherefore it is of necessity that this Man [Christ] have somewhat also to offer" (Heb. 8:3, KJV). DDB1 240 3 The content of that "somewhat" is vitally important, for if one does not appreciate what kind of sacrifice Christ made as "the Lamb of God" he cannot appreciate His High Priestly ministry; and further, Christ cannot serve as High Priest if He does not have an adequate "sacrifice" "to offer." Hence, the cross is essential to His successful High Priestly ministry. It cannot be dwelt upon too much! DDB1 240 4 Paul said he could "glory" in nothing else (Gal. 6:14). When he came to Corinth, he told the people, "I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2). There is a "width and length and depth and height" of the love revealed at the cross that it is our privilege to "comprehend" (Eph. 3:18). What's encouraging is to realize that the vision, the comprehension, of the cross cleanses our human hearts of pride, selfishness, lust, and love of the world. It makes right deep in our hearts what was wrong! DDB1 240 5 Isaac Watts, a wise man, said, "When I survey the wondrous cross / On which the Prince of glory died, / My richest gain I count but loss, / And pour contempt on all my pride." As the Israelites who were bitten by the poisonous snakes looked to the serpent on the tree, so we look to the cross and we are healed. But this is not magic or superstition; it is life in a look (John 3:14-16). ------------------------Chapter 241--Only Luke Tells the Beautiful Story of the Birth of Jesus DDB1 241 1 Have you ever noticed how many intimate details of the birth of Jesus that Luke tells? Neither Mark nor John say anything about His birth; yet Luke, a Gentile, gives us a clearer picture than even Matthew. Do you suppose in later years he sought out the Virgin Mary and interviewed her as a reporter would? Thank God she told it all to him! Could it be that Luke wants us Gentiles to feel welcomed into God's family? DDB1 241 2 Luke alone tells the story of the birth of John the Baptist (1:5-25). And of Gabriel's announcement to Mary—very intimate details (vss. 26-37). He alone tells of Mary's ready faith-response, and of that giant sword of Goliath yet to be thrust through her heart (vs. 38; 2:35). Let your heart be pained in sympathy for her! DDB1 241 3 Luke alone tells of Mary's almost breathless journey up the hills to Elizabeth's home, so she could confide her gigantic secret with her closest friend (1:39-45). DDB1 241 4 We thank Luke for sharing her exquisite poem of thanksgiving (vss. 46-55), that seems so like the heartbroken Hannah's psalm of gratitude (1 Sam. 2:1-10). Mary shared some special "humiliation" with Hannah that made them kindred spirits (cf. Luke 1:48; Greek, tapeinosis--compare that word in Acts 8:33). Luke discloses a very literate, sensitive, and polished lady of exceptional abilities. DDB1 241 5 Only Luke provides us a fitting entrée to the thrilling story behind the birth of the world's Savior. A totally selfless man must prepare His way (Luke 1:57-80, John 3:29, 30); only a selfless people can prepare the way of His second coming (Rev. 14:1-5, 14, 15). DDB1 241 6 Only Luke tells the beautiful story of the shepherds ready to welcome Him (2:1-18). It humbles our pride just to think about it. DDB1 241 7 Don't let the din of the Season drown out the precious story. Linger over it. ------------------------Chapter 242--A Marvelous Passage in Philippians DDB1 242 1 There is a marvelous passage in Philippians 2:5-8 to ponder. The birth of a Baby in Bethlehem made no impact on the world at that time, but the message in this passage did make an impact. Paul was the first one who clearly saw the significance of that birth in the stable! He talks about the "mind" that was in Christ Jesus beforeHe came to this earth as a Baby. And then Paul begs us to "let" that "mind" be in us--to think and to feel as Christ did when He was in the highest place possible--"the form of God." DDB1 242 2 Take a look at the seven steps that the "mind" of Christ motivated Him to take: (1) to lay aside His equality with God with all its glory; (2) emptied Himself, gave up His reputation (what we usually fight for!); (3) "took" slavery upon Himself [King James Version]; (4) stepped down low so as to be made in the reality of humanity; (5) and then He humbled Himself still further (is there anyone reading this was who was born in a stable with the chickens, cows, goats, and donkeys?); (6) then He "became obedient" to the second death (the only person in all history who has done so!); and finally, (7) endured the death of the cross. DDB1 242 3 And that was not mere physical pain and social shame. It was the death that involved enduring the "curse of God" (Gal. 3:10). In other words it was the very same hell that Jesus described when He spoke of being cast into "outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 25:30). DDB1 242 4 Yes, says Paul, ponder this! Let your mind dwell on those seven steps. The Holy Spirit is right now is pleading with you—look! Think about this. He's trying His best to pour into your soul this glorious truth, like you pour a delicious drink into a glass--don't cover the glass with your hand so it can't be poured in! "Let this mind be in you ..." The Holy Spirit will give it to you if you permit Him! That's Good News! ------------------------Chapter 243--Jesus Begs You to Let Him Give You His New Covenant Promises DDB1 243 1 It's a serious question to ask and very important: are we saved by faith or are we saved by discipline? You ask, "What do you mean?" Let's try again: do you eat because the doctor tells you that you must; or do you eat because you're hungry? If you're never hungry, you've got a problem, and you'd better discipline yourself and force some nourishment down or you'll starve. A healthy person has an appetite that drives him or her to breakfast, lunch, or dinner. DDB1 243 2 Do we discipline ourselves to read the Bible and pray just because of the stern voice of duty? If so, if we sense no "hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matt. 5:6), that means we are in God's hospital in His Intensive Care Unit where we are sustained by intravenous feeding. Yes, if the only reason why you pray or read the Bible is discipline fueled by fear,do it. The Old Covenant kept ancient Israel alive for a time (but oh what a dismal up and down life they had under it). DDB1 243 3 Let Jesus help you: He says, "Blessed [happy] are those who hunger and thirstfor righteousness, for they shall be filled." He went on to warn against doing good things just because of a selfish motivation: "Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven" (Matt. 6:1). Could we read the Bible and pray for a selfish reason? Millions do or at least have done so, for Old Covenant reasons; and they hope to get to heaven. God bless them. (The Old Covenant was better than heathenism; still, it led to crucifying Christ.) DDB1 243 4 But Jesus begs you to letHim, permitHim, allowHim, grantHim, stop resistingHim, letHim giveyou His New Covenant promises, and then you believethem. He has spent thousands of years trying to teach His people, and still today we can be right back where Israel was when they fastened themselves under the Old Covenant (Exodus 19). DDB1 243 5 To answer our question, let's let the Bible speak: "By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of [discipline], lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9; this liberty with the text is correct--that's what self-centered "works" means). You don't have to beg the Lord to give you the gift--He's already done so and keeps trying. Do the only common sense thing possible: repent for resisting so long. The ball's in your court. DDB1 243 6 P.S.: He is still your Great Physician on duty 24/7 in His Intensive Care Unit, for you alone. ------------------------Chapter 244--A Special Final Message of Heart-Union With Christ DDB1 244 1 Discussions about "Elijah the prophet" stir up questions. Who really is "Elijah"? As Jesus says in Matthew chapters 11 and 17, "the coming of Elijah the prophet" is a message. God's promise "I will send you Elijah the prophet" was fulfilled in the message of John the Baptist, which the Jews despised. Now what concerns us is that it's "before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord," before the end of the world (Mal. 4:5, 6). DDB1 244 2 What is "the Elijah message" for today? If you had lived in Jerusalem 2000 years ago wouldn't you have asked, "How can I recognize 'Elijah' when 'he' comes?" And now? There are some things we can know for sure: DDB1 244 3 (1) When the Lord "sends" a message, it is always "sent" in mercy to His people. He never sends one to hurt us. In fact, whatever message He sends, it's always in great mercy. This is because "God is love." DDB1 244 4 (2) When the Lord sends the "Elijah message," we can be sure it will be a precious message. In fact, knowing Him as we do, it will be, must be, a most precious one. DDB1 244 5 (3) Malachi gives us a clue when he says that Elijah's message will be one of reconciliation--fathers' hearts to children and (miracle of miracles!) children's hearts to parents (Mal. 4:6). "Elijah's" message "turns" hearts, changes hearts, heals alienation in hearts, melts hard hearts. That's possible when people kneel together at the cross. DDB1 244 6 (4) The same verse says that his message prepares fathers and children (that's all of God's people!) for the time when God's Holy Spirit will be withdrawn from the earth--the seven last plagues poured out (Rev. 16). Any message God sends that prepares His people for that time will certainly be "most precious"! DDB1 244 7 (5) Just as ancient Israel had an annual "day of atonement" in type, so we are today living in the great antitypical Day of Atonement--the cosmic "day" of ultimate, final heart reconciliations. Therefore "Elijah's message" will direct our attention to Christ as our High Priest "sending" a special final message of heart-union with Him. DDB1 244 8 "Watch," look, listen! ------------------------Chapter 245--How Close Has the Son of God Come to Us? DDB1 245 1 How close has the Son of God come to us in our humanity? Bible readers generally for centuries have recognized in Psalm 119 a prophetic revelation of the heart cries of Jesus in His incarnation. David wrote it, as he did Psalms 22 and 69; but he was "searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in [him] was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ" (1 Peter 1:11). We find there a revelation of Christ's human struggle with temptations and "infirmities" "like as we are [tempted and tried], yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15, King James Version). DDB1 245 2 Read those Psalms, believing as you go, and you will be immensely comforted and encouraged. You will find repeatedly He says things that your heart has been trying to say from its deepest depths, but you have been too uncertain or too shy to say. Jesus dares to pray the prayer you wish you had the boldness to pray! DDB1 245 3 For example: He tells our Father in heaven, "I am small and despised" (Psalm 119:141). Yes! But don't forget the rest in that same breath: "Yet I do not forget Your precepts." So, don't "forget." There's the tension that Jesus felt in His own soul, like you know--one moment sensing your helplessness, the next remembering you've been adopted into the Father's family. DDB1 245 4 Jesus accepted discipline from His Father: "I know ... that in faithfulness You have afflicted Me" (vs. 75). Even He wasn't ready for His ministry until He was 30! DDB1 245 5 Instead of harboring resentment against those who "treated [Him] wrongfully," He turned His attention to Bible truth: "I will meditate on Your precepts" (vs. 78). So must you. DDB1 245 6 He was human enough to know what it is to long for revenge on those who treated Him unfairly: "When will You execute judgment on those who persecute Me?" (vs. 84). Have you ever noticed the innate desire that children know for fairness? DDB1 245 7 More than ten times in Psalm 119 Jesus prays (in old English), "quicken Me," which means, "make Me alive again." Before His Great Resurrection on "the third day," He had practiced being "resurrected" many times. It was no slang expression for Him, "I almost died!" He knows what a heart-stopping trauma is like. "They almost made an end of Me on earth," He complains; that's when He prayed to be made alive again (vss. 87, 88). DDB1 245 8 Yes, He has come intimately close to us. ------------------------Chapter 246--A Resolution Is Not the Solution DDB1 246 1 There are many good people in the world who want to live and let live, to be a help to their neighbors, they are morally upright, but they live with a serious problem: they are victims of an addiction. It may be the addiction of drugs; or the captivity of alcohol. In some cases (and these too are serious) they are addicted to food and their weight problem is out of control. All kinds of addictions assail us humans; we seek the solution to our problem. DDB1 246 2 Come January 1, these dear people believe that a New Year's resolution may help them; so they "resolve" in the next twelve months to rise above their addiction and conquer it. They promise themselves and often their family, "I'm going to overcome this problem in this New Year!" DDB1 246 3 They are utterly sincere, and their hearts are right; they mean well and the Lord pities them. They just need to know the truth and to act on that truth, for Jesus said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). The truth is not the value of our own promises to do and to be good; our own promises are like "ropes of sand," they look good and our friends and loved ones hope that they will hold; but they don't. DDB1 246 4 The problem with making promises to God is that wonderful "I" that makes the promises. "Our beloved brother Paul" sees through the problem; he says that our "carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). The solution: stop relying on that "wonderful I" and begin relying on the Lord's promises. DDB1 246 5 Making promises to God is not the answer, because our promises are the "Old Covenant" that "gives birth to bondage," says Paul in Galatians 4:24. The New Covenant in contrast is believing God's promises to us. DDB1 246 6 A prayer to pray may go like this: "Father in heaven, thank You for giving me another New Year; thank You for loving me so much that you gave Your Son to me to be my Savior; yes, I do believe--but 'Lord, ... help my unbelief!'" Those are the words of the distraught father in Mark 9:24 whose son was devil afflicted; Jesus had promised him "all things are possible to him who believes" (vs. 23). DDB1 246 7 The poor father set the stage for all of us: "Lord, I believe" he responded; but then immediately begged for forgiveness (as must we), for he added, "help my unbelief." DDB1 246 8 A New Year's resolution is not your solution; a New Year's choice and a New Year's prayer, is. ------------------------Chapter 247--More Abundant Life--The Good News Is He Gives It to You DDB1 247 1 To endure poverty that is thrust upon you unwanted is one thing; you grumble about your circumstances and wish you had more money. But to be content with poverty, actually to enjoy its discipline and privation, is another. And that immediately makes us think of Jesus--a hard-working peasant who in later life said He had nowhere to lay His head. And He said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit ..." (Matt. 5:3) meaning, they are the truly happy people. DDB1 247 2 Wealthy people are seldom happy. It's not poetic fancy but hard truth that "godliness with contentment is great gain." DDB1 247 3 There's a beautiful hymn by Anna Waring that was in the old Hymnal (1941), but it's been left out of the new one (1985), probably because its sentiment goes too much against the grain of modern American philosophy. She says: "I have a heritage of joy / That yet I must not see; / The hand that bled to make it mine / Is keeping it for me. / There is a certainty of love / That sets my heart at rest; / A calm assurance for today, / That to be poor is best." DDB1 247 4 Wow! Of course! Such an idea must never be promoted in the richest nation on earth! But it's Bible teaching. No, not that abject, grinding, painful poverty is good--of course not; let's be reasonable. Food and raiment are necessary; and the One who "has nowhere to lay His head" (Luke 9:58) doesn't want you be like that--He wants you to have a roof over your head, yes, that doesn't leak, and a bed to sleep in. And He wants you to have the necessities of life. DDB1 247 5 The principle is the thing: "One's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he [or she] possesses" (Luke 12:15). "More abundant life" (John 10:10): the Good News is not that Jesus merely offers it to you; He givesit to you. Receive it! Don't resent it! ------------------------Chapter 248--The Book of Revelation--Where Christ Exposes His Heart DDB1 248 1 Yes, we must study and learn the message of Romans and Galatians--what Christ accomplished for us by His sacrifice on the cross, the Good News of the atonement, what is the New Covenant, how to overcome sin--yes, all that is super-important. DDB1 248 2 But this is an out-and-out plea that we "read" and "understand" the books of Daniel and the Revelation. "You don't have time? Too much of the world swirling about your feet?" Well, we must face the truth: anybody who wants seriously to live in the new earth and not "perish," must become educated in order to enjoy the privilege (John 3:16; you can't "believe" unless you grasp some truth). DDB1 248 3 You could never be happy living in the same world where the resurrected Jesus is unless you come to understand Him personally. The new earth won't be big enough to hold both you and Jesus if you are strangers to each other. And you'd be miserable among His people if you have educated yourself only for the things of this world--not the next. DDB1 248 4 You do have time; drop your obsession with that world swirling about your feet, and "set your mind on things above" (Col. 3:2). The angel told Daniel that "from the first day that you set your heart [mind] to understand, and to humble yourself before your God," he came to help him (10:12). Self-denial is indeed the pathway, but it becomes an easy one once we kneel down and watch the Son of God die on His cross. It's that simple, that easy; "I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself" (John 12:32). DDB1 248 5 The book of Revelation is "the testimony of Jesus Christ" (1:2). It's where He exposes His heart. Put those two texts together and we have the truth: today around the world Jesus is "drawing" people to study and understand the book of Revelation! And Daniel is the "little book open" that underlies Revelation (Rev. 10:2), which Jesus especially wants us to understand with Revelation (Matt. 24:15). Thank God! ------------------------Chapter 249--Hungering for the Word of God More Than You Hunger for Breakfast DDB1 249 1 If you believe in Jesus, that means you have given Him all there is of you, which includes your mind. Your motivation is His love, not fear of punishment. You want to be one with Him just as a bride wants to be one with her husband. She doesn't look upon being one with him as a burden; rather, it's a priceless privilege. DDB1 249 2 You will want to think the thoughts of the Son of God, not trying to figure out how to get ahead, or to protect yourself during the "time of trouble" that the Bible speaks of. You will be heart and soul wrapped up in what Christ wants to do for the world. You will be obsessed with wanting to help somebody else, just as He has helped you. DDB1 249 3 In particular, your concern will be to "feed" the world with "the bread of life" that comes through Christ. He says He is "the truth" (John 14:6); and He is also "the bread of life" (6:35). Your personal happiness will be found in your longing for that; it will be your "hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matt. 5:6). You will wantto understand the Bible. That may seem like a miracle to you, because at present you may find it boring. But be honest--that's the only way to get to "first base." DDB1 249 4 It's impossible for us to "love Jesus" any more than we actually love the Bible, for He isthe Word of God. So be careful about parading your "love for Jesus." The point is this! Every new day we are reminded that we need what Jesus told Nicodemus: "You must be born again." It's good news that you will learn to hunger for the Word of God more than you hunger for breakfast (Jer. 15:16), or for the entertainment that the world loves. When that happy time comes (and it can be today!) you will have "passed from death into life" (John 5:24). DDB1 249 5 Don't forget, love for the Word of God will include a hunger to understand both Daniel and Revelation. And remember, your Teacher, the Holy Spirit, is full of common sense. He doesn't teach fanatical ideas of those important books! ------------------------Chapter 250--Christ, A Savior FROM Sin DDB1 250 1 Someone gets a bright idea, putting 2 + 2 together to come up with what he thinks is 4. First, King David experienced a deep repentance for his sin with Bathsheba--front-page news for the world. It occasioned Psalms 32 and 51, both bringing comfort and encouragement to millions in all lands. Second, David would never have written those valuable psalms if he had not sinned his adultery with Uriah's wife (and its concomitant accessory sin of murder; adultery in some way always in God's sight involves murder). DDB1 250 2 So, says the one with this bright idea: put those two truths together, and you end up seeing that since such a repentance as David had is a good thing, it's okay to commit the same sin so we can have a similar repentance. There's no other way to experience "big" repentance unless we commit a "big" sin. A little sin means only a little repentance, and that's being "lukewarm," the problem of Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-17). DDB1 250 3 So, this bright idea says, we can never truly appreciate Psalms 32 and 51 unless we commit the same sin. It's a part of good "Christian education." You learn compassion; so it's really a plus. Only if you have been in the depths of iniquity can you appreciate the heights of righteousness. This doctrine is very attractive and subtle, for it makes sin to be a good thing. DDB1 250 4 It is based solidly on the egocentric motivation of "conversion": what's most important in the universe is my personal salvation. Crucifying Christ afresh and putting Him to an open shame and dragging His name as Savior through the mud--this is secondary (see Heb. 6:6; Ezek. 36:20, 21). Such sin gives "comfort" and encouragement to other people to go the way that leads to hell (see Ezek. 16:54). DDB1 250 5 But there is Good News: Christ will have a people gathered from "every nation, tribe, tongue, and people" (Rev. 14:6) who appreciate His sacrifice; and motivated solely by His love they are constrained to honor His name as Savior from sin even at the cost of life (2 Cor. 5:14, 15). They don't need to re-commit David's sin; they learn David's compassion by corporate repentance. That is implicit in righteousness by faith. ------------------------Chapter 251--The Shape of Things to Come DDB1 251 1 The shape of things to come is becoming more sharply focused day by day. Two world movements are aligning themselves for the last great conflict: the "beast" of Revelation 13 (same as the little horn of the fourth beast of Daniel 7), versus the third angel’s message of Revelation 14:6-12. DDB1 251 2 Those who accept the latter will worship the Lamb, the Christ of the cross who by His sacrifice "tasted death for every man" (Heb. 2:9). And those who worship the beast and his image will worship self. The self-righteousness of the Old Covenant will be the worship of the beast, and the imputed and imparted righteousness of Christ will be the worship of the Lamb. DDB1 251 3 One will be faith in the promises of God, the other will be the "righteousness" of human promises. One will appreciate the "width and length and depth and height" of "the agapeof Christ which passes knowledge" (Eph. 3:14-21), and the other will become a false view of the cross, a counterfeit misrepresentation of the gospel, which will be the worship of a false "christ." And so clever will the deceptions be that "to deceive, if possible, even the elect" (Matt. 24:24). DDB1 251 4 We are told by an inspired prediction that in that final hour "a great proportion" of those who "are supposed to be genuine" will "betray sacred trusts," and take their side with the avowed enemies of the truth. If this present generation, as many have affirmed, is the last before the second coming of the true Christ, the Holy Spirit must be calling us to sober thinking. Is it really possible that Old Covenant thinking can lead at last to final apostasy? Well, the answer is that it certainly did so for ancient Israel. It led them to crucify their true Messiah. DDB1 251 5 Could anything be more important than for us to learn now what it means to "worship the Lamb"? To "glory" in nothing "except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Gal. 6:14)? How to "survey that wondrous cross, on which the Prince of glory died ..."? To appreciate what it cost Him to save us? Humble, contrite hearts will worship the Lamb; proud, self-satisfied ones ("rich and increased with goods") will worship the beast and his image. ------------------------Chapter 252--The Great NEWS Behind the News DDB1 252 1 What is the top news story today? Every morning you can get a glimpse of what your Internet browser considers the most important or most spectacular news item of the day (or the biggest headline in your morning paper). But back of it all, what does that heavenly Father of us all, the God who says He is "love" (agape), tell us is the great News behind the news? It's the central message of the Book of Revelation, "the everlasting gospel" being proclaimed to every "nation, tribe, tongue, and people" (14:6, 7). And what is the purpose of this most highly acclaimed activity? To prepare people for the most climactic event of all history--the second coming of Jesus (vss. 15, 16). DDB1 252 2 Is this message getting through to the people of the world, or is it being buried under an overwhelming mass of confusion published by the media, or even by a similar mass of confusion known as "organized religion"? DDB1 252 3 The answer does not depend on mere human observation, for Jesus said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation" (Luke 17:20). In His day, what served as "the media" tried to ignore the greatest News of all time, but the Holy Spirit was working quietly, surely, in what Jesus was doing. So today, the "everlasting gospel" proclaimed by those three angels of Revelation 14 is getting through in different ways. DDB1 252 4 The best way to know for sure is to consider the character of God Himself--He is "love" (agape); that is, He will not permit the final, cataclysmic events of earth's history ("the seven last plagues" of Revelation 16) to come, until people have had a reasonable chance to prepare. And that means, they must hear the message of Good News, of His "much more abounding grace." You can't believe that "God is love" (agape) if you think He has gone to sleep. You must recognize that every angel in heaven is intensely active, moving upon the hearts of human beings everywhere. DDB1 252 5 God's "office" in heaven is the central command post of the vast worldwide war between Christ and Satan, as real as the war between them when Jesus was here on earth 2000 years ago. It will not be recognized "by observation," but it's the most real newsworthy story happening today. Read about it in Revelation 14-19; let the same Holy Spirit that inspired the Book speak to your heart in its pages. ------------------------Chapter 253--Light Is Stronger Than Darkness DDB1 253 1 Modern inventions are truly marvelous. I can't imagine how computers work, or TVs, or a multitude of other electronic marvels. Even electricity--I don't know what it is and I doubt anybody really knows. That fundamental electric invention of Thomas Edison, the common light bulb, is a blessing to humanity everywhere. DDB1 253 2 There are also bad inventions, things that degrade and poison and kill. But there is one invention that I am glad no one has ever been able to invent--and that is a light bulb in reverse, a device that would snuff out the light. DDB1 253 3 In the gospel of John, chapter 1, we read: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (vss. 1-5). DDB1 253 4 The Word, capital W, is a name for Christ, the Son of God, who has been with the Father ever since the beginning, John says. And His life is the source of our life, and this life has brought light to mankind. What makes me happy is the statement that says, that the darkness has never been able to put out the light. And darkness never will be able to put out light, but light always puts out darkness. Thank God! DDB1 253 5 What this means is that light is stronger than darkness. Come into a room some midnight that is totally dark, and light one little candle, and the darkness will flee. That means of course that Satan and all his hosts of evil angels will flee at the very mention (in faith and reverence) of the name of Jesus. DDB1 253 6 Something else that is Good News is that love is stronger than hatred. Do you have to meet up with hatred in your home, your office, your business, among the neighbors? Love is stronger--believe it! And some more Good News--grace is stronger than sin. Stronger than all the allurements to sin that Satan and his devils in hell can invent. You need not be a captive to sin--except for your unbelief. ------------------------Chapter 254--Elijah--A Man of True Love DDB1 254 1 The Lord has promised to "send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord" (Mal. 4:5). Who is the "you"? The entire human race corporately? The entire church corporately? DDB1 254 2 The answer may be yes. But each of us as individuals can latch on to the promise and ask the Lord to send Elijah to us personally--if we will welcome him. The Lord is serious; He has promised. How would you like to have a personal visit with the man who confronted King Ahab and all Israel? He will tell the truth if you are prepared to hear it. But remember: there is no truth except in love (agape; Eph. 4:15). Elijah is a man of true love. He is not unkind, harsh. DDB1 254 3 What will Elijah's work be? "He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers" (Mal. 4:6). It will be "heart work"! Melting human hearts; reconciling alienated hearts; restoring the ministry of love. As hearts forgive one another in love, some tears will come; hearts that have been dead will be quickened (an old fashioned word that means made alive again); communication between estranged hearts will be opened again; forgiveness will be given one to another; cold relationships will become warm. DDB1 254 4 Elijah's coming will be Ephesians 4:31, 32 redivivus: "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you." DDB1 254 5 Elijah will come, that's for sure, because the Lord promised to send him. He will be sent to this generation "if [we] are willing to receive it" (see Matt. 11:14); if not, then he must await a future generation. But the Lord doesn't want to send Elijah if he will have to take refuge again outside of "Israel" at some Brook Cherith or at some widow woman's house in Zarephath (1 Kings 17:9). ------------------------Chapter 255--Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation Illustrates What Christ Has Done DDB1 255 1 Dial Daily Bread: Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation Illustrates What Christ Has Done DDB1 255 2 Abraham Lincoln was always opposed to slavery and wanted to set all slaves free. But as President he had to abide by the political system that constituted the government. He himself was not "free." Therefore his Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863 left much to be desired; it applied only to the slaves held within the Confederate States. DDB1 255 3 Still, the historical reality of that "proclamation" illustrated Leviticus 25:10, "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants." DDB1 255 4 Christ’s purpose in His sacrifice on His cross was to set free allthe slaves of sin in the earth. Thus Lincoln’s "proclamation" illustrated what Christ had done: DDB1 255 5 (a) The slaves of sin in the earth did not know they had been set free--they had to hear the good news of the gospel to inform them. DDB1 255 6 (b) They had to believe the news, otherwise their slavery would be permanent. DDB1 255 7 (c) They could continue in servitude only through unbelief. DDB1 255 8 (d) They had to act on the news and walk out into liberty, demanding it as their right and assert it (Psalm 116:16). DDB1 255 9 Ephesians one is a statement of Christ’s "emancipation proclamation" to us all: DDB1 255 10 (a) The Father "has blessed us [all] with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (vs. 3). That includes liberty from the cruel bondage of Satan. DDB1 255 11 (b) The Father has "predestined us [all] to adoption as [children]" (vs. 5; cf. 1 Tim. 2:4). DDB1 255 12 (c) He "chose us [all] in [Christ] … that we should be holy and without blame" (vs. 4). DDB1 255 13 (d) He has "made us accepted in the Beloved" (vs. 6). DDB1 255 14 (e) When He acknowledged Jesus at His baptism in the Jordan ("This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," Matt. 3:17), He was throwing His arms around the entire human race "in Christ." DDB1 255 15 (f) As He loved His only Son, so He has loved us. DDB1 255 16 (g) When He "gave" Him (John 3:16), the Father placed His Son’s value to Himself on a par with our value to Himself. !! ------------------------Chapter 256--"Evangelism" in God’s Design DDB1 256 1 Many who study a strange, unlikely book in the Bible, the Song of Solomon, are discovering, for one thing, that it's quoted extensively in the New Testament, especially by Jesus! This removes the lingering doubts that maybe its sexual content slipped into the Bible by mistake. Yes, the book is to be read reverently! DDB1 256 2 Its alluring glimpses of Paradise are not bad to imagine, because the message gets across unmistakably that it's Jesus Himself who is the Lover yearning to become fully one with His Bride in a "consummation." DDB1 256 3 Paul cites the Song of Solomon when he speaks of Christ's goal for the church that it be "without spot" (Eph. 5:27; S. S. 4:7; we have a ways to go!). DDB1 256 4 Jesus quotes the Greek version (the Septuagint) in His message to the leadership of the last of the seven churches when He tells of knocking, knocking, "at the door" (Rev. 3:20). But the source in the Song of Solomon turns out to be a sad vignette. It describes the young woman who is loved so dearly as selfishly snuggling warm in bed on a cold rainy night while her poor Lover is barred at her door, forced to keep knocking while He remains outside, lonely, cold, hungry, wet, and obviously the One whose disappointment is beyond description (S. S. 5:2-5). DDB1 256 5 But Christ's most delightful quote is in John 7:37, 38 where He frankly identifies the Song of Solomon as "theScripture" and clarifies forever what true "evangelism" means according to His view. "Evangelism" is the accepted name for doing what Jesus commanded when He said "Go into all the world and preach the gospel" (Mark 16:15). It's interesting to see what the Song of Solomon says about that (4:15). DDB1 256 6 It's something that Jesus didn't just "say" quietly to the Twelve. He "stood and cried out" that everyone attending that "last day, that great day of the feast," could hear a message that was bursting forth from His soul. And it was a quotation from the Song of Solomon. DDB1 256 7 If you're thirsty, He said, "come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." This is not a mere profession of "accepting Christ" like you enroll in an insurance policy; this is a thirsty soul famishing of inward dryness, eagerly drinking every drop of spiritual moisture in a clearer grasp of gospel truth than he has ever before understood. The dry "gospel" has become life itself. DDB1 256 8 Thus "believing" is defined: it's not head knowledge, but the yearning in Jesus' soul now transplanted into your soul. You now actually love the Bible with the enthusiasm of your former worldly addictions. You have become a bubbling spring of fresh water of life. Everyone who comes in contact with you in life is refreshed by something you have said about "the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:5, 14). Your heart has become a treasure store of gospel truth. You have become one of those "144,000" whose passion is to "follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (Rev. 14:4). DDB1 256 9 This becomes a clearer definition of what it means to "believe." It's self-humbling; you want to pray that although "I believe," yet "help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24). You're hesitant now to boast of your so-called "faith." Like Moses, you're not even aware that your face is shining (cf. Ex. 34:29). DDB1 256 10 This is "evangelism" in God's design. It's ordinary people who bubble over humbly with pure gospel truth that has satisfied their own soul thirst. ------------------------Chapter 257--A Change in the "Christian Experience" DDB1 257 1 As we come nearer to the end, a change comes in the "Christian experience" of God's people. Their deepest heart concern ceases to be that of saving their own souls, to a concern for the glory of Christ in the closing hours of the "great controversy between Christ and Satan." These people of God in the last days turn away from their previous concern for their own salvation to a concern for Another--that He emerge victorious from the "battle" He is in. DDB1 257 2 This change in "Christian experience" can be described in the terms the Lord Jesus uses in John 15: "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing: but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you" (vs. 15). As we come closer to the end, the concern of these "friends" is for that "battle" that Christ is in, and not for self. DDB1 257 3 This change in "Christian experience" orientation can also be described as graduating out of the Old Covenant "Christian experience" into the New. It's coming out of the shadows into the bright sunlight of "present truth" (a term used in 2 Peter 1:12). The "present truth" is New Covenant living, not Old. DDB1 257 4 This change is also passing from Revelation 18 into Revelation 19 where we find those four grand Hallelujah Choruses, each greater than Handel's (vss. 1-17). It can at last be said that "the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready" (19:6, 7). At last! DDB1 257 5 Although the Lord is "omnipotent," He cannot force the nuptials. It cannot be said that He "reigns" until her nuptial devotion to Him as to a divine Husband is real. Thus there is a "woman" whose marital devotion He can only wait, and wait, to see. The good news that rejoices one's heart is that this change in spiritual growth is actually taking place. Don't be left behind! ------------------------Chapter 258--What Does It Mean to Follow Christ During This Cosmic "Day of Atonement"? DDB1 258 1 What does it mean, in practical day-by-day living, to follow Christ during this present, cosmic "Day of Atonement"? It is "the hour of [God's] judgment," indeed (Rev. 14:7), and to the ancient Israelites it was "Yom Kippur," the annual solemn day of fearful preparation lest one be "cut off from his people, ... destroyed" (Lev. 23:29, 30). DDB1 258 2 Many youth have experienced an "antitypical" fear in this grand Day of Atonement. To them, the pre-Advent judgment has triggered nightmares. But all this fear, anciently and today, has been "Old Covenant." DDB1 258 3 The word "atonement" means at-one-with, reconciliation. Simple. So today's Day of Atonement is joyous reconciliation with God. Heart-enmity (see Rom. 8:7) is cleansed away! Nightmares are gone when one thinks of the Day of Atonement in New Covenant terms. DDB1 258 4 For an ancient Israelite who believed the New Covenant gospel (there were some!), the day of atonement was bliss on earth. It meant the same close fellowship with God that Moses experienced. The "one-ness" meant sharing God's love for Israel and for the world; for Moses it even meant his willingness to die forever if only Israel could be saved (Ex. 32:30-32). DDB1 258 5 For those who "follow the Lamb wherever He goes" today (Rev. 14:4), this cosmic Day of Atonement means just what Jesus says: "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me in My throne, as I also overcame" (Rev. 3:21). DDB1 258 6 That one-ness of heart with Jesus is sharing His love for this lost world, cooperating with Him in saving people, sharing with Him executive authority in bringing to an end His great controversy with Satan. Joy? There is none greater. ------------------------Chapter 259--The "Elijah" Message Is Here--Don't Overlook It! DDB1 259 1 God's promise regarding Baal worship is tremendous Good News because it means He "will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord" (Mal. 4:5). Israel was in a terrible condition spiritually when the Lord sent him to King Ahab with his terrible news of drought and famine. But there was no other way to arouse the apostate people of God. Elijah was sent to them in love. DDB1 259 2 We want to be very careful that we know how to recognize "Elijah" when the Lord sends him again. Every one of us without exception should walk in fear and trembling lest we make the same mistake the Jews did in the days of John the Baptist. Their "Elijah" came and went and they had no idea what had happened! Ancient apostate Israel hated the messenger of the Lord when He sent him--Ahab and Jezebel wanted to kill him, and when the leaders of the Jewish church saw the new "Elijah" in John the Baptist they didn't recognize him. They said, "He has a demon" (Matt. 11:18). DDB1 259 3 Wouldn't it be terrible if, in these last days, we treated our new "Elijah" that way and didn't know what we were doing? Their "Elijah" was a humble man notably not dressed in "soft garments" as "in kings' houses" (vs. 8). Someone very humble, "despised and rejected by men" as was Jesus (Isa. 53:3), may have "come already, and [we] did not know him but [did] to him whatever [we] wished" (Matt. 17:12). Let's study the story of John the Baptist. DDB1 259 4 God is faithful. Many people today "sigh and cry over all the abominations" they see in the land (cf. Ezek. 9:4), but let them not yield to sinful despair and "beat" their "fellow servants" in their frustration (cf. Matt. 24:48, 49). The "Elijah" message is here somewhere. Don't misunderstand and overlook it! ------------------------Chapter 260--Don't Abandon Your Confidence in the Lord's Great "Day of Atonement" DDB1 260 1 We read Psalm 69, and it seems to be the lament of a bad man who deserves to be forsaken of God: DDB1 260 2 (1) He "sinks in deep mire" (vs. 2). DDB1 260 3 (2) "The floods overflow him" (vs. 2) DDB1 260 4 (3) He is "weary with his crying" (vs. 3). DDB1 260 5 (4) Everybody "hates him" (vs. 4). DDB1 260 6 (5) He says that the Lord "knows his foolishness" (vs. 5). DDB1 260 7 (6) He says his "sins are not hidden from" the Lord (vs. 5). DDB1 260 8 (7) "Shame has covered [his] face" (vs. 7). DDB1 260 9 (8) He has "become a stranger to [his] brothers" (vs. 8). DDB1 260 10 (9) He is "the song of the drunkards" (vs. 12). DDB1 260 11 (10) He expresses the horror of someone about to be punished with everlasting retribution (vss. 13-15). DDB1 260 12 (11) He knows "reproach, ... shame, ... and dishonor" (vs. 19). DDB1 260 13 Then suddenly you are shocked: all this is Christ speaking! He is describing how "they gave Me gall for My food, and for My thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink" (vs. 21). He "pours" out a holy "indignation" on those who have "persecuted" and "put to grief" the Savior of the world (vss. 24-26). The language fits the end of Judas Iscariot and the chief priests (vs. 28). There is a divine justice: those who have committed the crime of the ages, of all eternity, must bear their guilt. "The humble shall see this and be glad; and you who seek God, your hearts shall live. For the Lord hears the poor, and does not despise His prisoners" (vss. 32, 33). DDB1 260 14 "God will save" His church, "Zion," and will "[re]build" it (vs. 35). Those who dwell in it forever are those who "love His name" (vs. 36). In other words, don't leave the church; and don't abandon your confidence in the triumph of the Lord's great "Day of Atonement." DDB1 260 15 In Psalm 69 we witness firsthand how Christ was "made ... who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21). "Be reconciled to God" (vs. 20). ------------------------Chapter 261--Don't Be Fooled Into Thinking This World Is Your Home DDB1 261 1 You don't hear much about it, but it's clearly a part of Bible teaching: God's people who are ready will be translated without seeing death at the second coming of Jesus. DDB1 261 2 To some, that Bible doctrine sounds too close to fanaticism for comfortable discussion. Actually, it's no more difficult for God to translate His people without their dying than it will be for Him to resurrect the dead ones from their graves--at the second coming. This is the essence of "the blessed hope" that is cherished by those who believe in the second coming (Titus 2:13). Paul makes clear that when Jesus returns there will be a people "who are alive and remain [who] shall be caught up together with [those resurrected from the grave] to meet the Lord in the air [and] ... always be with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:17). DDB1 261 3 Is this blessed hope something imminent? Or is it no longer so? "Occupy till I come" (Luke 19:13, King James Version) is a command of Jesus that suggests for many the implication that if we are wise we should be planning for peace and prosperity here on this sin-cursed earth. It's a very sensitive issue. Suppose you have a long retirement ahead of you, a long life to live before Jesus returns the second time. Suppose He further delays His return beyond the current "blessed hopes" of His people. Shouldn't you invest here wisely? DDB1 261 4 But whatever we do, we remember the experience of Noah. While others were investing and counting this world their home, he kept busy putting all he had into the building of an ark. People thought he was crazy; but actually, building the ark became fun for him; it was a project on which he felt the blessing of the Lord, and when you're doing anything that you know God blesses, you find real happiness. DDB1 261 5 We remember the words of Jesus applicable to us right now: "Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighted down with ... cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly" as it was in Noah's time (Luke 21:34; 17:26, 27). Don't be fooled into thinking this world is your home. ------------------------Chapter 262--Can We Make the Good News Too Good? DDB1 262 1 The Lord Jesus commanded us to "go into all the world and preach the Good News to every creature" (Mark 16:15). But can we make it too good? God Himself is a Specialist in devising what is Good News; in fact, it is He who invented it. And it is He who made it Good, like it is. DDB1 262 2 But can we take a cue from Him and devise a version that is more good (that is, better good news) than He has invented for us? If so, are we in danger of giving people a false hope so that they will someday end up at the Pearly Gates and find they can't get in? DDB1 262 3 (1) John 3:16 says that the prerequisite for eternal life is to "believe," that is to have or to exercise faith. God has given us no right to tack anything else on. DDB1 262 4 (2) Therefore we must learn what is faith. DDB1 262 5 (3) It's "heart-work" as one writer often says (cf. Rom. 10:10). Thus it's the end of arrogance, pride, and love of self. DDB1 262 6 (4) The miracle can happen only as we lookat Christ on His cross like the Israelites looked at the serpent of brass on Moses' pole. It's to contemplate Him, sense what it cost Him to save this hell-bent world and how He actually went to hell for us rather than see us be lost; it's not a "work" that you do, no list of prerequisites. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whoever believes in Him should not perish" (John 3:14, 15). There it is simple and clear: (a) He is "lifted up," (b) you see Him, (c) you "believe." DDB1 262 7 (5) "Henceforth" you are "constrained" by the love revealed there (agape) to live not for your own selfish pleasure, not for your lust, but for Him. People use a long word for that--sanctification; but it's simply living for Him as a bride lives for her bridegroom--a new center of reference for one's life. DDB1 262 8 (6) Jesus says that to resist the "constraint" of that love is "hard," the most difficult life we can live (cf. Acts 26:14; 2 Cor. 5:14-21). DDB1 262 9 (7) He also says that to let that constraint move you to such a life is the easiest life you can live "henceforth" (cf. Matt. 11:28-30, King James Version). DDB1 262 10 No need for us to invent a version of "good news" more good than that one! The ticket for entrance into the Pearly Gates is the capacity to enjoy the life that is there forever. DDB1 262 11 "Come"! ------------------------Chapter 263--Standing Alone for Truth DDB1 263 1 Suppose the whole world (your world!) condemns you for believing what you see in the Bible. Suppose your convictions of truth force you to stand utterly alone. For example, suppose you are convinced in your soul that 2 + 2 = 4, but everybody around you ridicules you and says that it's 5--could you stand firm for what in your soul you believe is right? DDB1 263 2 Your first prayer to God will be, "Lord, save me from being a fool, a fanatic." If you're the only one who can see something, conventional wisdom insists that you must be wrong. You will walk carefully, humbly, and you will study and persevere in prayer. It's probably easier to stand alone for political convictions in Congress or the Senate than in your church for a religious issue. DDB1 263 3 If it is really true that you are standing alone for Jesus, you will be patient and entrust your convictions to His leading. You will be sympathetic to those who believe what the Bible says, "In the multitude of counselors there is safety" (Prov. 11:14; 15:22; 24:6). DDB1 263 4 Even if you find yourself condemned and ridiculed for the truth's sake, you will remain sweet and pleasant in the midst of contention. Why and how? Because you are in fellowship with the One who was "despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" (Isa. 53:3). You will remember that there is no such thing as truth, except in agape(Eph. 4:15). DDB1 263 5 You can't read the Bible and not see that a time of severe test is coming when the "mark of the beast" will be urged upon everyone. To receive the alternative, "the seal of God," will be immensely unpopular (Rev. 13:11-17). DDB1 263 6 One of the surest evidences that the Lord loves you is to find yourself even now placed in situations where your conscience forces you to stand alone for truth--if that grace of Christ keeps you sweet and pleasant during your ordeal. The Holy Spirit is preparing you to meet future trials. ------------------------Chapter 264--The Next Item on the Agenda: Repentance for God's Own People DDB1 264 1 God's love for a lost, despairing world is seen in the message of three mighty angels who "fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach ... to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people," telling (1) that "the hour of His judgment has come," (2) that "Babylon is fallen," that is, apostate, fallen Christianity that should lighten the earth with truth but instead has embraced self-worshipping paganism in its heart, and (3) don't "worship the beast and his image, [or] receive his mark" (Rev. 14:6-12). DDB1 264 2 The first message, which arose on time just after the end of the 1260 years that came in 1798, was given its first public presentation in 1831. A tragic rejection by the entrenched Protestant hierarchies made the "fall of Babylon" message relevant by 1844, and the identification of "the mark of the beast" has been proclaimed ever since. DDB1 264 3 But note: these three great angels can fly only "in the midst of heaven," like helicopters flying over the treetops, but they are severely limited in their effectiveness. They use all the marvelous "increase of knowledge" provided by modern technology, satellite preaching for example; but straining their resources to the limit, they could preach on for hundreds of years more, frustrated in their best efforts unless "another angel," a fourth, comes "down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth [is] lightened with his glory, and he [cries] mightily with a loud voice ..." (Rev. 18:1-4). DDB1 264 4 The most poignant drama of 6000 years is seen in modern "Israel's" disdaining a "most precious message" when its "beginning" came in the closing decades of the 19th century. The result of that tragic unbelief has been the loosening of the grip of those "four angels" of Revelation chapter 7 who had been commissioned to "hold the four winds of the earth" until the sealing angels "have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads" (vss. 1-3). DDB1 264 5 In simple language, the Savior of the world has been frustrated in His purpose to bring to a triumphant close His "great controversy" with Satan. The next item on the agenda: repentance for God's own people. ------------------------Chapter 265--A Savior Who Truly Blots Outs All Our Iniquities DDB1 265 1 Suppose someone was spending millions of dollars to hire prosecuting attorneys to pursue you relentlessly, trying to expose publicly every moral misstep or misstatement in your life. I think you would join me in praying to God as did David, "Blot out all mine iniquities" (Psalm 51:9). Wouldn't it be wonderful if the prosecuting sleuths couldn't find even one thing wrong? DDB1 265 2 We know we all have a skeleton of some kind in our closets. Romans 3:10 says, "There is none righteous, no, not one." We all want vindication in a judgment. And we must all face an eventual judgment for we read in 2 Corinthians 5:10: "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." The word "receive" means full exposure. The sweet unconsciousness of a sudden martyr's death by a bullet (such as Lincoln and Kennedy suffered) would be more desirable compared to the agony of a protracted public humiliation of one's nakedness with no merciful covering. DDB1 265 3 We must remember that appearing before "the judgment seat of Christ" does not mean that Hewants to expose us to humiliation. He has promised that Hewill not embarrass those who will be lost--their own record will condemn them (see John 12:47, 48); and in that judgment He will vindicate those who believe in Him (vs. 47; John 3:16-19). DDB1 265 4 Thank God for a Savior who does truly blot out all our iniquities! It was He who endured the public hellish humiliation of our nakedness. Gratitude and appreciation will motivate us "henceforth" to live for Him (2 Cor. 5:14, 15, King James Version). ------------------------Chapter 266--Do Precisely What Jesus Said to Do--Read Daniel for Yourself DDB1 266 1 Are you confused about how the world is going? What our future holds? What book to read that will make you understand Revelation? Or Daniel? Start looking for someone's book to explain it all and you'll probably end up in confusion unlimited (that's what Revelation's "Babylon" is). Here's some common sense guidance: DDB1 266 2 Do precisely what Jesus said to do: read Daniel for yourself. "Whoso readeth, let him understand" (Matt. 24:15; Bible texts are from the King James Version). The message is clear: The book is un-sealed today (Dan. 12:3, 4, 10). God wants you to understand! This is not to say reject all help any book can give you (several old books have given me great help); but the promise is firm that "whoso reads let the Holy Spirit (who is willing) teach him to understand." "Take heed that no man deceive you," says Jesus (Matt. 24:4). DDB1 266 3 Do precisely what the Holy Spirit invites you to do in Revelation 1:1-3. "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep [cherish] those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand." Simple enough, right? DDB1 266 4 Mix some good self-humbling common sense with your reading. Paul cautions us, "I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man [or woman, anthropos] that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith" (Rom. 12:3). Resist the temptation to think that you are a genius; read in order to find the "bread of life" that will nourish your own famishing soul (John 6:35, 48-63). Don't wander away from the cross of Jesus into vain political or theological speculations. DDB1 266 5 Peter plants our feet on solid ground: "No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation" (2 Peter 1:20, 21). Respect the accumulated wisdom of consecrated Protestant Bible students of past centuries; the Holy Spirit has not been asleep. He has guided the thinking of those who understood Daniel and Revelation in the time-honored historicist understandings. When Jesus said "let [the reader] understand" He obviously meant: don't resist the Holy Spirit's teaching. He wants to teach you--more than you may want to learn! What you yearn to see is Jesus in history. ------------------------Chapter 267--The Entire Book of Revelation Is Concerned About This Issue DDB1 267 1 There is a sober warning in the Bible that it seems easy for us to forget. It's in Revelation14:9-12: "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God." DDB1 267 2 Then chapter 15 goes on to speak of those who have met this great challenge and have accepted the third angel's message, and "have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name" who stand on the sea of glass singing the song of the Lamb forever and ever. DDB1 267 3 In fact, the entire Book of Revelation is concerned about this issue--the mark of the beast. Chapter 7 describes that same group who sing the song of the Lamb as those who have received the seal of God, who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. DDB1 267 4 In the Bible, a "seal" is interchangeable with a "mark." So the Book of Revelation tells us that in the last days just before Jesus' return in the clouds of heaven, the entire population of the earth will be divided into two groups: those who receive the "seal of God" and those who accept the "mark of the beast." DDB1 267 5 Pretty serious, isn't it? This requires very careful study. Revelation 13:8 says that "all who dwell on the earth" will worship the beast with the sole exception of those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. It's another crisis, which in principle is the same that the people faced when Jesus was here on earth. They were divided into two groups--those who believed He was the true Messiah as He claimed, and those who rejected Him. He asked them, "What do you think about the Christ?" (Matt. 22:42). They had to decide! DDB1 267 6 And so today, we have to decide between the mark of the beast and the seal of God. But the issue is far deeper than a superficial outward sign. "The third angel's message in verity" is the true message of righteousness by faith; it will lead to receiving the seal of God. A false, legalistic view will lead to the mark of the beast. It's time for serious study! ------------------------Chapter 268--The Storm Is on the Way DDB1 268 1 Every rainy winter we here in California see the same heart-breaking pictures: luxurious homes built on shifting foundations sliding down cliffs, even into the Pacific Ocean. DDB1 268 2 This must have been a common sight in Jesus' day for He draws a lesson from it. He likens those who build a house of religious belief on falsehood to those who build a mansion on a sand dune with an ocean view. They are "foolish," He says (Matt. 7:24-27). Note, He doesn't call them "wicked." DDB1 268 3 This introduces us to one of the most pathetic and tragic aspects of church life: sincere, devoted people who can't tell the difference between Bible truth and fanaticism. They are not wicked people, they don't rob banks or commit adultery, but they spin wild theories out of Bible texts wrested from common sense contexts. DDB1 268 4 Almost every church, no matter how small, seems to have one (or more) of these extremists who keep promoting their ideas. They mainly misconstrue Daniel and Revelation, but there is a solid-rock, common-sense understanding of those prophecies, and it developed in the Great Second Advent Movement of well over a century ago. The rain and storms of opposition have "beat on that house; and it [did not fall]." DDB1 268 5 But every departure from that clear-cut prophetic truth has resulted in a "house [built] on the sand," and as "the rain descended, [and] the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; ... it fell." It has left the extremists looking "foolish." But fanaticism doesn't mind the acute embarrassment of appearing naked and foolish before the world and before heaven! DDB1 268 6 To change the metaphor, Revelation 16:15 says, hang on to your clothes; all those nightmares you've ever had about appearing naked in public will be fulfilled unless you study Daniel and Revelation and know for sure what is that bed-rock foundation of truth. Heaven's Weather Service says the storm is on the way. ------------------------Chapter 269--The Seventh Angel Is Sounding His Trumpet DDB1 269 1 God wants every man "perfect in Christ Jesus" (Col. 1:28). Someone ridicules the idea. "Nobody can be perfect!" is the popular cry. "This is a chimera, this idea that God can ever have a bodyof people who are 'perfect in Christ Jesus.' Look at history: an unbroken record of sin and failure to be 'perfect.'" DDB1 269 2 Yes, that has been true all through the history of the first six angels blowing their trumpets (Revelation 8-10). But now we have come to "the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound" (10:7). Under the seventh trumpet something happens that has never happened in all history: "the mystery of God [is to] be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets." DDB1 269 3 Under "the sounding of the seventh angel," two phenomena develop side by side: DDB1 269 4 (1) "The nations [are] angry" (Greek, those who do not believe the gospel; nation-rage), and they become demon-possessed (Rev. 11:15, 18; 18:2). Evil runs its full course, and the wicked try to rid the earth of those who follow Christ (see 13:15). At the present time this appears impossible; but just consider what the unbelieving world will be like when God finally withdraws His Holy Spirit (see Revelation 16). DDB1 269 5 (2) At the same time this evil develops, the Holy Spirit will cleanse and purify a people who do believe the gospel, and they will gain "the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, ... and they [will] sing the song of Moses ... and the song of the Lamb" (15:2, 3). They will be a corporate bodyof people who "follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (14:4, 5). DDB1 269 6 Listen! The seventh angel is sounding his trumpet! Listen to the Holy Spirit, and let Him have His way in your life. Stop resisting Him (Acts 7:51). ------------------------Chapter 270--Death for Christ Is Not a Tragedy DDB1 270 1 There are several Bible characters who chose to be true to right principle in time of great peril. Some were rewarded for their faithfulness, such as Job, who chose to ignore his wife's cynical advice to "curse God and die!"; or Joseph, imprisoned for his refusal to commit adultery (who finally rose to be prime minister of an empire); and Abigail, whose wise counsel saved David from ruining his own career (and who incidentally saved her own husband from his revenge). DDB1 270 2 Abigail was rewarded well (see 1 Samuel 25). But there were others who had to suffer for their faithfulness to right principle. Queen Vashti, wife of Ahasuerus the corrupt ruler of the Persian Empire, the lady who refused his foolish command because she would not expose herself to drunken, leering officials in high positions. Vashti passes off the stage of Bible history into obscurity; we read of no vindication granted her; she apparently suffered a kind of martyrdom for upholding a standard of modesty (Esther 1:10-18). DDB1 270 3 Another person who had to suffer was John the Baptist. He was faithful to God, even while transgressing the rules of political savvy; Herod treated him like a cat treats a mouse, calling him up out of his dungeon to the royal office for conversations as though he was about to release him to freedom, giving John momentary thoughts of hope, only to send him back to his isolated cell. Finally, in a drunken stupor, Herod watches an immodest young woman dance and yields to her grisly request to have the lonely and apparently God-forsaken John beheaded (Matthew 14). DDB1 270 4 It would be nice if the Bible story instead had John miraculously released and honored, but that's not what happened. God permitted him to suffer alone as an encouragement to millions of faithful people afterward who have had to suffer, apparently forsaken by God. The only reward John gets (so far!) is to be honored posthumously by Jesus, as a prophet of whom there has been none greater (Matt. 11:11). "Be faithful until death," says Jesus, "and I will give you the crown of life" (Rev. 2:10). DDB1 270 5 But was John forsaken in his lonely dungeon cell? No, the Holy Spirit comforted him, and angels visited him up to the last. More joy than Herod ever had. Death for Christ is not a tragedy! ------------------------Chapter 271--The Beginning of a Deep Conversion DDB1 271 1 Do you ever have a "gut feeling" sweep over your soul that you are "the chief of sinners" (1 Tim. 1:15), that you are "carnal, sold under sin" (Rom. 7:14), that "(in [your] flesh) nothing good dwells" (vs. 18)? DDB1 271 2 Don't despair! The great Holy Spirit of God may at last be working deep in your heart. God Himself is noticing you like He notices when a little humming bird falls on the forest floor--that's something! God in heaven is teaching you as if you were a student in His classroom. He honors you! DDB1 271 3 You become really sure that you are indeed "a child of God" when you sense that He Himself is chastising you: "'My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives'" (Heb. 12:5, 6). DDB1 271 4 We have generally thought that refers to our getting sick, or getting in an accident, or some such bad luck. But in fact, it's the work of the Holy Spirit convicting us of sin itself (John 16:8). Paul experienced a healthy "Christian experience" which illustrates what it means to live in tune with God on this great Day of Atonement, this cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary (cf. Dan. 8:14). DDB1 271 5 To sense that indeed you are genuinely, truly, not merely rhetorically, "less than the least of all the saints" (Eph. 3:8), is not an unhealthy experience. It may be the beginning of your at-last deep conversion. You are at last actually experiencing what Zechariah 12:10-13:1 is talking about. Not until Moses was at last deeply humbled before God was it possible for his face to shine with the light of heaven, light that astonished the people (Ex. 34:35). ------------------------Chapter 272--The Teachings of Jesus Separated the People Into Two Classes DDB1 272 1 With hundreds of different Christian denominations in the world, how can you know which one is right? Is there one with teachings you can stake your life on? Of Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity, can you be sure which one is true? This writer is positive that the biblical Christ is the Savior of the world. And He ordained His apostles to proclaim His true gospel message to the world. DDB1 272 2 But what to do about conflicts in "Christian" churches? Is the Bible clear that one is correct? It is crystal clear that the issue of "the mark of the beast" will catalyze humanity (Rev. 13:11-18). We'll have to know how to differentiate between truth and counterfeit. DDB1 272 3 And what do you do when you are convinced there is one true "remnant church" designated for these last days (Rev. 12:17; 14:12), and yet it is also torn apart by controversy and disunion? In the days of Christ, He was clear that "salvation is of the Jews" (John 4:22); the true church was that Temple in Jerusalem, which He said was "My Father's house" (2:16). DDB1 272 4 But He split that "church" wide open with controversy. If you had been living there you would have wondered how this lowly man from Nazareth could be right and the great theologians and leaders in the Temple could be wrong. But that was the way things were. Honest people were confused; they watched and listened and pondered, just as we do today. DDB1 272 5 Jesus cleared things up for us all: "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but he who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him" (John 7:16-18). DDB1 272 6 That settled it for every honest-hearted person: the teachings of Jesus separated the people into two classes--those who ended up crying "Crucify Him!" and those who believed in Him and took up their cross to follow. And now today His teachings will again separate the world into two classes: those who accept "the mark of the beast" and those who receive "the seal of God" (Rev. 7:1-4; 17:14). We are now choosing sides. Life is serious business. ------------------------Chapter 273--Jesus Was Asked the Really Hard Question DDB1 273 1 We don't know who it was but somebody once asked Jesus the really hard question: "Lord, are there few who are saved?" He gave an honest answer: "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able." He will at last be forced to inform the "many," "I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. ... There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Luke 13:23, 24, 27, 28). In the last judgment they will argue with Him vociferously, "We ate and drank in your presence, and You taught in our streets." Sorry, He says; "I do not know you" (Luke 13:26, 27). "The laborers are few," "few are chosen," etc. (Matt. 9:37; 22:14). DDB1 273 2 But wait a moment; get the full picture. The "144,000" of Revelation 7:1-4 seems like a tiny number from earth's billions, yet when John views them through a zoom lens they turn out to be "a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, ... clothed with white robes" (vs. 9). "In their mouth was found no guile [falsehood]" (14:5). DDB1 273 3 The Good News Bible(Today's English Version) says "they have never been known to tell lies." Their being "without fault" in the judgment does not mean they never havesinned; they are a pretty sorry lot down at the end of the sinful human race where "the love [agape] of many [has grown] cold" (Matt. 24:12), but they have been "justified by faith." That means, like Abraham, sinful as he was, when he "believed"his faith was "accounted to him for righteousness" (Rom. 4:3) and he stood before the throne as though he had never sinned! The sins of those who believe are cast into the ocean deeper than the Titanic and can never be retrieved. DDB1 273 4 Don't worry whether you are one of the "few" or "many." Thank the Father that His Son whom He "gave" died yoursecond death, and rejoice every moment of your life from now on. You will then obey from the heart! ------------------------Chapter 274--One Justification, Accomplished by the Savior of the World DDB1 274 1 Justification is the best good news anyone will ever hear, for it is the proclamation from God Himself that sets you free from condemnation forever. It's the news that you walk out of prison. Imagine you've been on Death Row, and you are at last vindicated or acquitted! You'd be very happy, wouldn't you? Now, be happier "in Christ"! DDB1 274 2 Some are perplexed by what they assume is a contradiction in Romans 5. In verse 1 we read that we are "justified by faith," that is, by the believing that we do here and now, experientially. It seems to say that nothing happens until we believe, and that the initiative is up to us. But in verse 9 we read that we are "justified by [Christ's] blood," and that blood was something that happened and was shed 2000 years ago when He died on His cross. DDB1 274 3 When we are "justified by faith," there are seven blessings we experience according to Romans 5: (1) "we have peace with God," (2) "we have access ... into this grace in which we stand," (3) we "rejoice," (4) "we glory in tribulations," (5) we are no longer "disappointed" ("ashamed," King James Version), (6) "the love [agape] of God has been poured out in our hearts," (7) "the Holy Spirit [is] given to us." DDB1 274 4 Now the big question: are all these blessings the result of our doing something? Do we trigger all this? Have we taken the initiative? Or is all this the consequence of something that Christ accomplished on His cross, and now at last we have heard of it and we believe it? DDB1 274 5 It is one justification, accomplished totally by the Savior of the world. But appreciated, believed, experienced, by the repentant sinner, who lets it change his heart and his life. At last he lets the Holy Spirit change him; he stops resisting Him. Let that blessed one be you! ------------------------Chapter 275--One of the Strangest Mysteries in the Bible DDB1 275 1 One of the strangest mysteries in the Bible is where we find Jesus blaming people of His day for a crime that someone else committed 800 years earlier. If someone were to blame me for starting World War I, for example, I would take offense because I wasn't even born when it started. How could Jesus, the Righteous One, be so apparently unfair? DDB1 275 2 The problem is in Matthew 23:35. Jesus is preaching His last sermon in the glorious Temple. Some may say that He was deliberately inviting His own death by laying out before the leaders their sins just as they were. (Why not be more political and soften up His words?) Then Jesus tells these august pastors of the flock that "Youmurdered Zechariah ... between the temple and the altar." The story goes that the blood of this martyr stained the stones in the pavement forever! (See 2 Chronicles 24:20, 21.) DDB1 275 3 Can't you imagine those scribes and Pharisees responding in indignation, "Why do You blame usfor a crime committed 800 years before we were born? How unfair can You be?" DDB1 275 4 But like He always did, Jesus told the truth. The same awful sin that King Joash and the leaders of his day committed when they stoned Zechariah right there in the holy Temple, these religious leaders were already nursing in their hearts--for within a few hours they would crucify the Son of God. So, in a corporate sense, they were guilty also of the murder of Zechariah! DDB1 275 5 The record of your sin is not like your electric light bill--you pay only for what you use; as sinners by nature we are truly guilty of all the sin ever committed--just give us enough time and opportunity. It wasn't only the Romans and the Pharisees who crucified Christ; "Were you there when they crucified my Lord?" Yes, in a corporate sense. DDB1 275 6 Christ prayed for corporate forgiveness to be given to them all, "for they know not what they do." Thank Him, and receive it. ------------------------Chapter 276--The Challenge to God's "Remnant Church" DDB1 276 1 There's a fascinating link between the Book of Revelation and the Gospel of John. The former tells of God's final "Voice from heaven" that will sound in the heart of a vast number around the world to "come out of Babylon." They will respond in that last hour, symbolized as "a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues" who hear the Voice because in some way they already "follow the Lamb [the crucified Christ] wherever He goes" (18:4; 7:9; 14:4). They are already responsive to each nuance of divine leading they can sense. They love truth. DDB1 276 2 The link with John's Gospel is in 10:1-16 where Jesus lets us in on His secret: He has people everywhere who are His hidden "sheep" who "know His voice" and respond whenever He can find a human agent to proclaim the truth so clearly that honest people recognize that "Voice." To borrow Luther's crude phrase, these who proclaim the gospel don't "taste of the dish" (would you serve your guests from a dish that still has the remnants of its former cooking sticking to it?). When our preaching is marred by "self," we repulse rather than attract these "sheep." DDB1 276 3 The presence of self-love seen in the agent constitutes the "messenger" "a thief and a robber," "climbing up some other way" into Christ's "sheepfold." His true sheep run as fast as they can the other way (they "flee from [a stranger]"). And possibly the church wonders why they are not winning more souls, and why their efforts to "lighten the earth with glory" seem so stymied. DDB1 276 4 The picture in the Bible is clear: God has faithful people buried in Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, yes, maybe all the "isms" of the world, including atheism, who are not heart-satisfied where they are; they hunger for something they haven't yet found. When truth and that truth-seeker meet, nothing in earth or heaven will keep them apart. DDB1 276 5 The challenge to God's "remnant church" of these last days is: clear away the confusion that muffles the sound of that "Voice from heaven." What's on God's agenda for His church is thrilling. ------------------------Chapter 277--Does Anybody Want the Reign of Sin to Go On and On? DDB1 277 1 Does anybody want the reign of sin to go on and on for decades, even centuries more? Jesus Christ has promised to return (John14:1-3, for example). At different times in history, sincere, godly people have set the time, hoping He would come, but they've always been disappointed. DDB1 277 2 The result: "the love of many [has grown] cold" (cf. Matt. 24:12) and some who used to say they believed in His personal coming have given up on the idea; just do what you can to make the present world more livable (cf. 2 Peter 3:3ff). DDB1 277 3 But wait a moment. If we believe that Jesus Christ is a personal Being, the Son of God (and we do!), think how He must feel with this long delay and constant disappointment. He is the Bridegroom in a delayed marriage whose "disappointment is beyond description." His disappointment rather than ours deserves our attention. DDB1 277 4 Why have all the expectations of the imminence of His second coming been mistaken thus far? That in itself constitutes a "shaking" that increases in intensity as time goes on. Who will stay on board this journey of faith to its end as prophesied in the Bible? Someone inspired likened the end to swinging over a vast chasm hanging on to ropes whose support you cannot see; you can only believe because God says so. DDB1 277 5 It's nothing that our Lord has not been through; that's what His cross experience meant to Him. He had not a ray of light shining, not a word of encouragement from anyone; only the hiding of His Father's face, forsaking Him as though He were the worst sinner in the world. Nothing to hang on to except what the Bible says. Everyone either condemned Him or forsook Him. DDB1 277 6 He assures us that some will appreciate what His cross meant and "shall endure to the end" (Matt. 24:12). They are even now being gathered out all over the world. God grant us to be one! ------------------------Chapter 278--The Direct Fruit of Justification by Faith DDB1 278 1 God has inspired His holy word, the Bible, for "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God" (2 Tim. 3:16). But He has not made the Bible difficult to understand! He has promised, "Turn at My reproof; ... I will make My words known to you" (Prov. 1:23). DDB1 278 2 One of those "words" that He "will make known" to us is "justification." Ask Him to! The root idea is to make something that was crooked become straight. On the sixth day of creation week God ended that work; when sin entered planet earth, He turned His infinite power into re-creating sinful human hearts. Justification by faith is the sinner receiving this mighty power of re-creation, that is, the new birth. The sinner's faith is awakened by his "beholding" the love of Christ revealed in His cross, just as the stricken Israelite bitten by poisonous snakes was healed by beholding, looking at, the brass serpent lifted on the pole. DDB1 278 3 You watch a hero or heroine in a movie; now spend your time more wisely by "watching" Jesus Christ. "Eat" the Bible story of the cross. Turn off your electronics; just patiently, in prayer, read about Jesus straight from Scripture. Wait before Him. God wants to hear a sincere, honest, unhurried prayer. He responds because He loves you. DDB1 278 4 I have never heard the literal voice of God, but I want to encourage those people who also must confess they haven't either; the Holy Spirit imparts spiritual life through the word, the Bible. He wants your faith to be established on the solid rock of Bible truth, not on dreams or impressions or "voices." DDB1 278 5 Will the one who is "justified by faith" live in obedience to God's word? Yes, obedience is the direct fruit of the experience of justification by faith. It has now become your joy. ------------------------Chapter 279--Are the Old and New Covenants Dry-as-Dust Theology? DDB1 279 1 You may be one of many who look at the Old and New Covenants as boring--dry-as-dust theology, like memorizing the Book of Leviticus. DDB1 279 2 If you have learned Old Covenant ideas in school or in church, the idea of "following the Lamb wherever He goes" probably frightens you. Those Old Covenant ideas are subtle, like a virus that burrows "bondage" deep into your soul (Gal. 4:24). They get lodged and as long as you harbor them you find it hard to understand or believe the New Covenant. DDB1 279 3 Some dear saints may even warn you against too much New Covenant in your thinking. They say it's got to be "balanced" with appropriate Old Covenant caveats. The latter rain outpouring of the Holy Spirit (that will complement Pentecost) will be purely New Covenant; and they'll be afraid of it. It'll go over their heads and they'll sleep right through the glorious Loud Cry that will lighten the earth with glory (Rev. 18:1-4). It will be like the Jews who heard Jesus preach but never knew their Messiah had come; they missed everything. DDB1 279 4 As in the time of Paul, "devout and prominent women and the chief men" can try to squash any little spark of New Covenant life in your soul (compare Acts 13:50). New Covenant gospel truth must be grabbed the moment the Lord sends it your way. "I made haste, and did not delay to keep Your commandments," says the Psalmist (119:60; meaning, to treasure God's law as ten New Covenant promises). DDB1 279 5 New Covenant life is that "more abundant" one that Jesus promised (John 10:10). "You mean you'll never have any troubles?" You'll have troubles, but you'll never be alone in them. "The Lord is my Shepherd, … I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me" (Psalm 23). DDB1 279 6 No one on earth ever lived the New Covenant more fully than the Lord Jesus Himself. Was Gethsemane boring? The cross? Strenuously tempted, He held on to believing that His Father wouldn't actually "forsake" Him. Even on His cross when it seemed for certain that He had, Jesus wouldn't give in to the doubts that assailed the dying Son of God. He chose to believethe New Covenant promises right through until He cried His shout of sunlit victory that thrilled Heaven and earth, "It's finished!" DDB1 279 7 Life apart from Him isboring. What you may think can't be true istrue: "In [His] presence is fullness of joy; ... pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11). Yes, even in sharing His cross. ------------------------Chapter 280--The "Mosquito" that Causes the Disease DDB1 280 1 For untold generations, malaria wreaked its havoc until finally some scientist discovered that it was caused by the bite of an anopheles mosquito. Then, some relief was found. DDB1 280 2 For many generations, a mysterious spiritual disease has afflicted the Christian church. It's known as "lukewarmness" (see Rev. 3:14-21). Church leaders have wrestled with the problem. It has often been assumed that putting church members "to work" solves it. But the relief has always been temporary. Huge baptisms or accessions in Third World cultures have been assumed to be free from this First World "Christian" disease. But when economic "rich and increased with goods" improvement comes, the same spiritual disease permeates the huge Third World congregations. It's endemic. What message can fortify "believers" from this alluring materialism? DDB1 280 3 Meanwhile we are tantalized by the biblical assurance that "the gospel of Christ … is the power of God to salvation" (Rom. 1:16), not the progenitor of lukewarmness. Where is the "mosquito" that causes this disease? Could the deceptive Old Covenant be the problem? DDB1 280 4 Here's where sacred history comes on-stage. Throughout ancient Israel's centuries, Baal worship kept infiltrating generations of God's true people. Only occasional brief revivals under kings like Hezekiah or Josiah brought temporary relief. The source of the problem? Always, the Old Covenant thinking their fathers embraced at Mount Sinai and bequeathed to their children. DDB1 280 5 God's plan was that His New Covenant promise to Abraham be embraced so that the Ten Commandments could be seen as ten promises of deliverance from spiritual lukewarmness. Much more abounding grace, through faith, would "work." But Israel embraced their own promises to obey. Result: their Old Testament history. The lukewarmness of today is the equivalent to Baal worship of long ago. Subtle. But there is a remedy. ------------------------Chapter 281--"Read" the Word! DDB1 281 1 Jesus said many things, but there is one thing He did notsay: "Whoever watches videos or movies, let him understand." What He didsay was, "whoever reads [Daniel], let him understand" (Matt. 24:15). Over and over He urged people to "read" the Bible which the Holy Spirit has inspired: "Have you not read ... ?" "Did you never read in the Scriptures ... ?" (Matt. 12:3, 5; 19:4; 21:16, 42; 22:31). When He was invited to preach on Sabbath, He turned to the Book of Isaiah and read to the people. DDB1 281 2 A special "blessing" (happiness, life-giving joy) is for anyone who "reads" the inspired words (Rev. 1:3). But a great proportion of those who claim to "love Jesus" don't love His word; they look on the Bible as boring. It has to be acted out as theater; then they think they can grasp it. DDB1 281 3 But the problem is that inevitably "theater" distorts and misrepresents the message God wants us to "understand." With the best intentions of the actors to "play" Jesus, they produce fiction. We may think the drama helps us visualize the original story, but it's always confusing in some way. And in this time of world history, confusion is the last thing any child of God wants. In fact, we are expressly called to "come out of her [Babylon, confusion], My people, lest [we] share in her sins, and lest [we] receive of her plagues" (Rev. 18:3, 4). DDB1 281 4 God particularly, expressly, calls us to "read." The reason is that the Holy Spirit speaks in the word, which is the Bible; "I will make My words known to you," He says (Prov. 1:23). DDB1 281 5 Yes, the promise is real: He will flash onto your mind the true re-creation of the original message or story God put into the text. You don't need some man to "play" Jesus for you in a video or movie (he will in every case distort and "confuse" the representation, because no man on earth is qualified to stand in for Jesus in a movie). DDB1 281 6 "Read" the word! Stay close to it, exercise your mind on it, bring it into focus, study; deny self. Let the Holy Spirit discipline you. Your salvation may depend on it. ------------------------Chapter 282--Can the Gospel Ever Lighten the Earth With Glory? DDB1 282 1 How can the gospel ever truly lighten the earth with glory? How can it capture the attention of earth's billions? Many are too poor and hungry even to want to understand it; others are too pleasure-loving to care about it. DDB1 282 2 Yet God has promised that His gospel is not going to die out in a whimper. In Matthew 24:14 Jesus promised, "This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come." And He promises in Revelation 18:1-4 that the full message of the pure gospel is yet to "lighten the earth" with glory. A wise person has written, "The honest children of God" everywhere will respond; they will "sever the bands which have held them. Family connections, church relations, are powerless to stay them now. Truth [will be] more precious than all besides. ... A large number take their stand upon the Lord's side." DDB1 282 3 Zechariah tells us of that day: "People will write their friends in other cities and say, 'Let's go to Jerusalem [that's a symbol of the church] to ask the Lord to bless us. ... I'm going! ... Let's go now! ... Ten men from ten different nations will clutch at the coat sleeves of one Jew [a child of God] and say, 'Please be my friend, for I know that God is with you'" (Zech. 8:21-23, The Living Bible). DDB1 282 4 Well, it all seems impossible now, with so many people totally absorbed in want, work, or pleasure; but the Lord Jesus Christ gave His blood for the salvation of this world. Satan cannot win the great controversy between Christ and Satan. DDB1 282 5 Revelation pictures Christ as the bleeding Lamb of God who alone of any being in the universe can open the mysterious seven seals of cosmic destiny. That message of the Lamb--the message of His sacrifice on His cross--this will lighten the earth with glory. Is it lighting your own heart with glory today? Don't get left behind! ------------------------Chapter 283--Why Does God Demand Exclusive Worship? DDB1 283 1 Why is God alone among "many gods" the holy One? Why does He demand exclusive worship? Is He divinely selfish? Why not share His worship with "lesser gods"? This short message isn't long enough for this topic, but look at Philippians 2:5-8, which is an "X-ray" of agape, the character of God. There are seven steps that the Son of God (who alone can reveal the Father) took in stepping down, lower and lower: DDB1 283 2 (1) He gave up His "equality with God," (2) "made Himself of no reputation," (3) took upon Himself "the form of a servant," (4) came "in the likeness of [fallen] men," (5) "humbled Himself," (6) "became obedient to death" (the only being in the wide universe of God who has ever become "obedient to death"), and lastly, (7) "even the death of the cross." DDB1 283 3 That's the death that involves "the curse" of God, the awful condemnation of final conscious ruin, a death infinitely worse than the physical pain involved. (See Galatians 3:13 to learn what is "the death of the cross.") It was the concentrated death of humanity, for He "tasted death for everyone" (Heb. 2:9), the total, final, giving of Himself, the "pouring out of His soul unto death" until there wasn't a drop left. He was "numbered with the transgressors, and bore the sin of" everyone (Isa. 53:12). DDB1 283 4 If a picture is worth a thousand words, there we have it: this is agape, and "God is agape" (1 John 4:8). No other being in the wide universe of the heavenly or earthly cosmos has ever made such a Sacrifice! Any "other god" is therefore an anti-agape"god." That means, to worship any "lesser god" is to worship Satan himself. No, God, our heavenly Father, our Savior and Redeemer, is not divinely selfish--refusing to share His throne with "lesser gods." He knows that to worship any "other god" means death to us; and He loves us too much to allow that. DDB1 283 5 The final crisis of earth's history will be a challenge to "worship the Lamb" alone, or to worship Baal. All worship of self, which is disguised as the worship of "Christ," is Baal-worship. Think about it! ------------------------Chapter 284--Why Does Addiction Have Such a Vise-Grip on Human Beings? DDB1 284 1 Why does addiction have such a vise-grip on human beings? There are alcoholics longing for deliverance, drug addicts, people in the grip of hatred, lust, pornography, gambling, a sexual slavery that they hate. They are sorely tempted to feel, yes to believe, that reconciliation with the righteousness of God is impossible, at least for them. They weep their eyes out in despair. DDB1 284 2 Hardly a day goes by but what we hear of some "amazing" new medical discovery, some new pill that will help arthritics, cancer, or heart disease patients. Huge amounts of time and money are spent on these researches. Many owe their very lives to this increase of knowledge. DDB1 284 3 Is there a corresponding increase of knowledge in what the pure, true gospel is—that alone can bring deliverance to addicts? Such increase of knowledge is impossible for any people or church that feels "rich and increased with goods" in their understanding of the gospel, only those who sense their spiritual poverty can begin to learn. There is a "truth of the gospel" that is refreshingly different than the perversion that Paul says is "another gospel" of Babylon (Gal. 2:5; 1:6-9; Rev. 14:8; 18:1-4). There is no "power" in Babylon’s "gospel," but there is in the truth (Rom. 1:16). DDB1 284 4 "The truth of the gospel" is identical to what God said is "the truth about Me" that Job’s friends had perverted with their false gospel (Job 42:7, Good News Bible). That "truth about [God]" is the truth of what His Son accomplished on His cross, for Paul says, "I will boast only about the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; ... the world is dead to me, and I am dead to the world" (Gal 6:14, GNB). "Through [that] death" Christ paralyzed "him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and releas[ed] those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Heb 2:14, 15; the Greek word translated "destroy" means to disarm or to paralyze). DDB1 284 5 Somewhere there is some "most precious" Good News either awaiting discovery or awaiting our faith to believe it! ------------------------Chapter 285--How Can Jesus Save People Who Don’t Want to Be Saved? DDB1 285 1 How can Jesus Christ be "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42), and "the Savior of all men" (1 Tim. 4:10), when so many people in the world reject Him? How can He save people who don’t want to be saved? Is He forcing people? DDB1 285 2 No, He will not force anyone. But if God "so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" (John 3:16), He has a perfect right to do so. He is the Creator of the world, and of "all men." Why can’t He love them if He wants to? DDB1 285 3 And He "so" loves them that He sent His Son to save them; that was His job description. And He did what He was sent to do: "I have finished the work which You have given Me to do," He says (John 17:4). DDB1 285 4 That means He did "save the world." And the clear evidence that He did so is that you at this moment are taking a breath: your physical life is full proof that He took your death and gave you His life; otherwise, you would be locked into the throes of the "second death," which is darkness forever. Yes, we must confess, He has "tasted death [the second] for everyone" (Heb. 2:9). Isaiah 53 says, "The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (vs. 6), and that means just what it says--us all. "The chastisement for our peace was upon Him" (vs. 5). DDB1 285 5 That means every moment of "peace" that anyone in all the world has ever known has had to be balanced by a corresponding payment of torture that He has had to endure in our behalf. Think of all the pleasure that countless millions have enjoyed without the slightest realization of what their "fun" has cost. DDB1 285 6 The "everlasting gospel" that must yet "lighten the earth with glory" (Rev. 18:1-4) must and will make plain this cosmic exchange. "By His stripes we are healed," says Isaiah. Every human soul must at last be confronted with reality, must face the cross, be brought to realize the true Source of all the wealth and pleasure he or she has always enjoyed so selfishly. DDB1 285 7 "Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?" (Lam. 1:12). This ultimate confrontation will be the final "everlasting gospel" that will polarize humanity into two classes: those who believe and those who disbelieve. ------------------------Chapter 286--Our "Bread" to Share Today DDB1 286 1 When Jesus called His Twelve and ordained them, He called them to a solemn privilege: they were to take "bread" from His hands and fan out through the crowd of hungry people and feed them. The bread was never their own; they had not baked it. They only passed on the bread that had been miraculously multiplied by Jesus. DDB1 286 2 The same Savior has called you to be His servant to pass on "bread" to some hungry person. This is what it means to follow Jesus. You are never an originator of saving truth, and you are never a smart theologian. The more sincerely humble you are, the more the Lord can be honored by your ministry. The people need to know that the "bread" you are passing on is not yours, but His. "Bread" is Good News that nourishes a famished soul. DDB1 286 3 When Jesus fed the 5,000 in John 6:9-13, apparently He Himself did not serve anyone; "He distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to" the people. No angel was permitted to touch that bread, as the one who fed Elijah in the desert--this job is special now for the Twelve. They are to be intermediaries between the Savior and the people. Their job is enjoyable! The people smile at them and thank them profusely for what they don't deserve thanks for. (They must remember that and never take an ounce of credit for themselves.) DDB1 286 4 And do you suppose the Twelve sneaked a bite themselves now and then, to taste if it was good? (There was always plenty, and they were hungry too.) Their first-hand testimony, "It's delicious!" was also enjoyable to give. DDB1 286 5 Our "bread" to share today is "the everlasting gospel" (Rev. 14:6, 7). ------------------------Chapter 287--What Is the "Everlasting Covenant"? DDB1 287 1 A thoughtful person wrote asking to understand more clearly about the two covenants: What is the "everlasting covenant" (Gen. 9:16; Heb. 13:20)? And, what does it mean for us to live under the New Covenant today? DDB1 287 2 May the Lord save us from controversy and confusion! DDB1 287 3 Obviously, "the everlasting covenant" of Genesis 9:16 and Hebrews 13:20 has to be the same, for "God is not the author of confusion" (1 Cor. 14:33). And Genesis 9:16 makes clear that it is a promisethat God makes to "every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth," symbolized by the rainbow. God's covenants are never bargains He strikes with man; they are unilateral promises He makes. DDB1 287 4 But we humans are in love with the idea that we can make bargains with God; we want to be able to help save ourselves. It is too humbling to our proud souls to realize that we are dependent 100 percent on God fulfilling His promise to save us. The rainbow is a "promise" from God to every human being, good or bad. Because of that promise, God is able to treat every human with grace, as though he or she had never sinned. The grace in that "everlasting covenant" makes it possible for Him to make "His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and [to] send(s) rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matt. 5:45). DDB1 287 5 The same "everlasting covenant" is God's promise to every human being on earth to "make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever" (Heb. 13:21). That's why the Father gave His Son that "whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). DDB1 287 6 Christ loves the world,He died for the world,He redeemed the world, He died the world'ssecond death (Heb. 2:9), "made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us" (2 Cor. 5:21), the "us" being "every man." He wants "all mento be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:3, 4; if we had the courage to tell "every man" that "knowledge of the truth," the full truth, more would believe). DDB1 287 7 But everyone has freedom of choice, and many resist and reject what Christ has already done for them, promised them, and given them because acceptance includes deep humbling of heart before God. They deny and nullify His grace for them and so they condemn themselves. DDB1 287 8 Thus the "Old Covenant" is always based on man'spromise; the "New Covenant" is always God'spromise. Come, get under the "New." ------------------------Chapter 288--Reading the Ten Commandments With "New Covenant Eyes" DDB1 288 1 If we read the Ten Commandments with "New Covenant eyes," they become ten promises of right living by faith. But how does this transformation take place? DDB1 288 2 It's not motivated by fear, the popular Old Covenant motivation. Rather, "the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men"; "grace abounded much more" than all the sin Satan could throw at us (Titus 2:11; Rom. 5:20). It teaches us "that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age" (Titus 2:12). Grace becomes our tutor in the New Covenant school, and actually trains us in total obedience to God's holy law. Plus, the tutelage is a joy all the way. DDB1 288 3 But how does grace "teach" us? Titus 2 explains: "Our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ... gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed ..." (vss. 13, 14). DDB1 288 4 Long ago, before the foundation of the world, Christ as the Son of God "gave Himself" in a solemn covenant with the Father that if sin should ever arise on earth His love would constrain Him to give Himself, that is, to die for us. DDB1 288 5 Laying aside all the advantages and prerogatives of divinity as He became incarnate in the womb of the virgin Mary, Christ grew to manhood as one of us (though still the Son of God "in the likeness of sinful flesh," Rom. 8:3), and now again He prayed to His Father, "Not as I will, but as You will" (Matt. 26:39). That "not as I will" included His human (as well as divine) will to live. DDB1 288 6 The "death" on His cross was the real thing. No thought of resurrection crossed His mind as He cried out, "My God, why have You forsaken Me?" He "poured out his soul unto death," the second and final, everlasting one. A wise writer has said: "The Saviour could not see through the portals of the tomb. Hope did not present to Him His coming forth from the grave a Conqueror." His emptying Himself was total (see Isa. 53:12; Phil. 2:5, 6). DDB1 288 7 Grace is undeserved favor. When it's of Christ, like love, it constrains to total devotion to Him (2 Cor. 5:14, 15). The old fear is forgotten. ------------------------Chapter 289--Why Do People Who Love Truth Feel Motivated to Tell It? DDB1 289 1 Abel told his brother Cain the truth in kind, loving words; the latter rose up and murdered him. For six millennia (and more), unnumbered Abels have told unnumbered Cains the truth in the same kind, loving words, and have been hated for it. For nearly 1260 years of the Dark Ages, millions of Christians who loved truth were persecuted by millions more professed Christians who were Cain redivivus. DDB1 289 2 Why do people who love truth feel motivated to tell it? The Holy Spirit impels those who love truth to "cry aloud, spare not; ... Tell [God's true] people their transgression, and ... their sins" (Isa. 58:1). Until now, those who thus respond to the Spirit are resented. And we are all either Abels or Cains at heart. DDB1 289 3 Imagine yourself in Jerusalem in the mid-first century A.D. The most "spiritual" members of your "church" are "the devout and prominent women," the "good works" people (history says they gave pain killers to the crucified wretches, works of motherly kindness). But they oppose Paul's preaching about their "despised and rejected" Messiah and "expel" him (Acts 13:49, 50). Paul proclaims Christ with kind, loving words, tears in his voice, but he can't help bringing in "Christ and Him crucified." DDB1 289 4 Would you in sanctified common sense tell him, "Say less on that disturbing aspect of our message and tell it to these 'devout and prominent' people in a more palatable way. Paul, be a little more 'serpent-wise, but harmless as a dove.' Maybe you could win more that way; the cross is offensive. Why make these 'devout' ones so uncomfortable?" Would you? ------------------------Chapter 290--The Root of All Religious Falsehood DDB1 290 1 There is a fascinating story in Daniel 2, which tells how the intelligentsia of ancient Babylon had a modern counterfeit idea of God. The rock-bottom basis of their false idea is held today by millions. DDB1 290 2 King Nebuchadnezzar understood enough to know that there is somewhere in the universe a true God. He had blindly trusted the religious leaders of his empire, assuming they were in touch with whoever this "God" is. The true God of heaven had given him what we now know was an important prophetic dream. But God also gave the king temporary amnesia so that events could disillusion him. He correctly decided that if the religious leaders of his empire were indeed in touch with "God," whoever He was, they could learn from Him the details of His prophetic vision and explain it. DDB1 290 3 Good thinking! But they were stumped. The king was in distress; it seemed that the fate of the world depended on his understanding this strange divine revelation (in a way, it did!). He demanded that they earn their salary by demonstrating their "superior" wisdom. Impossible, they said; no one on earth could do what you want "except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh" (2:11). DDB1 290 4 And there lies the root of all religious falsehood, even some so-called "Christian." The Bible says there are "many false prophets" today, as there were in Babylon (Matt. 24:11). Their fundamental idea? The same as the Chaldeans--it "does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, ... and this is the spirit of the Antichrist" (1 John 4:2, 3). DDB1 290 5 The Babylonians believed there is a "God," but not one who has taken upon Himself our "flesh," "the likeness of sinful flesh," who has "partaken" of the same fallen "flesh and blood" that all we "children" of the fallen Adam by nature possess. In that same "flesh" that we have, Christ "condemned sin" so that "the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled" in all who will simply have "the faith of Jesus" (see Rom. 8:3, 4; Heb. 2:14-17; Rev. 14:12). DDB1 290 6 Daniel gave the king Good News. Let's believe it! ------------------------Chapter 291--The Grandest Revelations of "Christ and Him Crucified" Since Pentecost DDB1 291 1 We humans build houses and then wait for people to buy them and move in. God does the opposite: He "builds" human characters of "righteousness" first and then creates "a new heaven and new earth" for them to move in to, and inhabit (2 Peter 3:13). DDB1 291 2 This "building" for them a new heaven and new earth is for Him a trifling accomplishment. He once "created ... the earth and the things that are in it" in a mere six days (Rev. 10:6; Ex. 20:11). His problem now is not creating a home for His people to live in forever; it's getting them ready to move in, for only "righteousness dwells" there. And He cannot create righteousness in any human heart without that person's full consent; and again, in turn, that full consent is not forthcoming so long as (in any respect) "self" is still holding sway in that heart. DDB1 291 3 This involves a deeper heart-cleansing than we like to realize. Ever since the beginning of the great Day of Atonement there has been a constant effort on God's part to lead His people to a heart-preparation for the return of Jesus. He is in earnest about that, not content for "world without end" to go on and on, generation after generation of saints going in the grave to join multitudes from Abel on. All of these wonderful saints are "guests" at the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9). Wonderful! DDB1 291 4 But there must also be a "Bride" or there can't be a marriage. One "making herself ready" is the Heroine of this Day of Atonement. But for any bride to be happy in her marriage she must be totally at-one-with her Bridegroom. But that's impossible for any "woman" (even the figurative one, the church) unless she is totally convinced of the devoted love of her Bridegroom. DDB1 291 5 That brings us to our point: for the church to become so totally won will require the grandest revelations of "Christ and Him crucified" the church (and the world) have heard since Pentecost. DDB1 291 6 And that will be the message Elijah brings that "turns hearts" (Mal. 4:5, 6). ------------------------Chapter 292--The Gift of Repentance DDB1 292 1 Sin is the source of all the suffering and anguish in the world, and everyone is born with the problem in his or her nature. The classic definition is, "Sin is the transgression of the law," the "law" being understood as God's law (1 John 3:4, King James Version). But the Greek is only one little word, anomia, which literally is, "a state of being against the law." DDB1 292 2 In other words, sin is heart-rebellion against the government of God, not merely outwardly doing things that are unlawful. Another word for it is "alienation." "The carnal mind is enmity against God," heart-alienation (Rom. 8:7). And "enmity" always finds expression. DDB1 292 3 The ultimate expression of that inner hatred known as anomiais seen when the human race vented that pent-up hatred of God in their murder of the Son of God (see Acts 3:14, 15). The Murder behind all murders! And all of us were implicated (Rom. 3:23, 24; Zech 12:10). It happened because of a deep-seated principle: hatred cherished in the heart always leads to the act: "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer" (1 John 3:15). And of course, "no murderer has eternal life abiding in him," says the same verse. DDB1 292 4 Can this terrible sin be eradicated? The Bible says Yes! and it will be. But only through repentance for that sin of murdering the Son of God. That's why we read in Revelation 12:11 that God will have a people who "overcame [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb." DDB1 292 5 Repentance is a gift of the Holy Spirit, the last gift He will give before He is finally withdrawn from the earth when the seven last plagues must fall (Rev. 15, 16). Repentance is a newly gifted hatred for sin that constrains one "henceforth" (KJV) to deny self and to take up the cross to follow the Lamb of God (2 Cor. 5:14, 15; Luke 9:23). Repentance includes receiving the precious gift of the atonement, that is, of being reconciled to the God whom once we hated (Rom. 5:7-11). DDB1 292 6 The Good News? It's still not too late to open our hearts and receive that gift of repentance He wants to give. ------------------------Chapter 293--Is It Easy or Hard to Be Saved? DDB1 293 1 The question haunts Christians: "Is it easy or is it hard to be saved? Are we correctly representing the Lord Jesus if we tell people that following Jesus is the difficult way to choose?" DDB1 293 2 Many people, especially youth, have somehow gained the impression that to be a genuine, true Christian is the hardest thing anyone can do, and for sure Jesus tells us we must "strive to enter through the narrow gate" (Luke 13:24), and we must "compete" as "in athletics" (2 Tim. 2:5), and according to The New King James Versionin Matthew 7:14 Jesus said His way is "difficult " (the King James Versionsays "narrow," and that is the correct meaning of the Greek word there; it is not "difficult"). DDB1 293 3 On the other hand, Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30 that His "yoke is easy," and His "burden is light." DDB1 293 4 Who are we to believe--those who represent Jesus as telling us His way is "difficult," or those who tell us He says His yoke is easy and His burden light? The two positions are as far apart as the east is from the west. DDB1 293 5 There is a mountain in the West that had a steep road going up. Model T's had trouble climbing it; they found it "difficult." No one could honestly deny that the road up Pike's Peak was "difficult." DDB1 293 6 But if someone installed a V-8 engine in the Ford, it could zip up the mountain road with "ease." Is the missing factor our lack of understanding what Paul calls "the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:5, 14)? ------------------------Chapter 294--Didn’t Abram’s Obedience Contribute to His Salvation? DDB1 294 1 When Abram obeyed God and left Ur of the Chaldees (Gen. 11:31-12:1), didn’t his obedience contribute to his salvation? How can we say that his salvation was 100 percent the work of God? DDB1 294 2 That sounds reasonable, but the promises were not made before he heard God call him out of Ur. It was like Revelation 18 describing our last days: "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen. ... Come out of her, My people" (vss. 1-4). Abram’s "coming out" of Ur (ancient Babylon) only put him in a place to hear what God was saying, but did not contribute to his salvation. Further, God made no "bargain" with him, "cut no deal" with him, negotiated no "agreement" with him. DDB1 294 3 There was nothing of the Old Covenant woven into the New Covenant promises God made to Abram. The New Covenant promises were not a lure to bribe him or entice him into leaving Ur. Abram’s faith was purely a heart appreciation of God’s promises which revealed the truth of His character of love (compare John 8:56). In eternity, Abraham will never claim that his faithful obedience merited his salvation in the least (compare Eph. 2:8, 9). DDB1 294 4 When we confess our sins and repent, are we not doing something important? Why must we say that our salvation is 100 percent the work of God? DDB1 294 5 Confession of sin and repentance are just another way of saying exactly what Abram did when we read, "He believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness" (Gen 15:6). Faith does not give us an iota of merit. We receive it 100 percent, yes; but thank God also for the grace He gives you to enable you to exercise it! DDB1 294 6 We cannot even claim that our faith saves us, for we read, "By graceyou have been saved throughfaith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, notof works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 4:8, 9). No one will ever claim in eternity, "Yes, Jesus saved me; but don’t forget, I confessed and repented of my sins. I helped save myself." We will all enter heaven 100 percent in debt to the Lamb of God. DDB1 294 7 The sooner we realize that truth the happier we will be. ------------------------Chapter 295--The Addiction of All Addictions DDB1 295 1 I have always tried to tell people that the Gospel is veryGood News. I tell them that Jesus said, "My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matt. 11:28-30). Some don't like to hear those words; they want to emphasize how hard it is to follow Jesus, how much you must give up, how much you must do, your salvation depends on your knowing how difficult it is to be saved. DDB1 295 2 And I will agree--there is one verydifficult thing about being saved: that is, learning how to believe. Jesus says in John 3:17-19 that notbelieving will keep us out of heaven. Indeed! Serious! DDB1 295 3 And the truth is that all of us were born in an unbelieving state; believing is never transmitted genetically; unbelief is natural to us; unbelieving is far and above the most difficult thing humans have to learn to overcome. It is the addiction of all addictions, the most insidious, the most pervasive. "He who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (vs. 18). DDB1 295 4 The distraught father in Mark 9:17-24 shows us how deep the problem is rooted in our human nature. Jesus said to him, almost like tantalizing him, "All things are possible to him who believes." Then the poor man realized how awful his problem was, how every cell of his being was saturated with unbelief: he burst into tears and cried out in anguish, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" DDB1 295 5 Now, there is Good News in that story. The moment you realize that unbelief is your real problem, help is on the way. A wise writer said, "you can never perish" if from your heart you pray that man's prayer. The people above all people whom Heaven rushes to help are those who realize the depths of their sin. DDB1 295 6 Unbelief is the most serious problem in the world church, the source of our lukewarmness, the reason for the delay in the coming of Jesus. We mustlearn to believe how good the Good News is; and the moment we say that, we remember that Christ will have a people who will overcome even as He overcame. He did not die in vain! He will see of the travail of His soul, and be satisfied (Isa. 53:11). ------------------------Chapter 296--Have You Ever Thought What Your "Birthright" Is? DDB1 296 1 Fast forward to the last part of the last book of the Bible—Revelation. In chapter 20 we come upon the last great Judgment, when the second resurrection has already happened, and every human soul who has ever lived finally stands together before the Great White Throne. He who sits thereon is Someone very special before "whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them" (vs. 11). DDB1 296 2 The opening of the "books" is a simile for the final Judgment that faces every soul. DDB1 296 3 Every human soul who is savedwill give thanks and praise to the Lamb one hundred percent for his or her salvation. DDB1 296 4 Every lost soul will face a revelation new to him or her: each will realize too late that Christ has already died for his or her sin—there is no need for them to come into final condemnation except they have treated the sacrifice of Christ in the same way that Esau treated the birthright that was his already. He "despised" it and "sold" it for a tiny, temporary indulgence of "appetite." When he realized what he had done, he cried buckets of tears (Heb. 12:16, 17), but he could not undo what he had done. DDB1 296 5 Esau’s judgment is more factually said in the Genesis story: Esau "did eat and drink, and rose up and went his way; thus Esau despised his birthright" (25:30-34). All his life he tried to "repent" with his tears, but the birthright was gone forever. DDB1 296 6 Have you ever thought what your "birthright" is? It’s the eternal salvation that Christ has already purchased for you with His blood. And has given to you already. DDB1 296 7 The way Romans 5 describes it is this: "The gift of God is not to be compared in its effect with that one man’s sin [Adam’s]; for the judicial action, following on the one offence, resulted in a [judicial] verdict of condemnation, but the act of grace, following on so many misdeeds, resulted in a [judicial] verdict of acquittal. ... It follows, then, that as the result of one misdeed [Adam’s] was condemnation for all people, so the result of one righteous act [at Christ’s cross—the only one ‘righteous act’ ever performed on this planet!] is acquittal and life for all" (Rom. 5:15-18, The Revised English Bible). DDB1 296 8 At the end of the 1000 years the lost will at last understand this. They had the birthright, it was in their hands, but they threw it away. DDB1 296 9 Father, save us from ourselves, today! ------------------------Chapter 297--The "Gospel of Self-esteem" vs. the "Gospel of Self-respect" DDB1 297 1 The "gospel of self-esteem" is different from the "gospel of self-respect." The latter is from the Lord; the former is a snare. DDB1 297 2 Both are mentioned in Romans 12:3 where the inspired apostle pleads with us: "I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think." In other words, be careful: don't give yourself an overdose of "self-esteem" thinking! Thank God for "the grace" that was given to "our beloved brother Paul" (2 Peter 3:15). He will discourage no one; all he knows how to do is to encourage people like you and me. DDB1 297 3 So, on the other hand, he says don't dig a hole and crawl into it: you're worth an infinite price. Paul goes on to preach to us the gospel of self-respect: but "through the grace given to me, [I say] to everyone who is among you, … think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure [metron, Greek] of faith." DDB1 297 4 A good place to start learning is Psalm 139: DDB1 297 5 Your heavenly Father knows you in and out (but still loves you, amazing! (vss. 1-6). DDB1 297 6 He "formed [your] inward parts ... in [your] mother's womb" (vss. 13-15). That means He engineered the intricate mechanisms of your conscious and unconscious mental functions, the interplay of your emotions and senses of heart-appreciation. DDB1 297 7 He put you together from a divinely invented Blueprint (vs. 16). No one else on earth was to be or has been exactly like you. You are something special; that's good. DDB1 297 8 Run away from Him today and you're back in His school tomorrow (vss. 7-10). DDB1 297 9 Your moments of deepest depression are not dark with despair; your heavenly Father's "hand" is on you in your darkness where faith is still working (vss. 9-12). DDB1 297 10 It does you worlds of good to know that a friend is just thinking of you, remembering you, in your hour of deep personal trial. Think of your heavenly Father--thinking a thousand thoughts about you, all of them full of grace (vss. 17, 18). DDB1 297 11 Now, be happy: stop being afraid to let Him search your heart (vss. 23, 24). ------------------------Chapter 298--What Does It Mean to Live Under the New Covenant? DDB1 298 1 What does it mean to "live under the New Covenant," or the promise of God? All of God's promises were made to the "Seed" (singular), which is Christ (Gal. 3:16), and the only way we come into the picture is "in Christ." DDB1 298 2 Christ was known as "the son of David," not only through physical ancestry, but because in His incarnation He "lived" in David's psalms. As the leadership of God's true church condemned Jesus, so the divinely appointed leadership of His true church in the days of King Saul condemned David. Saul was "the anointed of the Lord," and David's agony was not only the physical exertion of constantly fleeing from Saul but wrestling with the greater temptation to doubt that God had truly anointed himto be king of Israel. He had to overcome, to believethat God would take care of him. DDB1 298 3 Thus we have David's psalms written during his exile (57, 59. for example); repeatedly, the future king begins by wrestling with fear (Old Covenant-inspired!), and before the end of the psalm he erupts in New Covenant joy of believing that the Lord will not forsake but vindicate him. DDB1 298 4 A millennium later the Son of God, sent "in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: ... condemned sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8:3), which He had taken upon Himself, wrestles with the same temptation. He "was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15), triumphing again over ourOld Covenant fears, emerging day by day into New Covenant sunlight (compare Isa. 50:4, 5). DDB1 298 5 This goes on continually in His earthly life until the greatest temptation of all to Old Covenant unbelief as He hangs on His cross in the darkness crying, "My God, why have You forsaken Me?" And there on the cross He wrestles His way through the darkness into the sunlight of New Covenant faith, crying out joyously as His heart was already bleeding to death, "You who fear the Lord, praise Him! ... He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted [Me!], nor has He hidden His face from Him [Me!], ... He heard"! (Psalm 22:23, 24). DDB1 298 6 Jesus has taught us how to live under the New Covenant. ------------------------Chapter 299--Will the Time Ever Come When the World’s Inhabitants Believe “The Everlasting Gospel”? DDB1 299 1 Dear Friends of “Dial Daily Bread,” Will the time ever come when the majority of the world's inhabitants choose to honor and glorify Christ by believing "the everlasting gospel"? DDB1 299 2 The parable He told of the unjust judge and the importunate widow suggests the answer is “No”`: Jesus asks, "When the Son of man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8). Abundant testimony in the Bible tells of Satan leading the world's population into bitter rebellion against Christ with the enforcement of "the mark of the beast" (compare Revelation 13, for example). DDB1 299 3 How then can the faithful followers of Christ honor Him and glorify Him in the close of the great Day of Atonement? DDB1 299 4 The great controversy between Christ and Satan will finally be victory for the Lamb of God, but it will not be settled by a majority vote of earth's inhabitants, except as they vote to judge and condemn themselves. What will happen in the final events as we know them will presage the Judgment before the Great White Throne when the books at last are "opened" and all mankind are "judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books" (Rev. 20:12). Those who will have come up in the second resurrection at the end of the 1000 years will be in “number as the sand of the sea" (vs. 8). DDB1 299 5 But the total number of those who in the closing of the world's history will be totally loyal to the Lamb will be only "144,000," says Revelation 14:1-5, although 7:9, 10 gives encouragement for those who believe that it is a symbolic number, and the zoom lens reveals an actual count of "a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues." This sounds more like the fruitage that the sacrificed Lamb of God deserves to have! DDB1 299 6 All we know for sure is that the group who "follow the Lamb wherever He goes," in whose mouth "was found no guile," who are "without fault before the throne of God," grants to Him to "see of the travail of His soul, and be satisfied" (Isa. 53:11). He deserves that vindication! And those who finally choose to rebel will judge and condemn themselves; the final vote that will vindicate Christ in the great controversy will be totally unanimous--even Satan will be bowing and confessing that truth. ------------------------Chapter 300--On the Cross Jesus Was Thinking Especially of Children DDB1 300 1 In that last hour as He hung upon His cross, Jesus was thinking especially of boys and girls. The proof of this is found where we have perhaps overlooked it--Psalm 22. DDB1 300 2 That is the psalm that details for us the transition in His thoughts on the cross from His despairing cry, "My God why have You forsaken Me!" to His last triumphant, joy-filled shout, "It is finished!" Psalm 22 reveals His thoughts as though a stenographer was recording them. DDB1 300 3 The last few verses of Psalm 22 have been rather confusing in many translations. Note how Peterson (The Message) seems to have caught the idea: DDB1 300 4 "Shout Hallelujah, you God-worshipers; give glory, you sons of Jacob; adore Him, you daughters of Israel. He has never let you down, never looked the other way when you were being kicked around. He has never wandered off to do His own thing; He has been right there, listening. ... From the four corners of the earth people are coming to their senses, are running back to God. Long-lost families are falling on their faces before Him. ... All the poor and powerless, too--worshiping! Along with those who never got it together--worshiping! Our children and their children will get in on this as the word is passed along from parent to child. Babies not yet conceived will hear the Good News." DDB1 300 5 And then comes that one Hebrew word, the last word of Psalm 22 that defies translators: Asah, the word that means "It is finished!" Jesus' last thoughts were of the grand Loud Cry that closes the gospel dispensation when the earth is lightened with the glory of the final message, when the Voice from heaven calls all of God's people to "Come out of her [Babylon]." ------------------------Chapter 301--Why Is the “City” Called the “New” Jerusalem? DDB1 301 1 Dear Friends of “Dial Daily Bread,” If “the marriage of the Lamb” has been delayed because “His wife has [not] made herself ready” (Rev. 19:7), what can we do about it? If “the Lamb’s wife” is the New Jerusalem, the Holy City in heaven (21:9, 10), how can we make it “ready”? It’s beyond us, so forget it, go back to sleep. DDB1 301 2 When the angel told John, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife,” he gave him a panoramic view of the city. It had “a great and high wall with twelve gates, ... twelve foundations, ... the city was pure gold, ... the twelve gates were twelve pearls, ... the street of the city was pure gold” (21:9-21). Even for angel architects and heavenly construction workers, “making” such a “city” “ready” would be a big job. Paving Main Street with gold, for example, must take time. Is that what has delayed the coming of Christ? DDB1 301 3 The “city” is real, very real; and its material construction was probably completed long, long ago. But what is the real “city”? Why is it called the “NewJerusalem”? The “Jerusalem” that crucified Jesus was the old one. When He addressed the old “city,” sobbing like His heart would break, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! ... Your house is left to you desolate” (Matt. 23:37, 38), was He speaking to the cobblestones in the pavement, the timber in the gates, or was He addressing the people, the inhabitants of the city? DDB1 301 4 The inhabitants of the New Jerusalem are described in Revelation 14:1-5 as “the ones who follow [not rebel against] the Lamb wherever He goes. ... They are without fault before the throne of God.” These same “ones” have “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (7:14). This is character-cleansing—accomplished by grace through the faith of Jesus. DDB1 301 5 When He died on His cross and cried out, “It is finished!” Satan was forever defeated, the great controversy won. But after 2000 years Jesus must also say that His seventh of the seven churches is “Theone” of all history that doesn’t know it is “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (3:17). Yes, she has something to do to “make herself ready for the marriage of the Lamb.” We must wake up. ------------------------Chapter 302--Let Your Speech Be Full of Grace DDB1 302 1 There is one thing that most of us do every day, whether we are young or old--we talk to other people. Maybe members of our families, or neighbors, people at work, or just meeting people at the post office or at school. DDB1 302 2 Here's a word for us today. It's in Colossians 4:6: "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one." DDB1 302 3 Paul says, "Letyour speech, your words, be full of grace." In other words, if you let the Holy Spirit direct you, your spirit will always be gracious. And if your spirit, your inner feeling, is gracious, then for sure your words will be gracious. DDB1 302 4 Grace in our words is like a little salt in bland food. We don't have to be sharp and "sandpapery" in our words. Why should we hurt people? Everyone has enough trouble, why should we add to people's burdens by speaking bitterly? DDB1 302 5 Please remember that the Lord Jesus Christ is a Savior--not only when we die, but now, day by day, He will save us from bad habits that we have formed. You can become known as someone whose words are always pleasant to hear, uplifting. You can be a peacemaker, spiritual nurse or doctor, bringing healing to people who are wounded spiritually. The Lord has promised to teach you and make you such a person--if you will letHim do so. ------------------------Chapter 303--Perfect Theological Harmony DDB1 303 1 In Paul's letter to the Ephesians, we must take a look at his plea that we let the Holy Spirit do something special: bring us into perfect theological harmony. His plea is in 4:11-16. God has given the church "some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers." DDB1 303 2 To preach and teach confusion, tearing the flock asunder with conflicting theology, perplexing lay members so they don't know which end is up? No, but to "equip the saints, ... edifying the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith ... to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." Yes! theological harmony! Paul's illustration is vivid--he compares all these "gifts" of the Holy Spirit to a human body " joined and knit together by what every joint supplies" (vs. 16). DDB1 303 3 A good violinist's fingers and wrists and joints do what the "head" desires, thus making beautiful music. A basketball team functions in perfect unity. Paul never heard a symphony orchestra like the London Philharmonic; each musician with his unique instrument plays from a different score; if all played the same note it would be boring; but they make harmony in unison with differing parts. No discord! No confusion! DDB1 303 4 But such perfect theological harmony is widely disparaged as "impossible." "We can't all see alike!" is what we hear. "We must preach and teach contradictory views of this or that theology, differing in understanding the prophecies, trying to silence each other even in understanding what Christ accomplished by His sacrifice." Like a bus load of passengers all telling the driver to take different routes. Canwe achieve "perfecting ... unity of the faith," "unity of the Spirit" (vss. 13, 3)? DDB1 303 5 A visitor walks into church Sabbath morning, sees the class torn with conflicting theology. He leaves confused. Will he come back? Ephesians gives us the key to finding true harmony: "speaking the truth in agape" (vs. 15). A different kind of love that listens to each other carefully so as not to misrepresent each other, "endeavoring to keep the unity of the [Holy] Spirit in the bond of peace" (vs. 3). No more misquoting each other to win an argument. DDB1 303 6 Yes! At last, self is crucified "with Christ"! Now the church, like a symphony orchestra, is making beautiful music. Will the visitor come back? Yes! It will be "the loud cry." ------------------------Chapter 304--The New Covenant for Your Soul DDB1 304 1 If you could hear a Voice from heaven declaring unto you, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17), and could see the face of Jesus actually smiling upon you, you could probably be happy enduring any trial or disappointment. When we long for some human face to smile upon us, what we really want deep down is to see the smile of the Son of God. DDB1 304 2 But we are so conscious of our shortcomings, our failures, and yes, our sins, that we endure unhappy days. Clouds cover the sunlight we seek. In these last days of God's great antitypical Day of Atonement, the Lord wants us to understand more clearly how good is the Good News of His "everlasting gospel" that is to be preached "to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people" (Rev. 14:6). And Revelation describes a further message which will "lighten the earth with glory" which obviously will make the gospel truth crystal clear to every heart that's willing to listen to truth (18:1-4). DDB1 304 3 But you don't have to worry and wish you could hear that assurance spoken from heaven to you. When Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan and came out of the water, the Holy Spirit like a dove came down upon Him and the Voice spoke from heaven, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." But the Father was putting His arms around you too! The Bible makes it clear that when the Father accepted His Son, He accepted us "in Him." When He "gave His only begotten Son" for us, He bought us with that Price; which means that he loves us identically as He loves His Son (compare Eph. 1:6). DDB1 304 4 You may think that is hard to believe. But wait a moment: suppose you go to a store and pay $20 for an item that you think is a good value. By doing what you did, you are declaring that you love that item equally with your love for the $20 you gave for it. The Father loves you as much as He loves His Son! He is "well pleased" with the purchase He has made. In Christ you are one of Abraham's descendants, and the seven promises God made to him in Genesis 12:2, 3 are made equally to you! DDB1 304 5 Those promises and that declaration are the New Covenant to your soul. When you come to the end of your way, the only regret you will have is that you didn't believe them as wholeheartedly as you should! Jesus believed the assurance given Him that day of His baptism; that's why He succeeded in overcoming all of Satan's temptations to Him in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11). DDB1 304 6 Get the point? That kind of faith is your victory, too. You get that faith from Him. Open your heart to receive the gift. ------------------------Chapter 305--A Glimpse of Brighter Scenes to Come DDB1 305 1 Have you learned to appreciate, to enjoy, to welcome, the holy Sabbath day each week? If so, you have also begun to appreciate the Lord Jesus Christ, because His presence is in the holy Sabbath. And that's Good News! DDB1 305 2 To love the Sabbath, not only because it is a day of physical rest from the week's hard work and stress, but because--well, let's look at a beautiful hymn that crystallizes the joy of the Sabbath: "O day of rest and gladness, O day of joy and light." Yes, one day in the hectic week of cares, of pure joy! DDB1 305 3 "O balm of care and sadness, most beautiful, most bright." Here we have a metaphor,--the Sabbath is like soothing ointment for a wound. DDB1 305 4 "Thou art a port, protected from storms that round us rise." Have you ever been in a wild storm at sea with the ship tossing dangerously, and then felt the unutterable joy of gliding into a quiet harbor? "[Thou art] a garden, intersected with streams of paradise," says the poet Christopher Wordsworth, further. DDB1 305 5 And then, "Thou art a cooling fountain in life's dry, dreary sand; [and] from thee, like Pisgah's mountain, we view our promised land." That's a reference to the lofty top of what is also spoken of in the Bible as Mount Nebo, where the Lord led Moses to view the glories of the Promised Land before he went to sleep in the arms of God. From Mount Pisgah today you can see far south to the Dead Sea as far as En-gedi, to the north as far as the snow-covered peak of Mount Hermon, and to the west to encompass what was in Moses' day the land the Lord gave to Israel. DDB1 305 6 And so, on each holy Sabbath day it is our privilege to catch a glimpse of brighter scenes to come, another poet says, to feel the thrill deep in our souls of a joyous eternal life "in Christ" our Life-giver. Don't miss out on this joy; it's free, just for the believing. "Remember" it all through the week! ------------------------Chapter 306--What Exactly Is This Great “Day of Atonement"? DDB1 306 1 Some have asked about this great Day of Atonement, when God calls for a special repentance from His people. What exactly is it? DDB1 306 2 Simply put, it's His final work in the Most Holy Apartment of the heavenly sanctuary. Christ Himself as great High Priest is totally dedicated to bringing an end to the sin and suffering on this earth. We are called to understand, to be in full sympathy with Him. DDB1 306 3 The cosmic Day of Atonement is just what its name says--the Day of final reconciliation ("atonement" means at-one-with). It is not a difficult idea to grasp. It's when the alienated heart of humanity is at last fully reconciled to God and His holy law. Not that every human will submit to this work of "at-one-with"; many will refuse to the bitter end. But the Lord will succeed in winning a "remnant" to full oneness with Himself. DDB1 306 4 This "remnant" will demonstrate what "all men" could experience if only they would. They will at last fully appreciate Christ for what He is. They will "grow up" out of the immaturity of "children" "to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ," "speaking the truth in love [agape]" (Eph. 4:13-15). Thus, in principle, they will "judge" all humanity. DDB1 306 5 Opposed and ridiculed, they will "follow the Lamb [the crucified Christ] wherever He goes. ... In their mouth was found no guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God" (Rev. 14:1-5). This is generally thought of as just an illusion, but if it doesn't happen, Christ will forever remain embarrassed and discredited. He died specifically to achieve this goal. DDB1 306 6 The "remnant" will never be conscious that they honor Christ. The more like Him they grow to be through sanctification of the Spirit, the more unworthy will they feel themselves to be. In the final judgment they will not assume that Christ is inviting them, "Come, you blessed of My Father." They will look around expecting Him to call others, not themselves (see Matt. 25:31-40). DDB1 306 7 Fully at-one with Him, a group will overcome "even as [He] also overcame" (Rev. 3:21, King James Version). His Bride will have "made herself ready" for "the marriage of the Lamb" (19:1-8). Finally, His triumph! Then at last the sacrifice of Christ will have been fully vindicated--He, not they, will be glorified. DDB1 306 8 Daniel and Revelation clearly teach that the hour of this great Day of Atonement is now. ------------------------Chapter 307--Are We Mature Enough to "Sympathize" with Jesus? DDB1 307 1 Nine of Christ's disciples had failed miserably, and in full view of the crowd. It was severely embarrassing, and the episode as told in Mark 9 is one of the most dramatic moments in the gospel story. DDB1 307 2 We identify with those nine, for often we too have failed to help people in distress as we have wanted to do; our prayers have appeared to be unanswered. We have fasted and prayed in behalf of people dying of cancer, and they have died. We have prayed for alcoholics, and they have gone on drinking. We have pleaded for wayward youth, and they have still wandered. DDB1 307 3 Jesus has been glorified on the Mount of Transfiguration, visiting with Moses and Elijah. Heavenly light. But now He returns to His daily life of ministry for suffering people. The nine disciples He had left in the valley have prayed for the demon to be cast out of a suffering boy, and to their acute shame, nothing has happened. Jesus told them that their problem was their "unbelief," and that "this kind" of demon problem can be healed only by "prayer and fasting" (Mark 9:29). We empathize with them. The demons in effect tell us as they told "the seven sons of Sceva," "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?" (Acts 19:14, 15). DDB1 307 4 A very thoughtful writer has suggested that their "unbelief" was actually a lack of "sympathy" with Jesus in His work. Their faith was not childlike, it was childish. And the question arises: are we today mature enough in our thinking to "sympathize" with Jesus in His heart-burdened work He is doing on this grand Day of Atonement? Or are we infants still absorbed in our natural spiritual egoism, concerned just for our "reward"? ------------------------Chapter 308--Can Children Understand Righteousness by Faith? DDB1 308 1 We want to help children understand the gospel of righteousness by faith. But some Bible words may be too big for them to grasp--"righteousness," "justification," "sanctification." Can they understand "justification by faith"? If we say no, then we may unwittingly teach them a "prejudice." If we avoid teaching them while they are children, it is possible they could carry that "prejudice" all their lives. Could that be a reason why so many grown-ups still can't grasp what justification by faith means? DDB1 308 2 What does Isaiah 40:11 mean when it says that Jesus "will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom"? Or when Jesus says, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them [get in their way?]; for of such is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 19:14)? Does He actually mean that "little children" canunderstand "the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:5, 14)--this true "gospel of the kingdom [that must] be preached in all the world"? Can they see how it's distinguished from those counterfeit gospels of the "false christs" He also warns us against (Matt. 24:14, 24)? DDB1 308 3 Should children remain spiritual babies consuming nothing but "milk" (1 Peter 2:2)? Or, as Paul says, should they start to "grow up" (Eph. 4:13-15)? "Everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who ... have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil" (Heb. 5:13, 14). DDB1 308 4 To re-phrase our question: can children actually become "skilled in the word of righteousness"? (They become "skilled" in computer use!) DDB1 308 5 Let's not look only to the differing "experts" for answers. Some personal fasting with prayer and waiting on the Lord is in order. He will use and bless youand yourpersonality! If you come to Him asking for "bread" to give to others (children), know for sure that your prayer will be heard and answered (see Luke 11:5-13). ------------------------Chapter 309--Insignificant “Self” Choices Today Build Up a Massive Case of Self-condemnation DDB1 309 1 What practical down-to-earth difference does it make in one's daily living what he believes about Christ? Is He ministering as High Priest in the Most Holy Apartment of the heavenly sanctuary (the second), or is He still absorbed in His first apartment work? Where is He? DDB1 309 2 A Christian writer with keen perception says it means everything. It's either getting ensnared in Satan's clever last-days' counterfeit, or getting involved with Christ's genuine work of preparing a people to receive the seal of God versus the mark of the beast. The latter will become an extremely subtle imitation. The issue will end up either bowing down to the false "christ" in the final test, or bowing before the true Christ. DDB1 309 3 In other words, those who finally decide to receive the alluring "mark of the beast" are even now day by day preparing. Apparently insignificant "self" choices today build up a massive case ending in a judgment of intense ultimate self-condemnation. DDB1 309 4 Likewise, those who finally choose to receive what Revelation calls "the seal of God," "let this mind be in [them] which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5). They choose this way of thinking now, day by day. They "let the word of Christ dwell in [them] richly in all wisdom" (Col. 3:16). They choose moment by moment to let the Holy Spirit hold them by the hand as they "walk in the Spirit" (see Gal. 5:16; Isa. 41:10, 13). DDB1 309 5 It's simply choosing to surrender one's natural selfish alienation from God in order to "be reconciled" to Him. It all comes through the final ministry of the Lamb of God, your true High Priest. ------------------------Chapter 310--Is the Bible as a Book Destined to Become Outdated? DDB1 310 1 Is the Bible as a book (composed of pages bound as a “biblos”) destined to become outdated and supplanted by computerized versions? Does our heavenly Father still regard the Bible (as a book) His message to the human race? We hear it said often that reading books is going out of date. “People just don’t read anymore! They watch movies and videos.” DDB1 310 2 The last words of John’s Gospel speak of “books that would be written” about Jesus as the divine Son of God (21:25). He commended the practice of “searching the Scriptures,” meaning the books or scrolls they possessed (5:39). He rebuked those who did not study and believe “the Scriptures,” saying, “You are mistaken” (Matt. 22:29). DDB1 310 3 On the day He was resurrected He gave a Bible study to two of His disciples, “beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:25-27). He upheld actual Bible study. DDB1 310 4 We have no reason to doubt that He has the same burden of heart for us today--that we read, study, learn, what His Holy Spirit has inspired prophets and apostles to write “for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Cor. 10:11). DDB1 310 5 Many inhabitants of the earth still are not computer or Internet literate. And of those who are, they still love real books. What you take to bed to read before you go to sleep is a book. What most people take to church or Sabbath School is a literal Book. The ease of finding things in the Bible through flipping pages cannot be bettered, and for sure the practice of marking salient passages for future reference is efficient. Your Bible becomes your own intimately personal “word of God.” Fits you better than your shoes do. (Write in your margins dates and places where the Holy Spirit was very close to you!) DDB1 310 6 A prayer the Father loves to hear and answer is the request that the Holy Spirit “make known” His words to you (Prov. 1:23). Plead that He gives you a "hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matt. 5:6)--that’s the way of “happiness” (which is what it means to be “blessed”). DDB1 310 7 You’ll be surprised how often the Lord will open doors for you to share treasures of truth you have discovered in your personal reading of the Bible. One thing, please: be modest about them; don’t drive sincere people away by being proud. ------------------------Chapter 311--Do We Really Believe in Three Gods? DDB1 311 1 One of the problems that is like a wall keeping Muslims from even considering Christianity is their idea that we worship "three gods." They cite as evidence the Christian doctrine of the Trinity (is that word in the Bible?). Do we really believe in "three gods"? DDB1 311 2 The Bible is clear: "Hear, O Israel: The LORDour God, the LORDis one!" (Deut. 6:4). Jesus agreed: "Jesus answered him [one of the scribes], 'The first of all the commandments is: "Hear, O Israel, the LORDour God, the LORDis one"'" (Mark 12:29). Paul said, "There is ... one Lord, ... one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all" (Eph 4:4-6). "For us there is only one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 8:6; "there is but one God," New International Version). We are monotheists. But Jesus commanded us to baptize believers "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19). DDB1 311 3 How can we explain to Muslims that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, are not three Gods (or two!), but one? Long, complex theological and philosophical treatises are usually over their heads. And we can use only the Bible for evidence. (As one who lived among Muslims with frequent contact, for 24 years in East Africa, I often pondered how.) DDB1 311 4 (1) Jesus directs us how to pray, "Our Father in heaven" (Matt. 6:9). DDB1 311 5 (2) A perhaps-too-simple illustration is H2O, one substance. If you see it first as ice, you don't know what it is. But melt it down and it becomes water that you can drink and bathe in. But it still must stay in one place. Heat it some more and it becomes steam, vapor, or clouds, and is everywhere. But it is all still H2O. DDB1 311 6 Helpful? Maybe not; but pray for wisdom! ------------------------Chapter 312--A Statement That Was Revolutionary DDB1 312 1 A prolific, mature writer had come to her mid-60s when she first said it--a statement that was revolutionary. It reversed the centuries-old thinking of countless Christian people. Many times she called her readers to "behold" what happened on the cross when Jesus died for "the sins of the world." He had said, "I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all to Myself" (John 12:32). Then came this mature writer's blockbuster, first-ever statement: "The sinner may resist this love, may refuse to be drawn to Christ; but if he does not resist he will be drawn to Jesus; a knowledge of the plan of salvation will lead him to the foot of the cross in repentance for his sins." DDB1 312 2 Popular Christian thinking had understood the opposite. Our "condemnation" had been seen to be the norm; unless the sinner takes the initiative to procure "this love," to acquire it, to first do the right thing by his own will, he was automatically lost. God has done His part, the ball's in the sinner's court, he must take the first "step to Christ" by his own action. You've got to do something to be saved. Good orthodox teaching. DDB1 312 3 Now this statement maintained that you must believe something to be saved; in fact, more than that, you've got to "resist" this "drawing" of the love of Christ in order to be lost. Backwards!? DDB1 312 4 To this day, people marvel at this breakthrough insight into "the plan of redemption." Is the agape character of the love of Christ that powerful? Has "the Savior of the world" actually already given something to the sinner? Multitudes worldwide have been driven back to the Bible to see if this statement could possibly be its true teaching. Was this "mature" writer beginning to slip? The Bible has something to say: DDB1 312 5 (1) Christ has already done something for "every man"--died his final punishment for sin (Heb. 2:9). By redeeming humanity He has given humanity a title to eternal life (but the "title" can be despised and sold as Esau despised and sold his birthright--Gen. 25:33, 34). DDB1 312 6 (2) Christ's love (agape) does constrain every responsive heart to a total dedication to the One who died his and her second death (2 Cor. 5:14, 15). DDB1 312 7 (3) It's not craven fear that does this, but His much more abounding grace--stronger motivation than all our natural and acquired sin can be (Rom. 5:15-20). DDB1 312 8 (4) That "grace" is moment by moment teaching us to respond to Christ's powerful love (Titus 2:11-14); you must block your heart against it in order to be lost. (Too many do!) DDB1 312 9 (5) It's easier to live a life responsive to that love than to keep on resisting it (Matt. 11:28-30). DDB1 312 10 (6) It's true--the hardest thing one can do is to wear yourself out resisting it (Acts 26:14). DDB1 312 11 That writer in her mid-60s turns out to have been right: It's totally by grace that any of us is saved (Eph. 2:4-9). Tell the Lord "Thank You!" for giving you a heart that can respond. ------------------------Chapter 313--God's Ideal for His Church DDB1 313 1 There is a connection between 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and Acts 18:1-17. Two outstanding details there are intriguing: (1) the fierce hatred of the Jews who heard Paul preach in Corinth and (2) Paul's plea for the Corinthian church members to be in total, perfect theological harmony. DDB1 313 2 (1) Paul proclaimed Jesus with the blessing of the Holy Spirit. Honest hearts were deeply impressed, and moved, as he presented the cross of Christ and told of what the Son of God accomplished for the human race. But the unbelieving Jews had hearts like stone and were totally unimpressed by the evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit; "they opposed themselves, and blasphemed" (Acts 18:6; the Greek word means "stupid talk"). Their legalistic hearts were impervious to all reasonable, logical evidence of gospel truth. This fantastic phenomenon is evident even today as again hard hearts refuse "most precious" Good News. DDB1 313 3 (2) Paul's plea for the church members to "speak [teach] the same thing, and that there be no divisions," that they "be perfectly joined together in the same mind" is not idle talk (1 Cor. 1:10). This is God's ideal for His church, and a little known prediction in an out-of-date book entitled Historical Sketches states categorically that such blessed heart-and mind-unity will be realized in the church before Jesus returns: "They will see eye to eye in all matters of religious belief. They will speak [teach] the same things." DDB1 313 4 Did you catch that? That's Good News! But hard hearts will never know it! ------------------------Chapter 314--Faith AND Works or Faith WHICH Works? DDB1 314 1 Conservative Christians for hundreds of years have discussed (even argued) the relationship between faith and works. Their favorite word used to describe it is "balance." The popular idea is that one must hold faith and works in "balance." If you talk about faith for 10 minutes then you must also talk about works for 10 minutes. However, a check of the concordance reveals that nowhere in the Bible is the word "balance" used to describe this relationship. DDB1 314 2 In inspired writings, there is practically nothing to suggest the use of that word as being appropriate. Scripture and inspired writings are clear "beyond question" that salvation is totally by grace through faith, and Paul even goes out of his way to add, "Not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9). The "balance" idea strongly suggests that salvation is by faith and by works, a 50/50 deal. Which if true, would certainly give the saved ones something to boast about: "yes, Jesus saved me, but look, I did my part too!" DDB1 314 3 One popular little book is entitled, Faith and Works, the title having been added by editors long after the author's death. Yet inside the covers, the original author repeatedly speaks of the correct formula as being "faith whichworks." DDB1 314 4 Yes, the Bible is true; there is only one Savior, Jesus; none of us is a co-savior. It's not a 50/50 salvation trip; it's 100 percent salvation by Christ, received by faith. But the faith is not the "dead faith" that the apostle James decries (James 2:20). A "dead faith" can do nothing except self-righteousness (which doesn't have a very nice fragrance!). A living faith works; it has to work; it will work; it always works. The "works" is a verb and not a noun. DDB1 314 5 What is faith itself? How does the Bible define it? It is not a synonym for works! The devil hates the idea of salvation by faith alone, by faith which works; if in any way he can inject into our thinking the idea that faith is itself works, then he has us deceived. DDB1 314 6 John 3:16 has it: "God loved," "God gave," and we "believe" (the same in Greek as have faith). Faith is a human heart response to God's loving and giving. "With the heartone believes to righteousness" (Rom. 10:10). "Beware, ... lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief" (Heb. 3:12). ------------------------Chapter 315--The Last Soul-winning Ministry of All Time DDB1 315 1 In his chapter 60, Isaiah is overjoyed to write about the time when the earth will be drenched with a special "light" of "the truth of the gospel." He says to God's people, "Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you" (vs. 1). We have usually thought of this as the time when we will have greater media outlets for increased volume, so everybody in the world will at last hear what has been our traditional understanding of the message. DDB1 315 2 There is an identical "loud voice" in Revelation 14:9 and 18:1-4 that characterizes the last soul-winning ministry of all time. Will it be a greater noise level that will command the world's attention? We have talked, and prayed, and sung about it for generations. Have we assumed it will be a glorious and triumphant success for the church, to validate all our past labors? Millions who have gone to "sleep in Jesus" have dreamed of living in those awe-inspiring days when the earth will be "lighted." DDB1 315 3 But wait a moment: The Bible is not talking about an increased noise level, but of increased "light." It's to be a clearer grasp of what Paul repeatedly calls "the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:5,14). Jesus said "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). Greater light in understanding the gospel of righteousness by faith brings that freedom. DDB1 315 4 But if someone feels "rich and increased with goods" in his understanding of the message, it could mean he has no "hunger and thirst for righteousness" (see Matt. 5:6). Emotionalism can easily be mistaken for truth. The "glory" spoken of in Isaiah 60:2 and Revelation 18:1-4 will be a clearer grasp of justification by faith. We don't want to be blinded to the light when the Lord sends it as the Jews were blinded to their Messiah when He came. You can "follow" Jesus only if you "take up [your] cross daily" to be "crucified with Him" (Luke 9:23, Gal. 2:20). DDB1 315 5 Living is serious business now. Be serious in coming to the Lord. ------------------------Chapter 316--Christ's Bride-to-be--Can He Trust Her to Be "With Him" in That Last Trying Hour? DDB1 316 1 We know we're living in the last days. The "time of trouble" is coming (Dan. 12:1), and "the bowls of the wrath of God" ["the seven last plagues"] (Rev. 16:1), and "days of vengeance" (Luke 21:22) when "men's hearts [are] failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth" (vs. 26). With Peter each of us cries out, "Lord, save me!" (Matt. 14:30). DDB1 316 2 But what will He save us to, being only one in "a great multitude which no one could number"? (Rev. 7:9). More than that! "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne," says Jesus (3:21). That's not an honorary decoration--that's executive responsibility in bringing to a close the great controversy between Christ and Satan! No simplistic trust. It's obvious: the Lamb needsthem to stand "with Him" in this final "war" (17:14). They have a serious contribution to make! DDB1 316 3 An example of the kind of trust the Lamb will repose in them can be seen in the career of Elijah. The 3-1/2 year famine in Israel in the time of Ahab's and Jezebel's Baal worship was the result of the initiative that Elijah took. The Bible record is interesting; God threatened to write Israel off (Assyria would soon conquer them into captivity anyway; see the book of Hosea, for example). But the Lord allowed Elijah to express his heart of love for Israel (as with Moses, Ex. 32:31, 32). The famine was the last possible way to arrest their attention in their "rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing" attitude (Rev. 3:17, King James Version). DDB1 316 4 As we read 1 Kings 17:1 and James 5:17, 18, the famine was Elijah's idea! The Lord simply responded to his initiative in prayer both beginning the famine, and ending it. We need to re-evaluate Elijah; God put the nation of Israel in his hands, as it were, because He did more than love him. He trusted him. DDB1 316 5 Christ's Bride-to-be ("the Lamb's wife," Rev. 19:7, 8) has something to do on her own in closing the great controversy. She "must make herself ready" for "the marriage." The Lamb can't do that. She must do it! He not only desires her; He needs her. Can He trust her to be "with Him" in that last trying hour? ------------------------Chapter 317--You Have Been Given Your "Measure of Faith" DDB1 317 1 The Lord Jesus Christ has said it plainly--"whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Sounds like He wants everybody to be saved, doesn't it? And yes, specifically, He does, for we read, He "desires all men to be saved" (1 Tim. 2:4). DDB1 317 2 But "all have sinned" (Rom. 3:23); and by nature all are alienated from God so that the call is to us all, "We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20). How can we believe while we're "alienated"? DDB1 317 3 And for many people, that idea of "believing" seems difficult; for them, that is the one great hurdle in the way of salvation: they don't know how to believe. They think they can't. DDB1 317 4 But right here is where everything comes into focus: "God has dealt to each one the measure [metron, Gr.] of faith" (Rom. 12:3). DDB1 317 5 Here's the idea: no matter how badly you have been mis-educated, or have sinned, or been perverted, or wandered away, or how deeply against Him you have rebelled, God has given you that "measure [metron] of faith." Yes; He doesn't say that He has offeredyou a measure of faith--, He has "dealt" to you that measure of faith. The original word means to "part," "deal," "distribute," "divide," "give part." DDB1 317 6 You have been given your "metron"of faith. You have already received the ability to "believe." God has "put enmity between [the serpent] and the woman" (Gen. 3:15). Now face up to reality: nothing but your own perverse choice to deny, to expel, to crush, to trample upon that "measure of faith" God has already given you, can keep you out of the eternal kingdom of God. ------------------------Chapter 318--The Heavenly Father Will Never Give Us a "Stone" DDB1 318 1 In His delightful little story in Luke 11 Jesus tells how the man who begged his neighbor for some bread for his unexpected guests kept on begging at midnight until the wearied neighbor finally got up and gave him all he needed. Then comes the heart-warming assurance from Jesus: if we continually "beg" the heavenly Father for some "bread," He will never give us a "stone" (vss. 5-11). DDB1 318 2 Continual praying for the gift of the Holy Spirit means continual hunger and thirst for "bread" and the "water of life." It means continually feeling in need, feeling wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked (Rev. 3:17); continually sensing that our "pantry" is empty. There is no point in continually "asking" unless we have that continual hunger and thirst, otherwise our prayers are like the Tibetan prayer-wheels where the prayers flap in the breeze 24 hours a day. God has trouble "feeding" anyone who isn't hungry. DDB1 318 3 Perhaps before we beg for the "bread," we should ask Him to give us an appetite that feels our emptiness; makes us aware that entertainment only masks the unconscious malnutrition of our souls. Often we pray for answers that it seems the Lord wisely delays to give us; but for certain, a prayer, "Lord, show me my need! Reveal to me my selfishness, my hypocrisy, my buried sin,"--that prayer will be answered quickly because it is the kind of prayer John says must be answered for it is "according to [God's] will" (1 John 5:14). DDB1 318 4 Lastly, Jesus' little story tells a secret: when you ask for "bread" in order to give it to someone else (not yourself!) that is what brings a guaranteed answer in the positive. What a thrill of joy we experience when we learn to "ask to give." ------------------------Chapter 319--You Must Take Time to "Look" DDB1 319 1 The people in Corinth were wealthy, busy, and cultured, and many were educated, but they were obsessed by sensual pleasure. There was even a temple devoted to sensual pleasure as a religion, with (it is reported) 1,000 girls and women serving as temple prostitutes, and men as well. A huge city of 600,000 people, like a modern New York, London, Tokyo, or San Francisco. Even today the exact same problems of money and sensual pleasure obsess people. And they are both cruel deceptions, for neither can satisfy the deep longings in the human heart. DDB1 319 2 Do you hunger for money and wealth? You are looking for heaven on earth, and you won't find it here--only disappointment. Do you hunger for human love? This is a natural, God-given hunger. But you won't find its satisfaction in sensual pleasure; all you'll get is a momentary thrill and an empty sense of guilt and self-condemnation afterwards. DDB1 319 3 What you hunger for is the real thing--which is genuine love. And that is the love of Christ. Paul discovered that the love of Christ was the answer to the heart-cry of Corinth. He said, "The message of the cross ... is the power of God. ... I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 1:18; 2:2). DDB1 319 4 The people saw themselves on that cross with Jesus; He was not only dying in their place, He was dying as them; they identified with Him. The revelation of that love as agapeproved to be the only medicine that could heal human hearts and souls poisoned with the disease of sensuality. That love, agape, conquers sin at its deepest roots. DDB1 319 5 The Bible says you get it by looking--in other words, opening your eyes. "Behold! [Take a good long look at] The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). You think that's too simple? Well, it does take time. You must take time to "look." ------------------------Chapter 320--What Has Kept God Busy Since Creation? DDB1 320 1 There have been no new worlds or planets created in the universe since God kept that first Sabbath. "Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished," says Genesis 2:1. What has kept God busy since then? The answer: a work of reconciling heaven and earth, because "war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought" (Rev. 12:7). DDB1 320 2 The great controversy has involved the universe as well as this fallen planet, for Revelation 12:12 says that because of the victory won in this reconciliation, "Rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them!" Finally, as one wise writer has said: "The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation." This blessed harmony will be the result of God's work on His cosmic Day of Atonement--which means simply, His Day of Reconciliation, the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, the ending of alienation. DDB1 320 3 Is your human heart reconciled to God? Are you alert to realize that your natural human heart "is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7), except through the atonement of Christ? Do you still wrestle with a lingering sense that somehow you must make yourself good before He can be reconciled to you, and before He can really accept you and respect you? Do you have that nagging feeling that He cannot truly be your Friend until you are worthy? While you are sitting in the pigsty, do you wish you had a Father who would forgive and accept the prodigal? If so, you need to know about the Day of Atonement. DDB1 320 4 As never before in world history the world's attention is directed now to the atoning sacrifice of Christ where "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. ... We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:19, 20). But you can't"be" unless you first believe He is reconciled to you! DDB1 320 5 So, "spend a thoughtful hour" contemplating the cross where that reconciliation was accomplished. ------------------------Chapter 321--Whom Do We Truly Worship? DDB1 321 1 It was the greatest love affair that has ever been on this earth: a man had met the woman of his dreams. His loneliness had been the most painful ever felt on earth; his life a profound emptiness until he came face to face with her--then suddenly his life was thrilled with meaning. She was the perfect fulfillment of his dreams, every cell of his being in love with her. There was "no rose in all the world" until she came, no star that shone until her light arose on him. DDB1 321 2 The one man who has known the most of what it means to be a man in love was Adam, and the woman whom he loved was Eve. She was indeed God'sgift to him, as the Hebrew tries to tell us, "an help meet for him" (Gen. 2:18, King James Version), or "answering to him." Just perfectly what his soul longed for. DDB1 321 3 And then she had transgressed the holy law of God, her sin the prototype of billions of sins on earth to come. And she seemed to be so happy in her new found freedom of rebellion against God; a new life, a new freedom, a new wonderment. That gorgeous creature, the glorified serpent had introduced her to real lifeand she became an instant "missionary" for her new life treasure. She longed to share it with her husband. So Eve became thetemptress of all time. DDB1 321 4 In a flash Adam knew what had happened when she handed him the forbidden fruit; God had not forbidden them to touchit--only to eat it. Holding it in his hand, Adam had not sinned. He knew what was involved; he saw these 6000+ years of anguish stretching before them. But oh, how could he separate himself from her, the woman of his dreams, his love? Seizing the fruit he thrust it into his mouth--love for her must win this struggle, not devotion to God. And so sin entered this world. DDB1 321 5 Has any man ever sacrificed the love of woman for fellowship with Christ? Christ Himself knows love for a "woman," love that absorbs Hissoul. We sinful humans can only pray, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief" (Mark 9: 24), or transliterated, "Lord, I love You, but help my weakness in my love for her (or him)!" DDB1 321 6 None of us can be "worthy" of Christ; but He says the truth: there comes a time when we must yield "the dearest idol I have known, whate'er that idol be" in devotion to the One who went to hell for us, for He alone is agape(Matt. 10:37; Luke 14:26). We're closer to Eden than we may have thought. Whom do we truly worship? ------------------------Chapter 322--"Protesting" in a Christlike Way DDB1 322 1 It seems wildly inappropriate to think that there was ever a "war in heaven," but that's just what Revelation 12:7-10 describes. A war to the finish between "Michael" with His angels against "the dragon [Satan] and his angels." A careful reading suggests that it was Christ and the loyal angels who started the war, although this is opposite to most thinking today. DDB1 322 2 But this fits in with what the Bible says about Christ. Christ never lies down and lets the devil walk over Him. You remember at His temptation in the wilderness, He told the devil to "get out!" and the devil did (Matt. 4:10). Again when Satan used Peter to try to turn Him away from His cross, He said, "Get behind Me, Satan!" (16:23). DDB1 322 3 When Lucifer (who became "the devil and Satan") instigated the rebellion in heaven, he was spreading his poison all through the ranks of the holy angels. If Christ and they had not protested, sin would have filled the universe. They could not sit back and relax and condone a fictitious "peace and harmony" as we are often tempted to do when evil is about to triumph; they arose in vigorous protest. They started a war! They saw through the subtle lies that Lucifer was telling, and their souls were on fire in their love for truth. Their concern was for the security of heaven and the universe. They had to "speak up." DDB1 322 4 We might say that "Michael and His angels" were pro-test-ants, righteously so. And so will everyone be who takes up his cross to follow Jesus (Luke 9:23). Love for souls, for your nation, for your church, for society, for the universe itself, yes, concern for Christ, motivates you to protest against injustice, against lies. DDB1 322 5 The first work of the Holy Spirit is to "convict of sin," that is, to protest against sin because sin kills (John 16:8; Prov. 8:36). Whatever your problem, the Holy Spirit will convict you of that sin before you repeat it. Before anyone chooses to transgress God's holy law, He continually says, "No!" He "convicts of sin" in love. DDB1 322 6 But be careful: It's not your job to do the work of the Holy Spirit. You can lift your voice against evil and not be obnoxious at the same time. You can "protest" in a Christlike way. ------------------------Chapter 323--Can Satan Force Us to Continue to Sin? DDB1 323 1 When Jesus was resurrected, Satan was mortally wounded. Genesis 3:15 was fulfilled: the serpent (Satan) had indeed "bruised" Christ's "heel" through the crucifixion; but Christ "bruised" his "head." When you smash a serpent's head, you've killed it. So, since the resurrection, Satan has been crushed. DDB1 323 2 But immediately the question arises in thoughtful minds, "Then why 2000 years of continued sin, cruelty, and misery, created by this same 'serpent' who is supposed to be crushed? Why have global dictators flourished, and why do crime and violence plague the world as it was in the days before the Flood of Noah? Why is Paul's prophecy so terribly fulfilled, that 'evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse'"? (2 Tim. 3:13). "Does all this look like the work of a defeated foe?" DDB1 323 3 Other questions arise: "Why doesn't Jesus come the second time as He promised to do, and put an end to all of Satan's work? Is God indifferent? Is He just procrastinating until He's finally had enough of it and decides to blow the trumpet and ring the curtain down?" DDB1 323 4 We can search the world for an answer, and must come back to what the Bible says: "If a man should scatter seed on the ground, ... When the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come” (Mark 4:26-29). God's people must grow up and appreciate--"believe"--what Christ accomplished in His death, burial, and resurrection, that Satan has been defeated. DDB1 323 5 Hebrews 2:14 says that Satan has been "paralyzed," as when wildlife experts shoot darts into a rhino or a fierce lion and paralyze it so they can examine its teeth. Satan cannot force us to continue to sin unless we willingly choose to permit him to deceive us. The victory of Christ over Satan in His resurrection was wonderful; now, says Revelation 12:11, God's people must also "overcome him by the blood of the Lamb." DDB1 323 6 Satan still claims that it is impossible for any human being to keep God's law of love, but it's our privilege to share in Christ's glorious victory. That's something worth living for! ------------------------Chapter 324--A Smart Philosopher's Challenge DDB1 324 1 A smart philosopher says that if God is perfectly loving, He must want to abolish all evil, and if He is all powerful, He must be able to do it. "But evil exists, therefore God cannot be both omnipotent and loving," says this thinker. Is there a solution to his problem? DDB1 324 2 Can the Bible help? It teaches that God took all the evil that exists in the world and bore it in Himself. "The Lord has laid on [Christ] the iniquity of us all" and "He made [Christ] who knew no sin to be sin for us" (Isa. 53:6; 2 Cor. 5:21). God wishes to abolish all evil, the Bible says (1 Tim. 2:4), but since "God is agape" (1 John 4:8), He could abolish evil only by dying to it, being crucified to sin. The solution to the philosopher's challenge is to explore "the width and length and depth and height" of that agape, wherein is "the fullness of God" (Eph. 3:17-19). DDB1 324 3 Every philosopher and atheist will some day bow and confess the infinite logic that is wrapped up within the cross of Jesus, even those who have spent their lives ridiculing it. But there are some--perhaps many--who will humble their souls before the cross right now in this life and confess the truth of God. This blessed result will require deep thinking and deeper feeling on the part of those who now profess to keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus. DDB1 324 4 God loves the brilliant people, the philosophers and scientists in the world, just as much as He loves common people. No one can "by searching find out God"; all the universities in the world cannot teach these bright people how to find Him. DDB1 324 5 The neglected truth that agape teaches is that God finds man; no lost sheep, however smart, can find his way back to the shepherd--the Good Shepherd must go and find him. God has commanded His church on earth to be His agent in proclaiming that news about God, who is the seeking-and-finding Good Shepherd. DDB1 324 6 A people in whose hearts and souls self is crucified, who are in perfect unity and harmony, who "glory" in the cross, will proclaim the message, for it must "lighten the earth with glory" before Jesus can return; then every honest hearted philosopher will hear a voice that says "come out of Babylon" (Rev. 18). We will be surprised who or how many will respond (cf. Rev. 15:2, 3). ------------------------Chapter 325--Who Is "The Light of the World"? Is There a Contradiction? DDB1 325 1 Why did Jesus tell His people in Matthew 5:14, "You are the light of the world" and then in John 8:12, He said of Himself, "I am the light of the world"? Is there a contradiction? DDB1 325 2 Not if you understand how those who believe in Him are "in Him." They identify with Him; in fact, that's what faith is in its true definition, it is identifying with Christ, becoming one with Him, so that as He shines, the believer shines with reflected light from Him. DDB1 325 3 If the believer has come out of darkness into the light, he appreciates how Christ is indeed "the light of the world," how it is true that "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5); how "in Him" is life, "and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4). Those are very simple one-syllable Anglo-Saxon words, but what depth of meaning lies in them! "And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (vs. 5). DDB1 325 4 What does this mean? Christ is the source of all the love and light and joy there is in this world. Even the pagans who know Him not, what pleasure and happiness they have ever experienced is a gift from Him. "That was the true Light which gives light to every man who comes into the world," which must include those who know Him not (vs. 9)! DDB1 325 5 If it were not for Christ and what He has accomplished for the world itself, not one human being anywhere would ever know anything but the densest darkness of despair. And that darkness would be the second death itself. That is why Paul says in Hebrews 2:9 that Christ has "tasted death for everyone," has endured that darkness of soul that is the torture of the second death for every human being, that is, has paid the price of the punishment for his sins. That is how He Himself is "the light of the world." Something to be profoundly thankful for! DDB1 325 6 Now, Jesus says, "Youare the light of the world." Tell the Good News to someone, don't block it or cover it up with legalism. And don't be afraid that telling such Good News will encourage him to go on sinning; it's the only way he can overcome sin! ------------------------Chapter 326--Christ's Repentance in Behalf of the Church DDB1 326 1 There is probably no one who doesn't want the church to be truly awake, repentant, and alive with the joy of the Lord. We know that someday it will be (after there is a great shaking, after "Elijah" has come and done his work). DDB1 326 2 But is there anyone ready to take all the sins of the church, known and hidden, upon himself or herself, realizing that apart from the grace of the Savior he would be guilty of them all? Or does each one of us feel that that would be impossible; we could never fall that low. "We've been brought up right!" DDB1 326 3 If such an insightful person could be found, someone who wouldn't be praying, "Lord, aren't they awful! Please save them!" that would be a practical, corporate repentance that would do a world of good. DDB1 326 4 Someone came to the true church one time who found it in a terrible spiritual condition; yes, He must have prayed for that church; but He did something much more--He repented in behalf of that church. He took all their sins upon Himself as though He were guilty of them all. DDB1 326 5 So intimate and real was this "taking" that "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21). He put Himself in each person's place, knowing all the details from their conception on. He felt each person's weakness as though it were His own. He felt the shame of his defeats, and the tearful longings for peace with God. DDB1 326 6 It was on His cross that He was "made to be sin for us, who knew no sin." It was a horrible experience of "knowing"--hell itself. He felt in His soul that He was lost forever. Hope did not present to Him His coming forth from the grave a victor. "He was numbered with the transgressors" (Isa. 53:12). He "made His grave with the wicked" (vs. 9), the kind of grave that has no end to it; and He did something that no other person in 6000 years has been able to do: He felt to the full the horror of it. DDB1 326 7 Thank God, He has disciples who are even now learning from Him. ------------------------Chapter 327--What Can Make an Evil Person Become a Good Person? DDB1 327 1 What can make an evil person become a good person? Is fear the true motivation? DDB1 327 2 It is generally recognized that fear can motivate an alcoholic to become sober. It can also motivate to national reformations, such as that of King Hezekiah, of whom we read: "He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, ... so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, ... He held fast to the Lord; ... [and] the Lord was with him" (2 Kings 18:1-7). That was when the rebuke of the Lord given in Revelation 3:14-21 to Laodicea apparently did not apply; for once God's people on earth were right with Him in heaven. DDB1 327 3 The Bible becomes almost eloquent describing the wonderful reformation accomplished by King Hezekiah. But to the extent that fear, even the fear of the Lord, prevailed in Hezekiah's grand reformation, we find that the motivation of fear failed miserably. DDB1 327 4 When the Lord worked a celestial miracle to signify His healing of King Hezekiah when he became seriously ill, sadly Hezekiah failed to give the honor and glory to the Lord (2 Kings 20). DDB1 327 5 Good King Hezekiah had a son named Manasseh who, when he came to the throne, reversed all the good that Hezekiah had done. The people followed him as readily as they had followed King Hezekiah! DDB1 327 6 The history of God's dealings with His chosen people through the ancient ages followed an up and down curve—it was often down, sad to say. Old covenant fear proved to be a weak source of motivation. DDB1 327 7 In the end of time, there will emerge a special people, "144,000" in number (whether that is a literal or symbolic number is not part of this discussion). Their experience of faith is described: "They sing a new song;" "in their mouth is found no guile;" "they are without fault before the throne of God" (Rev. 14:1-5). DDB1 327 8 Why this marvelous change? The answer is here: "These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (vs. 4). Fear has no part in their "Christian experience." They are those who listen to preaching such as that of Paul to the Corinthians when he "determined not to know anything among [them] except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (cf. 1 Cor. 2:1, 2). DDB1 327 9 This is beginning to happen around the world now! ------------------------Chapter 328--“Christian Experience”--A Term Seldom Heard Today DDB1 328 1 A fundamental question we must settle is whether God is just, and whether He is good. We read in Hebrews 6:10 that "God is not unjust," meaning that He is indeed just. And we read in Psalm 103 that He is like a father who pities His children, that He is merciful and gracious (vss. 13, 8). DDB1 328 2 Believing who He is must be settled in our hearts, for he who comes to God must believe two things: (1) that He is, that He exists, and (2) that He rewards those who diligently pursue knowing Him (Heb. 11:6). DDB1 328 3 Jesus likened God to a father who gives his children food when they are hungry. "If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone?" (Luke 11:11). Then He went on to explain that our heavenly Father is more kind than any earthly father. DDB1 328 4 That being true, then we must conclude that He is not trying to make it difficult for people to have eternal life in His kingdom. He does not send difficulties and disappointments in order to try to break our confidence in Him, but because we are living in the midst of a great controversy between Christ and Satan, we have to meet trials that inevitably test our faith. The only way to avoid them would be to go to the grave. DDB1 328 5 Even Jesus, God's only begotten, beloved Son was forced to meet severe trials, the greatest of which was the experience of feeling forsaken of God while He hung on His cross in the darkness. Meeting strange and bitter trials is not inconsistent with knowing that the Father loves you as He loves His own Son; there may be even a more understandable realization of God's love in the midst of trials. DDB1 328 6 When every other voice is stilled and you are alone before God wrestling with your trials, your soul may sense the nearness and tender love of Christ more keenly. Peter says, "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings" (1 Peter 4:12, 13). DDB1 328 7 There is a term seldom heard today, "Christian experience." It encompasses the breadth of one's first-hand knowledge of God experienced in sunshine and shadow, trials borne which establish one "in the faith." It's a precious acquirement! It's something no one can take from you, not even Satan. Ask God to give it to you; but remember, He can't do so except through giving you "experience" itself. DDB1 328 8 When the "144,000" sing "a new song before the throne" they will not be reading notes in hymnbooks; John says they "learn that song" (Rev. 14:1-3). How? By experience! ------------------------Chapter 329--Should We Be Afraid of the Judgment? DDB1 329 1 Should we be afraid of the judgment? Is it like a final exam that students face, the kind where they cram the night before and come to it trembling with fear? There is a judgment that comes before Christ returns--otherwise He could not bring His reward with Him "to give to every one according to his work" (Rev. 22:12). And before there can be a resurrection, there must be an "accounting," which is a judgment to determine who is "counted worthy" to come up in that most glorious of blessings--the first resurrection (Luke 20:35). But can we know anything about when that pre-Advent judgment is to take place? Does the 2300-day prophecy of Daniel 8:14 make any sense? DDB1 329 2 (1) The Day of Atonement in the Hebrew sanctuary service was an object lesson of that final pre-Advent judgment. DDB1 329 3 (2) The Lord did not intend that its purpose should be to condemn Israel or the people, but "on that day the [high] priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord" (Lev. 16:30). DDB1 329 4 (3) That precisely is the purpose of the investigative judgment--not to condemn God's people, but to cleanse them so they can meet Jesus in person when He returns. DDB1 329 5 (4) There is sin, conscious and unconscious, that must be discovered, repented of, "overcome" (Rev. 3:21), so that those who follow the great High Priest in His closing work of Atonement may not be consumed by the brightness of Jesus' coming. That's going to be a serious moment! DDB1 329 6 (5) The High Priest doesn't want to condemn you; He wants to vindicate you--that's the only judgment He wants to make in your case. Don't stop Him, don't hinder His on-going work! DDB1 329 7 (6) The Septuagint translators of Daniel 8:14, 150 years B.C., clearly saw in the 2300-day prophecy a reference to the Day of Atonement; and long before there were any people known as Seventh-day Adventists, Christian scholars saw that 1844 was the terminus of that prophecy. ------------------------Chapter 330--Let's Be "At-One" Today--in Agape DDB1 330 1 Dear Friends of “Dial Dally Bread,” The Bible urges us, "Be reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20), but how can our hearts be if we misunderstand His character of love? We must hear the gospel as common sense Good News, or lingering enmity will fester in our hearts. Fear of His role as Condemner in the final judgment creates alienation. Therefore the gospel of reconciliation ("atonement," at-one-ment with God) must be understood. DDB1 330 2 Jesus says the Father will not judge [condemn] anyone (John 5:22), and then adds that He also will not condemn "anyone" who "does not believe" (12:46, 47). Then who will do the final condemning of those who "do not believe" "in the last day"? DDB1 330 3 Jesus says, "The word that I have spoken will judge [krinei, condemn] him in the last day" (vs. 48). Oh yes, there will be a "word" of condemnation in that day of final judgment, but Revelation says it will come from the lips of the lost themselves. All are said to gather before the "great white throne and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. ... The books were opened" (Rev. 20:11, 12). Chapter 14 makes clear that the wicked cannot bear to look into the eyes of the Son of God (vs. 10), for in the final judgment, heaven and earth "flee away" from beholding that face! DDB1 330 4 When "the books [are] opened," every person will be keenly conscious of what is written therein; the eyes of Jesus will look right through them; memory comes alive with self-condemnation. All see where they crucified afresh the Lord of glory and put Him to an open shame. Too late, they understand their role at Calvary. What Jesus said will be literally fulfilled, "The word that I have spoken will judge [them] in the last day." DDB1 330 5 The ages-long "great controversy between Christ and Satan" cannot be concluded until the lost freely, voluntarily confess the judgment and mercy of their final end. "Every knee shall bow" and confess, "Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!" (Phil. 2:10; Rev. 15:3). DDB1 330 6 This does not mean that the lost will become converted; far from it. Satan will indulge in one last wild temper tantrum against God, trying to capture the Holy City (Rev. 20:7-9). After their voluntary confession of God's justice, the wicked again join him, proving to the watching universe that they are hopelessly in rebellion against righteousness (vss. 7-15). Then at last the entire universe will be "at-one" in agape. Let's be at-one today! ------------------------Chapter 331--A Troublesome Text About Jesus' Second Coming DDB1 331 1 It's a troublesome text, and for many serious-minded people it threatens the belief that the second coming of Jesus is imminent. In Matthew 24:33, 34, Jesus says to those who live in the last days, "When you see all these things, know that it is near, at the very doors. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things are fulfilled." DDB1 331 2 The problem is that for well over 150 years Seventh-day Adventists have believed that the coming of Jesus is so near that it is "at the very doors," and the stalwarts who pioneered what is known as the Great Second Advent Movement steadfastly believed that the "thousand years" of Revelation 20 would for certain be the next millennium. God's people who are ready for Jesus' coming would spend it in heaven. But now the world seems set on spending it here on earth. DDB1 331 3 The problem with the disturbing words of Jesus is this: What are those "all these things" that "this generation" sees? The answer is clear: the "signs" in the heavens, the end of "the tribulation of those days" when "the sun will be darkened," "the stars will fall from heaven," and "on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, ... men's hearts failing them from fear" (Matt. 24:29; Luke 21:25, 26). The last of "the signs in the heavens" was the falling of the stars of 1833, and the generation that saw it has for well over a century been sleeping in their graves. DDB1 331 4 There has to be an answer, or for thoughtful young people the idea of imminence will crumble away. The answer is: the unbelief of God's people has delayed the Lord's coming, even as that of Israel delayed their entrance into the Promised Land. But there is Good News, for the solution is repentance; and repentance is a gift of the Holy Spirit that canbe accepted! DDB1 331 5 Jesus also told us to pray, "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6:10). Let's stop hindering the fulfillment of that "will." ------------------------Chapter 332--Methods to "Evangelize"--Jesus Told Us What to Do DDB1 332 1 Mission boards and committees are deeply burdened in their search for better methods to "evangelize" non-Christian people such as Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and agnostics or atheists. We can also include materialists and pleasure-seekers, who are everywhere. DDB1 332 2 Let's briefly review what Jesus said we should do: He said, "As you go, ... heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give" (Matt. 10:7, 8). Our ministry must include feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, providing housing for the desolate, and of course, educating the children and youth. And if it's in our power, help secure justice for the downtrodden. DDB1 332 3 And there is something else Jesus said we are to do: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved." "Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you" (Mark 16:15, 16; Matt. 28:19, 20). DDB1 332 4 Jesus specified what kind of "gospel" we are to proclaim in order to realize success: "'If I am lifted up from the earth, [I] will draw all peoples to Myself.' This He said, signifying by what death He would die" (John 12:32, 33). DDB1 332 5 Certainly that very successful missionary-evangelist, the apostle Paul, did not neglect the humanitarian work mentioned above; for sure, he healed the sick and cast out demons. But he understood what happened on Christ's cross, and how to tell people about it. He "determined not to know anything ... except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:1, 2). Hearts and intellects and souls were stirred--lastingly. DDB1 332 6 Proclaiming the cross of Christ involves much more than the use of images or pictures; the gospel grapples with the horror of hell, and makes clear how the sacrifice of Christ was and is the only answer to it. Its truth delivers the captives of hell. The proclamation of the cross is ineffective unless its truth is made clear with all its dimensions of agape--its width and length and depth and height (Eph. 3:18). The Savior of the world died the world's second death. Nothing will cut through to non-Christian hearts, except that ultimate revelation of how far the love of Christ went in saving us. DDB1 332 7 But that will be told when ... we come to Revelation 18. ------------------------Chapter 333--The Key Ingredient in Experiential "Justification by Faith" DDB1 333 1 There are two truths that are especially clear to anyone who allows the Bible to speak in its context: (1) We are living in the last days just before the second coming of Christ, and (2) there is a special spiritual work to be accomplished for those who will stand firm for Christ in the "mark of the beast" crisis and be ready to be translated at His coming. DDB1 333 2 "There shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time" (Dan. 12:1). It is spoken of as the "time of Jacob's trouble" (Jer. 30:7). No such severe test has ever come to the corporate body of God's people. Although their anguish will be great, God will not forsake them. Butit will appear to them that He has! In other words, there will be nothing to support them except their faith. This will be no test for "Christians" who are "lukewarm," of childish spiritual development! They will be the ones who will "drink" of Christ's "cup" and will be "baptized with [His] baptism" of spiritual test (see Matt. 20:20-22). DDB1 333 3 Anyone who feels competent to "drink" of that "cup" just doesn't know his or her own heart! Jeremiah says that in that day "all faces [will be] turned pale" (30:6). All will face darkness as black as that which enveloped Jesus on His cross when He cried out, "My God, why have You forsaken Me?" God will notforsake them, but everything will tell them that He has; and only their faith will pull them through. At last they will live 100 percent by faith and not even 1 percent by sight. And "let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor. 10:12). DDB1 333 4 It's a cruel deception to lull sincere people to sleep with the thought that no special spiritual preparation is necessary! "Just say your prayers as usual, pay your tithe, try to be good, and you're OK. There's no difference in being ready to die and being ready for that final time of trouble." DDB1 333 5 But there is a difference and it is spelled out clearly in Day of Atonement living. These are the last days when Jesus' words make great good sense: "When you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. ... Take heed to yourselves, lest ... that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth" (Luke 21:31-35). DDB1 333 6 The difference in spiritual preparation? Not a super-works trip, but a more developed faith--the key ingredient in experiential "justification by faith." ------------------------Chapter 334--One of the Greatest Treasures of All Time DDB1 334 1 One of the greatest treasures of all time is more valuable than the gold in King Tut's pyramid tomb, and for most Christian people it remains unexcavated: the Book of Hebrews. The reason its message is almost unknown is that sincere translators have unwittingly twisted one of its central truths that in effect cover up its message to modern readers. DDB1 334 2 Chapter 1 proves Christ is divine, eternally pre-existent; His name is "God" (vs. 8). Chapter 2 proves Christ is fully human, "in all things ... made like His brethren," "partaken of flesh and blood" as are all the fallen children of Adam, so that by means of this education He might be fitted to be "a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God" (2:17, 14; 4:15; 5:8, 9). DDB1 334 3 So far, good; all is clear. Chapters 7-10 emphasize how the Levitical priesthood and sanctuary ministry failed miserably in that they could not "continually year by year, make those who approach perfect." But the useless ritual went on continually for centuries! (10:1, 2). Therefore there must be an entirely new priesthood, that of Christ Himself, and the old must cease for its failure. But the old was a type, a pattern, a kindergarten lesson, to illustrate the nature of the new priesthood, that resembled the new as a shadow represents the object that created it. DDB1 334 4 And here is where the translation difficulties begin. Chapter 9:1-10 details a significant feature of the "shadow" Levitical ministry: there were two phases to the high priest's ancient ministry. Every day in the year he would go into the first apartment where the seven golden candlesticks were and the table where twelve freshly baked loaves of bread were displayed every Sabbath morning, there to minister forgiveness to repentant sinners (but they kept on sinning!). But once a year he would enter into the second apartment where the golden ark was with the two tables of stone with the Ten Commandments written thereon by the finger of God. That second-apartment ministry was to "cleanse" the sanctuary and put an end to on-going sinning. But it never worked! DDB1 334 5 So, says Hebrews, there must be a second apartment ministry of the great High Priest in the true heavenly sanctuary, to solve forever this on-going sin in the lives of His people. The problem: most translations confuse the two apartments, which in Greek are ta hagiaand hagia hagion. At His ascension, Christ entered ta hagia; at a period before His second coming, He leaves ta hagiaand enters hagiahagion, there to complete His work of preparing a people for His second coming. Read Hebrews with this in mind: it will come alive for you. ------------------------Chapter 335--A New Motivation, Even for Teens DDB1 335 1 David says "my Shepherd ... leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake" (Psalm 23:3). "Leads" young people in their choice of a college, or training for a career? Yes! Leads you in your choice of a job, or where to live? Yes! Does He also "lead you in a path of righteousness" concerning whom to marry? The answer has to be Yes, or the psalm is a fake. (Of course you must accept His leading!) DDB1 335 2 And to all of us at some time comes that journey through "the valley of the shadow," whether we are teens or in our 90s, and we need a Shepherd or divine "Pastor" with us. Please note: the relief from fear in the Shepherd Psalm is the result of a choice: "I will [to] fear no evil." The choice can be made today, long before the shadowed journey begins. And it is not merely an adjustment of emotions through psychology; it is a rational, logical, reasoned choice arrived at through careful thought. DDB1 335 3 The reason why "I will [to] fear no evil" is because I believe the Good Shepherd is "with" me; I believe I have a Companion in my journey through either sunshine or shadow. And how can I bring myself to believe such Good News? Because I appreciate that the Son of God became our Second Adam, the new Head of the human race, that the Father adopted me "in Christ," and I am "in Him" as He went through the agony of "hell" (Psalm 16:10). I identified with Him when He cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Psalm 22:1; Matt. 27: 46). DDB1 335 4 Having by faith "in Him" and with Him conquered that greatest of all fears, no lesser fear can now assail me. From now on His "rod and staff" no longer annoy me; tribulations and chastisement "comfort me," says David, even though I may feel like I am "punished" "every morning" (Psalm 73:14, Good News Bible). "Whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every sonwhom He receives" (Heb. 12:6). DDB1 335 5 Now by His grace nothing but joy lies before you, "goodness and mercy" all your "days." And best of all, you really want to "dwell in the house of the Lord forever" instead of in the movie theater or at the mall. A new motivation now transcends fear of being lost or hope of reward, and even for teens "the world has been crucified to [you]" (Gal. 6:14). ------------------------Chapter 336--When Elijah Is Sent, He Will Build Up, Not Tear Down DDB1 336 1 Dear Friends of “Dial Daily Bread,” When the Lord "sent Elijah" to the "scribes and Pharisees," they "did not know him." John the Baptist's message was "Elijah"! (Matt. 17:10-13). Could the dear Lord in His great mercy send "Elijah" to us and we "not know him"? Could the Lord send us a message designed to prepare us for the coming of Christ and we treat it as the Jews treated John the Baptist? God has promised to "send" him (Mal. 4:5, 6); could anything be more important than learning what that "message" is and how "we" have treated it? Maybe we need to repent! DDB1 336 2 When "Elijah" comes, will he overthrow Baal worship as he did long ago? Ancient Baal worship was the worship of self disguised as the worship of God. The 450 "prophets of Baal" made Elijah sick at heart. What is "Baal worship" today? DDB1 336 3 It is professing to serve the Lord when in fact your agenda is to promote self. A pastor glorifies himself, attracts the people to himself, turns their attention to himself, panders the worldly-minded people in the church, climbs the ladder of his career. He professes to worship Christ but in fact he is serving self. Is he not a "prophet of Baal"? His career is to build for himself a comfortable living; unconsciously he directs the youth to any or all careers except to prepare a people to stand in the day of God. He is not preparing a people to be translated as Elijah was, to "follow the Lamb [the crucified Christ] wherever He goes." Instead, he is preparing a people to accept the "mark of the beast" when it comes. DDB1 336 4 When "Elijah" is "sent" by the Lord, he will not be easy on modern Baal worship. But his will not be a ministry of denunciation; he will build up, not tear down. The "word" will do the job. Proclaiming Christ and Him crucified will melt hardened, worldly hearts, and Baal worship will be renounced. DDB1 336 5 "When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of glory died, my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride." ------------------------Chapter 337--Time to Begin Thinking About Christ and the Reward That He Deserves DDB1 337 1 The climax of the book of Revelation is not the reward that the saints will receive for their self-sacrifice in following Jesus, but the reward that Christ will receive for His great sacrifice. DDB1 337 2 It is a grand paradigm shift in thinking for us to get our minds off praying aboutourreward ("Lord, please be sure to save me and my loved ones"), and begin to think of Christ and the reward that He deserves. DDB1 337 3 Isaiah speaks of Him, "He shall see of the travail of His soul, and be satisfied" (53:11). It's like little children finally growing up so they can be mature and think of the "travail" of their mother in bearing them and of their parents in caring for them. DDB1 337 4 God's people cannot remain children forever. "Let us go on to full growth" to maturity (Heb. 6:1, 2, Darby Bible Translation), to the possibility, yes, to the blessing of being able to think of Him rather than always thinking of ourselves. This is the interesting turn that the story in Song of Solomon 5:2ff takes when the bride-to-be, warm and snug in bed on this cold rainy night can change her thinking from how much fun it is to snuggle under the covers, and begins to be able to think of her true Lover out there in the rain "knocking" on her door. DDB1 337 5 The famous "Laodicean message" has its setting in that little story, for Jesus concludes His last days' message with a quotation from that story: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock" (Rev. 3:20; taken from the LXX). The original story tells how she finally repents and gets up to let Him in; how long she left Him out there "knocking" it doesn't say; but when she got to her side of the door, she found him "gone." (In our case it's well over a century.) DDB1 337 6 We cannot always serve as the flower girl at the wedding, "the marriage of the Lamb" (cf. Rev. 19:7, 8). God's people in a corporate sense must become the "wife" at the wedding. And that must be the ability to appreciate "the travail" that the Bridegroom has gone through. With no trace of extremism, the remnant will learn to proclaim nothing “except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2). DDB1 337 7 All that the little flower girl at the wedding cares about is the refreshments; the bride has begun to enter into the Bridegroom's thinking and to feel for him (at least, let's hope so; else there cannot be a happy marriage!). Those who have never learned to appreciate "the travail" of the Savior cannot be happy in His personal presence. Which is the practical truth of shutting oneself out of heaven by one's unfitness for its companionship. Let's use our last few moments of time in learning to understand. ------------------------Chapter 338--The Long Overdue Message DDB1 338 1 As another Memorial Day has gone into history, we pray that the Lord may "make wars cease to the end of the earth; [and] break the bow and cut the spear in two, and burn the chariots in the fire" (see Psalm 46:9). Millions sacrificed their lives in World War I to fight "the war to end all wars," and World War II sent many more millions into undeserved death. Those whose lives spanned much of the 20th century lived through the most bloody years the earth has ever known in its 6000 years of history. DDB1 338 2 The very name of Jesus, the Son of God, is the “Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6). The angels announced at His birth that Jesus would bring "on earth peace, [and] good will toward men" (see Luke 2:14). But the Prince of Peace was "despised and rejected by men" (Isa. 53:3), and expelled from the world He came to save. DDB1 338 3 According to the Bible, the only way that the Prince of Peace could bring peace to the earth without being "frustrated" and stymied would be for His people to cooperate with Him in His work. In other words, it's useless for us to pray, "Prince of Peace, please bring peace to this hate-filled, war-torn world," unless we serve as His agents in enabling Him to do so. "As [My] Father has sent Me, I also send you," He declares (John 20:21). He is the Vine, we are the branches that must be intimately bound with Him for His purposes to be worked out in the earth. DDB1 338 4 He spells out the formula in Revelation 7:1-4. There He promises that He will undertake to "hold the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow," provided His people on earth proclaim "the seal of the living God." He commands those terrible four winds that began to break loose in World Wars I and II, then in the Vietnam War, the Iraq and other wars, "Do not harm the earth ... till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads." DDB1 338 5 It's an illusion for God's people to assume that horrible wars contribute to the progress of God's work by bringing conviction to hearts and taking away our "idols." It's not His plan to forcibly remove our "idols"! War terrorizes people so they can't even contemplate the Gospel. No, war has no redeeming evangelistic value. Now let us learn what is His "sealing message" and commit ourselves to proclaim it. It's the long overdue message that is yet to "lighten the earth with glory" (Rev. 18:1-4). Lord, please awaken us! ------------------------Chapter 339--The Divine Author Is Not Trying to Hide Truth From the World DDB1 339 1 The divine Author of the Holy Bible evidently intended that Daniel and Revelation should be read in the context of the other 64 books that make up the written word of God. Thus the symbolism of those two books is not hard for any thoughtful reader to understand (Jesus told the woman of Samaria that "the Father is seeking such to worship Him," John 4:23). DDB1 339 2 "Beasts" = nations or kingdoms; "sea" = large populations; whirlwind storms ("four winds") = war; "horns" on beasts = prominent leaders or kings; and time expressed in "days" = literal years, thus a "month" = 30 literal years, etc., etc. Abundant evidence discloses these and other correlations. DDB1 339 3 It's obvious that our divine Author is not trying to hide truth from the world, but He wants to reveal it, hence the name "Revelation." The book is for everyone to understand. That's why it went through a special process of being "signified"--a literary task committed to a special "angel" whose job was to translate its message into inspired "cartoons" (see Rev. 1:1). DDB1 339 4 Reverent-minded Bible students accordingly concluded centuries ago that the time symbolism in the "sixth trumpet" of Revelation was intended to pinpoint the identity of Islam (9:13-15). They recognized that the "hour and day and month and year" led to August 11, 1840, when the Muslim political power of the Ottoman Empire collapsed. In God's providence this event was widely published, resulting in the conversion of many atheists to biblical Christianity. DDB1 339 5 To see Islam in Bible prophecy was pivotal in the rise and progress of the great second advent movement that shook the world in the 1840s. It laid the foundation for a world movement today that proclaims that the second coming of Jesus is near. The prophecy in God's word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (cf. Psalm 119:105). Be thankful! ------------------------Chapter 340--A Brilliant Insight Into the Private Life of Jesus DDB1 340 1 Do you remember the story about the leaders of the Pharisees sending "officers" to arrest Jesus? They listened to Him and then returned that evening without Him. They asked the officers, "Why have you not brought Him?" The men had to reply, having been awed by His words, "No man ever spoke like this Man!" (John 7:32, 45, 46). DDB1 340 2 How could Jesus have spoken such words, especially since He had not been properly educated in their schools? But Isaiah tells us the secret: In becoming one of us, Jesus took upon Himself our human nature. All He knew He had to learn from His Father, just as we have to learn. Isaiah lets us in on a little secret. DDB1 340 3 Speaking in behalf of Jesus, he records this brilliant insight into the private life of Jesus: "The Lord God [His Father] has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned. ... And I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away" (50:4, 5). DDB1 340 4 Jesus says that He had no wisdom of His own: "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me" (John 7:16). "I have many things to say ... which I heard from Him" (8:26). "I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things" (vs. 28). DDB1 340 5 And when did the Father "teach" Him? In those early morning sessions in prayer and study. And so will the same heavenly Father teach you what to say to someone today whom you will meet who is "weary," someone who needs a morsel of the bread of life, who needs to drink of the water of life. ------------------------Chapter 341--Something Great Must Happen Before Jesus Can Come Again DDB1 341 1 Everyone who believes the Bible teaching of the second coming of Jesus must also believe that something great must happen before He cancome again: "This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come" (Matt. 24:14). It is commonly understood that this means huge expenditures of money in public meetings and TV presentations using state-of-the-art electronics. Wonderful work; deserves our offerings. But could it be that the Bible teaches a more effective method of "evangelism," one that we have "in a great degree" overlooked? DDB1 341 2 It can be summed up in one statement Jesus made near the end of His ministry: "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said [Song of Solomon 4:12-15], out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' ... This He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive" (John 7:37-39). DDB1 341 3 This means that the humblest person who "believes in Jesus" will become "a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon" (Song of Solomon 4:15). Unconsciously, in an unstudied way, he will pour forth the ultimately powerful message. It will be that "the love of Christ constrains us" (2 Cor. 5:14), compels, motivates, empowers, makes effective the agent who cannot help but communicate the message--all with one proviso, that he "believe in Jesus." That's what Jesus said in John 7. DDB1 341 4 It sounds deceptively simple. For two millennia people have "believed in Jesus," haven't they? Yet in spite of all our best efforts, the task gets bigger all the time. There must be something about what it means to "believe in Jesus" that we haven't yet grasped. If that "well of living water" is not flowing out from within our soul as the ultimate evangelism, it's obvious: we haven't yet learned to "believe" in the sense that Jesus meant when He spoke on that "last day ... of the feast." ------------------------Chapter 342--A Method of Evangelism We Have Overlooked DDB1 342 1 Could it be that there is a method of evangelism that we have "in a great degree" overlooked? Truly successful "evangelism" requires two criteria: DDB1 342 2 (1) Propagation of an "evangelistic" message by every method available, including TV and state-of-the-art electronic productions. DDB1 342 3 (2) But the message itself must be correct, faithful to biblical revelation. Paul says that he is "not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16). The "power" is built-in within the message itself; "the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:5, 14) is so dynamic that it is virtually self-propagating if it is freed of the confusion that Babylon's "wine" produces. DDB1 342 4 Jesus' dictum is true: "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). Perhaps we haven't realized how true those words are! The Lord said that if we can break through the clouds of confusion from "Babylon" that envelop His cross, we shall see great success in genuine, lasting soul-winning: "I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all to Myself," He promised (John 12:32). DDB1 342 5 Consistent with this promise is the prophetic account in Revelation 18--the coming time when the earth is to be "lightened with [the] glory" of the closing message. It will specifically be free of any confusion from "Babylon's" "righteousness by faith" (vs. 3). Once the final message becomes clear, every honest-hearted human soul will heed the call to "come out of her [Babylon], My people" (vs. 4). DDB1 342 6 It's the gospel that's "the power of God to salvation." Once the humblest soul grasps what it means, his inmost soul becomes that "well of living water" "springing up into everlasting life," refreshing all who come near him (Song of Solomon 4:15; John 4:14; 7:38). The power won't be in the training of literary institutions (though that can glorify God, too). It's easy to say that it will be the Holy Spirit, but that's a "cop-out" if we forget that He "is the Spirit of truth" (John 14:17), and if we forget that that truth is "the truth of the gospel." That's where "the power" is. DDB1 342 7 What stands in our way? Jesus tells us: our "rich, and increased with goods" evangelism pride (Rev. 3:17, King James Version). ------------------------Chapter 343--Does God Have a Special Section in the Kingdom for People Who Think They Cannot Overcome Sin? DDB1 343 1 Does God have a special section in the Kingdom for a certain class of people who think they cannot overcome sin? Does He have a double standard for His everlasting Kingdom? Can some "saints" plead that their evil temper is so deeply rooted in their genes that they cannot overcome? Or their sexual lust? Or their love of money? Or their habitual lying? On and on. DDB1 343 2 A false gospel which Paul calls "a different gospel ... than what we have preached to you" (Gal. 1:6-8) says "Yes!" You can cling to your besetting sins--you'll have a special section in His Kingdom. To change the metaphor, the idea is you'll be given a white robe of righteousness that only legally "covers" your filthy robes underneath that you keep on wearing. DDB1 343 3 In contrast, the true gospel says you give up every stitch of those filthy robes so that the white robe of Christ's righteousness is not only legally "imputed" to you but is also experientially "imparted" to you; it no longer hides cherished character deformity underneath. DDB1 343 4 We find the idea surfacing all through Scripture: "to him that overcomes ... as I also overcame" (Rev. 3:21); "these ... washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (7:14); "they overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb" (12:11); Christ as High Priest "is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him" (Heb. 7:25); "the God of peace ... make you complete [perfect] in every good work to do His will" (13:20, 21); "Therefore you shall be perfect just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). DDB1 343 5 An impossible standard? If all we have is that counterfeit "different gospel" Paul warns against, the "gospel" of "Babylon [that] is fallen"--yes; but thank God for the Good News of the true "gospel [which] is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16). DDB1 343 6 The problem is our spiritual pride that insists on remaining in that certain class when healing is given us "in Christ." Let's humble our proud hearts and learn to "hunger and thirst for righteousness" [by faith--the only kind there is!] (Matt. 5:6). ------------------------Chapter 344--What Did the Believing Thief "See"? DDB1 344 1 An old poem "glories" in the cross of Christ "towering o'er the wrecks of time." There at His cross all humankind line up under two clearly demarcated categories. We all are defined as "thieves," either (1) the repentant one who begged Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom" (Luke 23:42), or (2) the unrepentant one who refused to believe what his fellow thief had seen--that the One between them was indeed "the Savior of the world." No third person was crucified that day; we are all "there" on His right or left. DDB1 344 2 What did the believing thief "see"? Don't despise his understanding. The greatest scholars in the world can humble themselves to learn from him. You can learn to "see" a lot of theology in just a few moments when you are crucified side by side with the Son of God--if you will believe. Truth flashed into the mind of that thief: this Man in their midst is "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). He is "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42), Paul's "Savior of all men" (1 Tim. 4:10). He is the second or "last Adam" who has reversed all the condemnation that the first Adam brought on the human race. DDB1 344 3 Anyone can learn an enormous lot when at last he faces the real thing known as death. The repentant thief "saw" that when Christ took away the "verdict of condemnation" that Adam brought on us all, He gave us instead forgiveness, His "verdict of acquittal" (Rom. 5:15-18, The Revised English Bible; Eph. 1:3-7). Don't underestimate that saved man's knowledge: Jesus gave him an "A+" that morning. His "curse" was transformed into justification. Any theological seminary would be honored to have that repentant thief as a professor. DDB1 344 4 But if we "see" that Christ has given us all the "gift" of "justification to life," is that a heresy--being "born justified"? It's not heresy. We are all "born condemned" in Adam; so why can't we be "born justified" in Christ if He is "the Savior of the world," "the Savior of all men"? You believe like the one thief, or you dis-believe like the other. ------------------------Chapter 345--How Highly Should We Think of Ourselves? DDB1 345 1 How highly should one think of himself or herself? We have many books and programs developed to build up one's "self-esteem." The Bible devotes considerable space to a man who had it in great abundance--King Nebuchadnezzar. He was a huge success as an empire conqueror and builder. He crowed, "Is not this great Babylon that I have built?" (Dan. 4:30). Enormous ego; everybody flattered him. DDB1 345 2 God did not humiliate him--it's questionable if He ever does that to anybody. All that God did for him was to deflate him like you pull the plug on an air mattress that goes flat (somehow the Lord saved his soul in the process). God let him go down gently to where he was, of himself: he ate grass like a cow for seven years (Daniel 4 tells the story). When it was over the king proclaimed throughout the world, "I ... honor the King of heaven, ... those who walk in pride He is able to abase" (vs. 37). DDB1 345 3 Paul reminds "everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think" (Rom. 12:3). Our constant problem is: how high is that? The answer: apart from the Lord's sustenance, a deflated mattress. (While He hung on His cross, the Son of God thought of Himself as a "worm, and no man," Psalm 22:6-8; can we relate to Him?) DDB1 345 4 Should we despise ourselves? No; Paul adds: "but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one the measure of faith." Hold your head as high as the dear Lord grants you the ability to do so; just remember--all you have (or think you have) is a "gift" from Him. DDB1 345 5 "He that is down needs fear no fall; he that is low, no pride; he that is humble, ever shall have God to be his [or her] guide" (John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress). ------------------------Chapter 346--Will God Be Judged by the Universe, or Will He Arbitrarily Judge Us? DDB1 346 1 Will God be judged by the universe, or is "judgment" one-sided with Him arbitrarily judging us? This is a serious issue because a mistaken idea here can influence a person's spiritual experience and motivate him or her to serve "God" because of fear. If such craven fear becomes the deepest motivation of our hearts, then our "Christianity" degenerates to become little more than paganism. DDB1 346 2 Someone may ask, What difference does it make whether "obedience" is motivated by fear or by love as long as it "obeys the law"? The difference will show up in the final test of the "mark of the beast." All fear-motivation will then program us to accept the mark of the beast rather than the seal of God because the mark of the beast (Rev. 13:13-18; 16:2) will be based entirely on fear, the ultimate root of paganism. We must find a better motivation. And that will require a clearer understanding of the character of God. DDB1 346 3 God does not want anyone to serve Him because of fear, because such fear would be for Him a hollow victory. Billions of people bowing low before Him because they are afraid of Him and His retributive judgment would bring Him no joy. He wants deep sincerity. Therefore Christ as the Son of God must humble Himself, make Himself vulnerable, become open and transparent, surrender Himself to the judgment of His creatures, in short, die upon a cross apparently forsaken by God, suffer the pangs of hell itself, and drain the last drop of fear in order to disarm and condemn it forever. DDB1 346 4 According to Revelation 14:6-15, God must submit Himself to the judgment of the universe, "for the hour of His judgment has come." Only thus can Satan, sin, and fear be finally and totally conquered, "because fear involves torment." The universe at last will see that "God is agape," and "agape casts out fear" (1 John 4:8, 18). DDB1 346 5 You and I can overcome fear only by permitting the Holy Spirit to "pour out in our hearts" this "agape of God" (Rom. 5:5). Each must ask himself, Am I pagan or a Christian? ------------------------Chapter 347--Our Love-Hate Relationship With God's Ten Commandment Law DDB1 347 1 By nature we all have a love-hate relationship with God's Ten Commandment law. "The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). As descendants of the fallen Adam, with his sinful nature, that is our natural condition--"enmity" against the pure, holy law. DDB1 347 2 Don't let anyone fool himself that he or she was born with a sinless nature. We all need to be converted. But there is also a sense in which we fallen humans have a love affair with the law, because God promised in the Garden of Eden that He would implant in every human heart an "enmity" against sin and its author, the "serpent." This is true of every human being, for Christ is the "Light which gives light to every man who comes into the world" (John 1:9). DDB1 347 3 God doesn't keep His purposes to Himself; He is not shy to say what He believes. "This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:3, 4). So, this love-hate relationship is true of everybody and it all adds up: "For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do!" (Rom. 7:15). What an unhappy tension! The reason why God did not leave us in a 100 percent hate relationship is because He loved us. DDB1 347 4 The law of God in the Ten Commandments has often been misunderstood, even misquoted. Most printings, especially in charts, leave out the indispensable preamble: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage" (Ex. 20:2). Before we even come to the first commandment, He gives us Good News. He does not say, "I would like to deliver you out of bondage, if... if." No! He says, "I have [past tense] brought you out of bondage." And there we have the Gospel proclaimed to us before the law is given! DDB1 347 5 Christ has already done what God promised in the Garden of Eden He would do--He has trampled the serpent on the head. "What the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit" (Rom. 8:3, 4). DDB1 347 6 All this Good News is included in the preamble to the Ten Commandments, which is why a wise writer said long ago that they are ten promises, if we correctly understand them. ------------------------Chapter 348--There Must Be Another "Noah" DDB1 348 1 Dear Friends of “Dial Daily Bread,” The gospel is "everlasting" (Rev. 14:6), therefore had to be preached in Old Testament times as in the New (Gal. 3:8). For example, Noah was a "preacher of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:5). But the people's unbelief had become as perverse as that of many today, for they turned their beautiful world into a hell of wickedness and violence (Gen. 6:11), bringing upon themselves the Flood. DDB1 348 2 The Lord Jesus tells us how that history pictures the world of today (Matt. 24:38-42). There must be another "Noah," a church that is "a preacher of righteousness"--by faith, the only kind there can be. DDB1 348 3 From Eden, Christ conquered Satan, not merely wounded him. He "bruised [the] head" whereas the serpent "bruised [His] heel" (Gen. 3:15). In "the likeness of sinful flesh" which we all inherit from our fallen Adam, Christ "condemned sin," trampled upon it as you would the head of a poisonous snake (Rom. 8:3). To all who believed on Christ in Old Testament times, He granted to "overcome" as He grants us today to "overcome even as [He] overcame" (Rev. 3:21). DDB1 348 4 In Abraham's "seed" (Christ), "all families of the earth" are in fact "blessed," not merely provisionally, or possibly, or perhaps, but in reality (Gen. 12:2, 3). DDB1 348 5 Again the blessing is for "all the families of the earth" in the dream the Lord gave to sinful, "supplanter-Jacob" at Bethel (Gen. 28:12-14). The gift of salvation is assured to unworthy sinners; but they must receive it. But if they don't receive it, the gift nonetheless was truly given! DDB1 348 6 The universal nature of this "gift" is taught in the daily burnt offering in the Levitical service (Ex. 29:38-42). It "covered" the sinner who had not yet learned to repent; it included "the stranger" within the gates. Its ultimate significance included "all men" who need a judicial acquittal in order not to die (cf. Rom. 5:15-18, The Revised English Bible). But again, the "cover" must not be presumed; but for Christ there remains the legal condemnation "in Adam." "Behold the goodness and severity of God" (Rom. 11:22). ------------------------Chapter 349--How Do You Know If You've Received the Holy Spirit? DDB1 349 1 Let me ask a pointed question: "Have you received the Holy Spirit?" The question is sensible, for Romans 8:9 bluntly says that if the answer is "No," you are still in the state in verse 7 of "enmity against God." Even if you are an "elder," a "pastor," or a high-placed church leader. DDB1 349 2 How can one know if he or she has received the Holy Spirit? In the words of Jesus, the evidence is not an emotional flight of feeling, shouting, rolling on the floor, or talking "unknown" gibberish, or the nice-sounding compliments of fellow church members or clergy. DDB1 349 3 Have you ever sat in a position for a time that your leg has "gone to sleep," the nerves become numb so you couldn't feel anything in it? When sensation returned, you felt a prickling almost like needles sticking you. Welcome news! You knew the leg was "alive." DDB1 349 4 According to Jesus, the first and clearest evidence that one has received the Holy Spirit is a painful conviction of spiritual need: "If I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict ... of sin" (John 16:7, 8). DDB1 349 5 The presence of the Holy Spirit in the life makes you very aware of the difference between your character and that of Christ. Such awareness is impossible apart from receiving the Holy Spirit--for the natural everyday heart-attitude (which psychology and the world encourage) is to be self-satisfied with oneself, "I am [spiritually] rich and ... have need of nothing." DDB1 349 6 But the presence of the Holy Spirit brings a deep conviction of need: "You are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked" (Rev. 3:17). Bad News? No way! Painful truth is always Good News, for it means there is still hope for you. The final sin against the Holy Spirit is a spiritual lobotomy, a severing of the soul's vagus nerve, leaving you pathetically (eternally) unaware of your true condition in the sight of Heaven. ------------------------Chapter 350--Jesus Is Our Elder Brother ... Forever! DDB1 350 1 Your eternal happiness is what the Lord Jesus Christ is concerned about--not just barely squeaking you through the gates so you can live in some New Jerusalem slum. Anybody who gets in He wants to have a gloriously triumphant entrance that Paul likens to a Roman emperor returning after a great victory, loaded with spoils and all his enemies in chains (2 Cor. 2:14). A vast multitude will watch you enter and they will cheer wildly for you. That moment in your experience will thrill your soul, and a knowing smile from Jesus will tell you how deeply He understands all about your part in the victory. DDB1 350 2 But you could never be happy then unless you had experienced and endured tribulation and maybe even persecution for His sake (see Acts 14:22; John 16:33). Marines who fight together in harrowing battles become friends for life. DDB1 350 3 Do not think of Jesus as detached in some plush heavenly office enjoying luxury while you are battling alone here below. He does not say, "I did My part 2000 years ago, and won My part of the battle--now it's your turn to fight!" No, you are "yoked" with Him and He is actually struggling with you--He is still fighting to win the great controversy. And more than you can imagine, He actually needs you yoked with Him! DDB1 350 4 There is one aspect of the conflict where your contribution will be vital--maybe (can we say?) you have a fraction of the "144,000th" part of the whole great controversy for which you are responsible. It cannot end until every tiny fraction fits in. DDB1 350 5 He specifically denies calling you "slaves" and calls you "friends" instead (John 15:15). The definition of "friend" is someone close to you who needs you, not just on nodding terms. It's hard to imagine it, but Jesus will actually tell you a sincere, big-hearted "Thank you!" when it's all over and the smoke clears away. He is our Elder Brother ... forever! ------------------------Chapter 351--The Duties and Privileges of Being a Father DDB1 351 1 As Father's Day approaches, we think of the duties and the privileges of being a father. In order to realize the blessings of fatherhood, we need a Savior who reveals to us the character of our heavenly Father. To "see" Him is to be transformed into His likeness. DDB1 351 2 To be such a father means to learn to love as the heavenly Father loves. The very essence of being such a father is to love one's children as Christ reveals how the heavenly Father loves us. We read that He "gave Himself for our sins" (Gal 1:4). Such love means self-denial built-in to the character; father always senses the motivation to deny himself for the good of his family. It's never what-can-I-get-for-myself but always what-can-I-do-, or give, for them. The SUVs and boats and electronic toys take second place, as well as the time to be spent playing with them; the physical and spiritual needs of the family take precedence. DDB1 351 3 The "Elijah" message, which is due in the world today, is the means through which this spiritual vision is communicated to men who are by nature born self-centered (as are we all; see Mal. 4:5, 6). DDB1 351 4 The East African Hornbill is a male bird which shuts his mate up in a hole in a tree, and patiently, faithfully ministers to her and the young until they can fly on their own. Day after day he is out seeking insects and other food, which he dutifully carries to her in her imprisonment. It's a beautiful little glimpse of "marital" fidelity which apparently is communicated through natural means. DDB1 351 5 But for us, paternal fidelity is communicated through the Savior's ministry for our self-centered human hearts. He changes men who are naturally worldly, self-centered, into unselfish, faithful husbands and fathers. In this way we "may be the children of [our] Father which is in heaven," exhibiting the divine-family trait of a love which is agape. DDB1 351 6 This explains that mystery of being "perfect." Jesus says, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:44-48, King James Version). You don't "do" this great change; you let Him do it, responding to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. ------------------------Chapter 352--We Still Haven't Caught Up With the Samaritans DDB1 352 1 The word "gospel" means "good news." Paul says he is not ashamed of it, for it is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes (Rom. 1:16). We don't want to confuse it with petty arguing! DDB1 352 2 The Samaritans of the village of Sychar had it straight even before the twelve disciples understood it clearly, for they grasped the truth that Jesus is "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42), not just of those who believe. The disciples didn't fully grasp that truth until after the resurrection of Jesus, not until Pentecost. But it's still a truth that's beyond the understanding of many, and therefore their ability to win souls to Christ is curtailed. The return of Jesus is delayed because we still haven't caught up with the Samaritans. DDB1 352 3 Paul understood, for he said that Christ is "the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe" (1 Tim. 4:10). Thus the idea that there are two aspects of salvation: one applies to "all men," and the other applies only to those "who believe." After Adam lost out as the head of the human race, Christ took over as the "last" or second Adam (1 Cor. 15:45), and He died for the world, not just for "the elect." He "tasted death for every one," not just for those who are baptized (cf. Heb. 2:9). DDB1 352 4 The Father has planned for "all men"to be saved eternally (1 Tim. 2:3, 4). He has not "predestined" anyone to be lost, but all to be saved (Eph. 1:3-5). Therefore it was before "the foundation of the world" that He has chosen"all men" to be "in Christ" just as surely as He gave "the birthright" to Esau. That gift was in no sense dependent on any good works that Esau might do; it was his by "right."But he "despised" and "sold" it (Gen. 25:32-34). Now, don't despise and sell what has been given you as your birthright "in Christ." ------------------------Chapter 353--Why the Lord Permits Desperate Experiences DDB1 353 1 There are times when everything has seemed to go wrong, and deep, dark disappointment overwhelms us. The temptation is fierce--for us to think that the Lord has forsaken us. But He has promised solemnly, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Heb. 13:5). DDB1 353 2 The Father withdrew His beams of light from His only Son while He hung on His cross. Jesus screamed in agony, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46). The Father never truly forsook His only Son, but He was forced to permit Jesus to feel totally forsaken, so that we should never have to feel that way! DDB1 353 3 To feel totally forsaken by the Lord is a terrible experience; and for one to believe it would be a sin, for He has promised never to "leave us nor forsake us." Yes, to disbelieve what the Lord has promised would be a sin, which we would want to repent of immediately. DDB1 353 4 To be tempted is not itself sin; thus, it is not a sin to feel forsaken by the Lord. The sin comes when we believe Satan's lie to disbelieve what God has promised. What Satan wants is to break our hold on the Lord and thus to separate our souls from Him. Satan wants to drag us out into the cold dark emptiness of hell--which is eternal forsakenness by the Lord. DDB1 353 5 Jesus has saved us from that--forever. Now make your heart choice to believe that truth; pray with the distraught father in Mark 9, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (vs. 24). You can never perish while you cling to that desperate prayer. DDB1 353 6 Why does the Lord permit you to go through this desperate experience? So you can from now on work side by side with Him to help other people who are so tempted. There are many! And He needs you to work with Him! The only "voice" He has is your voice; the only "hands" He has are yours. ------------------------Chapter 354--Why Is the Right "Gate" So "Narrow"? DDB1 354 1 What Jesus in Matthew 7:13, 14 said about choosing to go in the wide gate that leads to eternal death, or the narrow gate that leads to eternal life, is that the majority of earth's inhabitants take the wide gate and only "few ... find" the narrow gate. DDB1 354 2 Why is the right "gate" so "narrow"? Is God trying to shoo people out of the path that leads to eternal life by making it as difficult as possible? Many youth think so; and often the "few" who think they have "found" the right path congratulate themselves for their good judgment and self-discipline. The way they talk and act about the "narrow way" actually turns thoughtful people away from it. DDB1 354 3 Does the Lord stand by indifferently and let uninformed people wander into the wrong path? Why do nearly a billion people get shooed into Hinduism? And nearly the same number, to Islam? And why is nearly the whole world becoming "as it was" before the flood of Noah? Does God care? Is He doing anything effectiveto help? What will the final judgment say? DDB1 354 4 Proverbs 8:1-10 graphically represents God (that is, the Holy Spirit) making massive "media" appeals to humanity, crying out, shouting on top of the highest buildings of the cities, in the freeways and streets, attracting attention at all the traffic lights, pleading, "My voice is to the sons of men." The Peterson version (The Message) or paraphrase is vivid: "Lady Wisdom's ... taken her stand at First and Main, at the busiest intersection. Right in the city square where the traffic is thickest, she shouts, 'You--I'm talking to all of you, everyone out there on the streets! Listen, you idiots,--learn good sense! You blockheads--shape up!'" DDB1 354 5 Personally, I'm not wise enough to know exactly how the Holy Spirit is "shouting" like this, but for sure, in the final judgment it will be very clear that God did everything He possibly could to keep you from drifting into the wide gate that leads to eternal death. Why? Because He truly loves you! ------------------------Chapter 355--A Passage in Job That Probes the Depths of Human Anguish DDB1 355 1 There's a passage in Job that is pathetic, but it probes the inmost depths of human anguish. DDB1 355 2 Job doesn't know the prologue that we know in chapters one and two; all he knows is that God has turned against him suddenly and has apparently become his enemy. All the good things that God gave him He has now taken away (poor people who have never known a moment of prosperity can endure their destitution more easily than rich people who lose it all). Job appears to be a lost man in hell. DDB1 355 3 Then his three "friends" come and in utmost sincerity try to help him but succeed only in multiplying his pain exponentially. Here's the passage he tells his "friends": "In trouble like this I need loyal friends--whether I've forsaken God or not" (6:14, Good News Bible). In other words, Job says, even if I'm in hell itself with no hope ever, I need someone to have compassion on me! DDB1 355 4 Suppose you knew that someone was in hell, had committed the unpardonable sin and was indeed lost (which you don't know, and you never will know, of any person and you dare not judge!), but suppose everybody agreed that this person was lost (a multiple murderer for example, an unrepentant child abuser, etc. etc.). Could you say something to comfort and encourage him? Could you manifest some compassion? DDB1 355 5 Once upon a time there was such a person who had publicly let it be known that He was indeed in hell, utterly forsaken by God. The religious leaders of the one true church on earth condemned him. Yes, the scribes and Pharisees were the leaders of what was still the true church--it remained the true church until the 490 years (the 70 weeks) of Daniel 9 had run their course. DDB1 355 6 But all those people could do was to continue to curse Jesus and torment Him unmercifully. I'm sorry to say that even the Eleven were mystified so much that not one of them brought Him a drink of water. DDB1 355 7 Oh Father in heaven! Save us from being Job's three friends; save us from misjudging someone who is so Christlike that he or she is suffering like Jesus did apparently under the curse of heaven. ------------------------Chapter 356--Make a Choice to Believe, and You're in for an Exciting Life DDB1 356 1 It sounds like your heavenly Father is signing a blank check made out to you, and the very extravagance of the promise scares many people away: "Delight thyself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4). Make a choice to believe, and you're in for an exciting life. Fill in the blank for any amount you "desire"--if it's nothing, that's what you'll get. If it's something big, that's what He promises you. DDB1 356 2 The first step is to realize that "desires" must be translated into the real meaning of the Hebrew word (mishalah): it means "petitions" or prayers. The Lord is not dealing with timid wishes that never become articulated in actual prayer. DDB1 356 3 To "delight yourself also in the Lord" of course means that--not in Wall Street, or Macys. DDB1 356 4 Next, be aware that if you choose to believe Him, you thereby catapult yourself into the middle of the "great controversy between Christ and Satan." That weeds out many who don't want to be "involved." So, "let the dead bury the dead." Don't quarrel in the judgment day; if you have asked for nothingness you'll get it. DDB1 356 5 Abraham (as a teen probably) had the "desire" to be somebody great and important in the plan of God for the world. Result: the Enemy of Christ became his enemy too, and did everything possible to frustrate his faith right up to his 99th year. He couldn't know how to laugh until he was 100. Then he named Sarah's son "laughter" (Isaac). DDB1 356 6 Joseph as a boy dreamed "desires" of saving his world and his family, and at 17 prayed his "desires" into dedication. Ponder his involvement in "the great controversy." DDB1 356 7 When David was a mere boy, Samuel encouraged him to "desire" to be somebody important in Israel. Dreams suddenly became deeds when he killed Goliath. DDB1 356 8 From the age of 12 Jesus dreamed of becoming "the Lamb of God," the Savior of the world. Everybody else's battle of faith culminates in His. He dreams with you. DDB1 356 9 Don't be content to dream your dreams vainly, and let them wilt and die on the vine. Make them into prayers. Then take your place in the controversy. Fight your own battle of faith. ------------------------Chapter 357--News Too Good for Unbelieving Hearts DDB1 357 1 Paul was an inspired apostle and prophet; all theologians and teachers and pastors step aside and keep still while he tells us what the Good News is. He wrote before the gospel message was infiltrated with Babylonian confusion. His message is pure "water of life" flowing from the throne of God. DDB1 357 2 His great letter to the Ephesians tells us what "God hasdone for us," and as we read the letter and believe, the genuine "grace ... and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" penetrates our troubled, fearful hearts (1:2). Those who receive the "epistle" as it reads, and put it above any commentaries, are the ones who are enriched with the blessing. What has"the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" done for us? DDB1 357 3 "Blessed us with every spiritual blessing ... in Christ" (vs. 3). It has already been done! DDB1 357 4 Chosen us in Christ to be "holy and without blame" (vs. 4). Already, long ago! DDB1 357 5 Has "predestined us" to be eternally saved (vs. 5). No one has been predestined to be lost. DDB1 357 6 Has already "adopted" us "by [or in] Christ" (vs. 5). We've become "family," not just luncheon guests. We are given the run of His house. DDB1 357 7 Ephesians turns out to be the perfect New Testament mirror reflection of the seven great promises God made to Abraham (and his children--us; Gen. 12:2, 3)! They are the New Covenant. It's Good News many are afraid to trust--news too good for unbelieving hearts. ------------------------Chapter 358--The Elijah Message--Preparing a People for the Second Coming of Christ DDB1 358 1 Many People Are Becoming Interested in "Elijah" being sent to us. They are realizing that "he" will come as a message, just as "Elijah" came to Israel in the message of John the Baptist (Mal. 4:5, 6; Luke 1:13-17). They see that as John the Baptist prepared God's people of his day for the first coming of Christ, so "Elijah" in these last days will prepare a people for the second coming of Christ (Rev. 14:6-15). DDB1 358 2 John's message was a clarion call for repentance (Matt. 3:1-8). In these last days, "Elijah's" message is a call to the leadership of Christ's last days' church to "be zealous therefore, and repent" (Rev. 3:14, 19; the "angel" of the church of the Laodiceans has to be its leadership). In ancient Israel, Elijah zeroed in on the top, the leader of the nation, King Ahab. DDB1 358 3 Just as Elijah was "zealous" and called on the king and Israel to "repent" of their Baal worship and return to the true Lord (just as Jesus calls on Laodicea), so the Elijah message today will call on God's people to "examine [themselves] as to whether [they] are in the faith. Prove [themselves]" (2 Cor. 13:5). DDB1 358 4 That must mean a close re-examination--do we understand what God's holy Word says about justification by faith? Or have we repeated ancient Israel's century-long slide down the slippery slope into Baal worship--that is, counterfeit ideas of popular Christianity that Revelation says are "Babylon"? "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith," says Paul in the Greek; don't be confused and bewildered by Babylon's false version. DDB1 358 5 That genuine "the faith" will be Elijah's message. He "slays" the uncooperative, unrepentant modern "priests of Baal" (which is the same as the "perishing" of those who disbelieve in John 3:16; the "should not perish" means that those who disbelieve commit their own spiritual suicide). DDB1 358 6 Elijah proclaims the reconciling, "at-one-ment" message that heals the wounded hearts of those who appreciate Christ's cross. ------------------------Chapter 359--The Greatest Love-and-Reconciliation-Building Ministry on Earth DDB1 359 1 Queen Jezebel outright hated the prophet Elijah, but King Ahab probably feared him more than hated him. She was a non-Israelite; her hatred was that of the wicked world against Christ. Ahab was capable of feeling guilty for his fear. The mass of the people were bewildered; not one (with the possible exception of Obadiah who hid some of the Lord's servants in a cave) had the courage to stand with the holy prophet of the Lord. Everybody except Elijah trembled on Mount Carmel. The air was charged with tension. DDB1 359 2 Well might we all tremble today as we inexorably approach our rendezvous at our last-days "Mount Carmel." It will be a preview of the last day of Judgment, when the apostle John says we shall all be judged by the one indispensable question: "Have you learned how to love (with agape)?" (Yes, read 1 John 4:8: "He who does not love [with agape] does not know God.") The newly-sent "Elijah's" mission will be teaching God's people how to love: "He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers" (Mal. 4:5, 6). That's his primary task, not administering lethal judgment. DDB1 359 3 Elijah's mission will be the greatest love-and-reconciliation-building ministry ever performed on earth since Pentecost. Satan can perform physical miracles (he is a very qualified orthopedic or cardiac surgeon), but reconciling alienated human hearts is a greater miracle. A five by-pass in the operating theater may not bring husband and wife together again. Only "Elijah" can do that; but that's what he has come to accomplish, and if we condemn him like Jezebel and Ahab did and stubbornly disregard the fire that falls at "Elijah's" prayer, then mustcome the "Brook Kidron" (1 Kings 18:40). DDB1 359 4 Elijah was very patient for 3-1/2 years; then came Carmel and the end of patience forever. God is infinite, but His patience is not. Let the one who trembles find comfort in Psalm 130. What makes one really "fear" is the awareness of His forgiveness! ------------------------Chapter 360--Cherishing "The Blessed Hope" DDB1 360 1 It's nice to remember that if and when we die, we can come up in the first resurrection. But is that the "blessed hope" Paul talks about in this passage? DDB1 360 2 "The grace of God that brings salvation to all men [margin] has appeared, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:11-14). DDB1 360 3 Hardly! The "blessed hope" is that of being "alive and remain" on the earth (1 Thess. 4:15, 17) to welcome the Son of God at His second coming. Some say it doesn't matter; we can come up in a special resurrection prior to His coming and thus "remain," but this implies there is no real significance to "the signs of the times" we have witnessed for the past century and a half. DDB1 360 4 Multitudes of believers have died in the past 2000 years; but Daniel's "time of the end" defines when these who cherish "the blessed hope" will be living, and that time is now. It's Paul's "last days" he speaks of (2 Tim. 3:1). And it's the same time Jesus speaks of: "There will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, ... men's hearts failing them for fear, and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth. ... Know that the kingdom of God is near" (Luke 21:25-31). Matthew adds, "even at the doors" (24:33). DDB1 360 5 "The Son of man is coming in an hour when you do not expect Him" (vs. 44). The suddenness of His coming will surprise everyone. DDB1 360 6 Cherishing "the blessed hope" of seeing Him come in your lifetime is not a quirky little idiosyncrasy for unbalanced elders; it's Christian duty for us all because it's "present truth" faith (2 Peter 1:12). ------------------------Chapter 361--"Faith and Love"--Do We Really Know What They Mean? DDB1 361 1 We have been talking about "faith and love" for many decades, but do we really know what they mean? Is our Lord trying to tell us that we don't really understand what love is, and therefore cannot have true faith? Is the "angel" of the Church destitute of "such love as dwelt in the heart of Christ"? DDB1 361 2 Yes, he is, according to the True Witness. This is very shocking to contemplate. But let us look more deeply into the matter. There are two great contradictory ideas of "love." One has come from Hellenism and is the kind of "love" on which popular Christianity is based. The other is completely different and is the kind of love that can have its source only in the ministry of the true High Priest in His cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary. DDB1 361 3 Our Lord's charge becomes baffling and incomprehensible to us when we are ignorant of what that love really is. Some will say, "I know I love my family and friends. What else is there?" Self-satisfied hearts will feel no need to be "awakened." But many do feel a great need and will immediately recognize the "gold" when they see it. DDB1 361 4 In its full context, as a wise writer said, the "gold" is "faith that works by love." Therefore, in order to understand what the Tue Witness means by saying "buy of Me gold tried in the fire," we must first of all examine what "love" is. Only then will we be able to understand what "faith" is. DDB1 361 5 Christ Himself makes clear what New Testament faith is, and His view is different from that of the popular concept. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him ..." (John 3:16). Note: (1) God's love is the first thing, and until that love is revealed, there can be no "believing." (2) As the result of His "loving" and "giving," the sinner finds it possible to "believe." ("To believe" and "to have faith" is one word in Greek.) Thus, faith is a heart-experience ("heart-work"), and it cannot exist until God's love is understood and appreciated. DDB1 361 6 Note this fundamental point: the "believing" is not motivated by a fear of perishing or an acquisitive reward of everlasting life. The primary causative clause of Jesus' statement is "for God so loved." The two secondary clauses are "that He gave His only begotten Son" and "that whosoever believeth." The believing is a direct result of the loving. And Christ Himself spoke the words of John 3:16. DDB1 361 7 Thus there begins to emerge a clear definition of New Testament "faith":Faith is a heart-response to, or a heart-appreciation of, the love of God revealed at the cross. Re-read Romans and Galatians with this John 3:16 definition in mind and you will find Paul reproduced with startling realism. He will come alive for you. ------------------------Chapter 362--You Have the Evidence That God Has Adopted You as His Child DDB1 362 1 In a special sense Ephesians and Romans teach that Christ the Son of God became the world's second Adam and reversed the judicial condemnation that the fallen Adam brought upon us all. DDB1 362 2 Christ has given to "all men" a judicial verdict of acquittal, and in Himself adopted us. He is "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42), "the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe" (1 Tim. 4:10). "The free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life" (Rom. 5:18; of course, we are free to refuse the "gift" if we choose to). DDB1 362 3 Says Ephesians: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has ... predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:3-6). DDB1 362 4 But how can one know this personally? If you had some tangible, intimate evidence you could see, wouldn't that make you happy? DDB1 362 5 Romans says yes, you have it: if your heart cries out "Father," that is the evidence that you have been personally "adopted." No human could cry "Father!" unless in a real sense he has been "born again," or at least has begun to be born again: "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear [as is natural for all humans], but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father'" (8:14-16; remember, a baby is a live son!). DDB1 362 6 Think it through: walk softly before the Lord, look to Him for guidance, cry out in your distresses, "Father!" and confess that like a child crossing busy traffic hangs on to father's hand, so do you to Him--you have the evidence that God has adopted you as His child. Now demonstrate your adoption by how you live! DDB1 362 7 Hold your head high! ------------------------Chapter 363--As We Celebrate Independence Day ... DDB1 363 1 Americans are celebrating 243 years of independence as a nation. It's a miracle how this nation has grown from thirteen feeble colonies to its present status. Its rise to world preeminence is clearly set forth in Revelation 13. God has blessed this nation in that it has provided the liberty and resources to be the evangelist nation in sending forth missionaries to all parts of the earth with the third angel's message of the everlasting gospel. DDB1 363 2 As a nation we continue to enjoy God's favor, in spite of our many vices and evils, because this nation continues to give assurance of religious liberty. We enjoy God's blessing, not for our goodness (we have none!) but for those lamblike principles enshrined in the American Constitution, principles of religious and civil liberty, principles borrowed from the Bible itself. DDB1 363 3 Are those principles of religious liberty threatened today? Yes, they are. Will they be repudiated? The prophecy of Revelation 13 says yes. Then will "national ruin follow national apostasy"? Yes. But should fear and self-concern dominate our Christian experience today? No. DDB1 363 4 What should dominate our thinking today? Gratitude that we still have the privilege of giving to world missions, that we can still proclaim the gospel, and can still labor to help others understand it. What should we pray for--liberty, so we can keep taking vacations, eating gourmet food, and enjoying entertainment? DDB1 363 5 No; we should pray that the dear Lord may help us use our last opportunities for proclaiming the gospel, and for understanding what the gospel is, so when "the night cometh" we may have the satisfaction of knowing we have worked "while it is day." See John 9:4--very serious words! ------------------------Chapter 364--The Preamble to the Ten Commandments--Choose to Believe It DDB1 364 1 People are often afraid to think about the "two covenants" (the Old and the New), fearing that it's a theological puzzle beyond their understanding. DDB1 364 2 In truth, it's the simplest concept in the Bible to grasp: the New Covenant is the promises of God to Abraham and to his descendants by faith (if you believe John 3:16), that He will bless you abundantly now and forever. That's the New Covenant (you can read the seven promises in Genesis 12:2, 3). In contrast, the Old Covenant is the promise of the people at Mount Sinai to "do" everything that that they think God requires (Ex. 19:8). DDB1 364 3 Under the Old Covenant we see the Ten Commandments as ten stern demands. But under the New Covenant we see them as ten glorious promises that the Lord will save us from the sin mentioned. DDB1 364 4 For example, the seventh: under the Old Covenant it's a stern demand that we never covet our neighbor's spouse, but under the New Covenant it's a promise that the Lord will hold us by the hand forever and save us from falling into the hole that Proverbs 22:14 says is a "deep pit." The wonderful promise applies to us in our teenage years, also. (That's when it's especially precious.) DDB1 364 5 But is there no condition regarding what wemust do? DDB1 364 6 Yes: we must believe the Preamble to the Ten Commandments. We must believe that by virtue of His sacrifice of Himself on His cross, the Lord Jesus has delivered us "out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." By becoming our new Head of the human race, our new Adam, Christ has adopted the human race in Himself (Eph. 1:3-7); He has become the "Savior of the world" (John 4:42--that is, in a legal or judicial sense), but "especially" so of "those who believe" (1 Tim. 4:10). His love (agape) then constrains us to live joyfully unto Him. Self-sacrifice for Him is a joy. DDB1 364 7 That's the truth of the Preamble to the Ten Commandments. You must choose to believe it. Let Him "help [your] unbelief." He will! (Mark 9:24). ------------------------Chapter 365--Can the Dream Be Recovered? DDB1 365 1 With the end of the papal Dark Ages in 1798, the world entered into a new and hopefully glorious era. Little Mary Jones walked her weary trek to London to buy her fabulous prize of a Holy Bible; and lo, the British and Foreign Bible Society was formed, soon followed by the American. DDB1 365 2 Inventions began pouring out of fertile minds. The horror of slavery began to be abolished; the little nation of ex-British colonies began to prosper in the New World; Christian people awakened as from a long sleep--the second coming of Christ was near. The world had embarked on what the Bible describes as "the time of the end." A preparation for the return of Jesus Christ became to intelligent people a reasonable "blessed hope." Through unmistakably divine leading, the message began to go worldwide. DDB1 365 3 Hearts responded and capable people did things. Clearly blessed by the Holy Spirit, a message joining together the gospel of Jesus with the ideals of healthful living worked wonders in tired, sickly people; the world's finest health institution (for then) was established in Battle Creek, Michigan, where even European royalty crossed the Atlantic to come. There the "West's" finest Christian publishing house was established. What the apostles after Pentecost longed for seemed to be on the verge. A solemn but joyous sense that the world had entered into the cosmic Day of Atonement gripped hearts worldwide. The "blessed hope" of the imminent return of Christ made life here below a taste of heaven. DDB1 365 4 Then it was discovered that Christ's message to the seventh church of history had become applicable: the church was "Laodicea," the one whose worldly lukewarmness made the Lord so nauseous that He felt like throwing up (Rev. 3:14-21). Now a battle rages in people's minds and hearts: is that last organization into a "body of Christ" doomed to eventual failure? Or is a corporate repentance possible (and sure)? Can the dream be recovered? ------------------------Dial Daily Bread, Vol. 2 DDB2 1 1 Chapter 1--A Serious Question--Is Your Heart "Loyal to Him"? DDB2 2 1 Chapter 2--New "Elijahs" Facing Old King Ahabs DDB2 3 1 Chapter 3--Does God "Harden" Some People's Hearts? DDB2 4 1 Chapter 4--Are You Longing for Some Solid Truth You Can Trust? DDB2 5 1 Chapter 5--The Gift of the Sabbath DDB2 6 1 Chapter 6--A Phrase Coined by the Apostle Peter that Catches Our Interest DDB2 7 1 Chapter 7--A People Will Be Ready! DDB2 8 1 Chapter 8--The Next Event on the World's Agenda DDB2 9 1 Chapter 9--What It Means to Be "Reconciled to God" DDB2 10 1 Chapter 10--A "Gift" Given to "All Men" DDB2 11 1 Chapter 11--Does the Book of Revelation Reveal What's going on in the World Today? DDB2 12 1 Chapter 12--A Fish That Made a "Big Splash" in the News DDB2 13 1 Chapter 13--Is Jesus Christ Embarrassed by the Apparent Success of Evolution? DDB2 14 1 Chapter 14--The World Has to Decide--Who Is the True Christ? DDB2 15 1 Chapter 15--Did You Know That The Holy Spirit Closes Doors? DDB2 16 1 Chapter 16--What It Means to be "Betrayed" DDB2 17 1 Chapter 17--Jesus' Solemn Command: "Read, Understand!" the Prophecies of Daniel DDB2 18 1 Chapter 18--What's the Difference Between "Corporate Confession" and "Corporate Repentance"? DDB2 19 1 Chapter 19--"Faith Which Works" DDB2 20 1 Chapter 20--Christ's Last Work as High Priest DDB2 21 1 Chapter 21--Mary, the Mother of Jesus, Believed the Word of the Lord DDB2 22 1 Chapter 22--The Sabbath--A Day Free From Fear DDB2 23 1 Chapter 23--Agape--the Dominant Element of the Final Message DDB2 24 1 Chapter 24--The Only "News" the Lord Has for Anyone Is Good News DDB2 25 1 Chapter 25--The Last Great Trials of Faith DDB2 26 1 Chapter 26--In His Sermon on the Mount, No One Knew What Jesus Meant DDB2 27 1 Chapter 27--Why Did Jesus Come Down to This Earth? DDB2 28 1 Chapter 28--The Baptism of Repentance DDB2 29 1 Chapter 29--Was Jesus Tempted to Regard Himself as a Total Failure? DDB2 30 1 Chapter 30--Is Fear a Valid Reason for Us to Give Our Heart to Jesus? DDB2 31 1 Chapter 31--The "Elijah" Message and a Clever Counterfeit DDB2 32 1 Chapter 32--A Valuable Promise--"Happy Are Those Who Are Concerned for the Poor" DDB2 33 1 Chapter 33--Is God Really Pleased With You Personally? DDB2 34 1 Chapter 34--New Covenant Truth is Explosive "Gospel" DDB2 35 1 Chapter 35--Christ’s Sacrifice Is a Shared Substitution--What Does It Mean? DDB2 36 1 Chapter 36--A Youth Who Could Have Had First Chance at Becoming an Apostle Paul DDB2 37 1 Chapter 37--Wrestling With Fear DDB2 38 1 Chapter 38--A Neglected Book of the Bible That Opens a Door Into Heaven DDB2 39 1 Chapter 39--Is It Possible That Terrible Disasters Can Turn the Heart of a Nation to God? DDB2 40 1 Chapter 40--A Compelling Power That Will Move the Honest in Heart DDB2 41 1 Chapter 41--David's "Psalm of Psalms" DDB2 42 1 Chapter 42--Evidence of God's Special Love For You DDB2 43 1 Chapter 43--Jesus Knows What It’s Like to be Human and Heavily Laden DDB2 44 1 Chapter 44--The "Elijah" Message--What Will It Do? DDB2 45 1 Chapter 45--Who Are the "Blessed" Ones in the Bible? DDB2 46 1 Chapter 46--The Good Shepherd and Practical Day-by-Day Living DDB2 47 1 Chapter 47--"It Is Written" Was Jesus' Experience DDB2 48 1 Chapter 48--Is a Fool More Difficult for God to Save Than an Ordinary Sinner? DDB2 49 1 Chapter 49--What Is Faith? DDB2 50 1 Chapter 50--Jesus Has Pledged Himself to Endure With His Faithful Disciples Today DDB2 51 1 Chapter 51--How Jesus Won Souls DDB2 52 1 Chapter 52--The Only Group of People in the Bible to be "Without Fault" DDB2 53 1 Chapter 53--How Do You Think God Relates to You? DDB2 54 1 Chapter 54--How Lowly Should We Think of Ourselves? DDB2 55 1 Chapter 55--In the Devil's Present-day "Plagues," There Is Mixed the "Mercy" of God DDB2 56 1 Chapter 56--Jesus' Good News Promise, "I Will Come Again" DDB2 57 1 Chapter 57--Learning to Talk With God DDB2 58 1 Chapter 58--Talking With God Face to Face as Moses Did DDB2 59 1 Chapter 59--Yom Kippur and the Cosmic Day of Atonement DDB2 60 1 Chapter 60--"The Lord Upholds All Who Fall ..." DDB2 61 1 Chapter 61--One of the Most Neglected Passages in the Bible DDB2 62 1 Chapter 62--A Strange Group of People DDB2 63 1 Chapter 63--Ezra and Nehemiah--Often Neglected, but Have an Honored Place in the Bible DDB2 64 1 Chapter 64--You Are Never Crucified Alone--Always it's "With Christ" DDB2 65 1 Chapter 65--God Did the Unthinkable! DDB2 66 1 Chapter 66--How Can a Person Be Truly Converted When He Is “Old”? DDB2 67 1 Chapter 67--It About Takes Your Breath Away! DDB2 68 1 Chapter 68--Can Anything Good Be Said for Halloween? DDB2 69 1 Chapter 69--The Bible Tells Us to "Fear Not" as We Get Close to Final Events DDB2 70 1 Chapter 70--A Precious Glimpse Into the Heart of Jesus DDB2 71 1 Chapter 71--It's True--Our Heavenly Father Wants Us to Be Rich DDB2 72 1 Chapter 72--What Is Required for Baptism? DDB2 73 1 Chapter 73--The Greatest Miscarriage of Justice in All of History DDB2 74 1 Chapter 74--What Is Special About a Day-of-Atonement Repentance? DDB2 75 1 Chapter 75--Does God Merely Offer Us His Friendship, or has He Given It? DDB2 76 1 Chapter 76--Will God Ever Have a Perfect Church? DDB2 77 1 Chapter 77--Something Jesus Said That Seems Difficult to Believe DDB2 78 1 Chapter 78--Cosmic Day of Atonement Living, All the Way Through DDB2 79 1 Chapter 79--Which Came First--God's Forgiveness or His Cross? DDB2 80 1 Chapter 80--Who Are the "We," "Us," and "Our" in Ephesians 1? DDB2 81 1 Chapter 81--The Healing at the Sheep Pool Illustrates What Jesus Accomplished on His Cross DDB2 82 1 Chapter 82--Old Covenant versus New Covenant--Which Is Which? DDB2 83 1 Chapter 83--Not a Works Trip--A Faith Trip DDB2 84 1 Chapter 84--That Melted-Heart Repentance Will Come DDB2 85 1 Chapter 85--Can the Church Hasten or Delay the Return of The Lamb? DDB2 86 1 Chapter 86--A Bible Thanksgiving DDB2 87 1 Chapter 87--Let Christ Be the One for Whom You Live DDB2 88 1 Chapter 88--A Question Important to Understand DDB2 89 1 Chapter 89--How Abraham Got Out From Under the Old Covenant DDB2 90 1 Chapter 90--How Shall We Understand Romans? DDB2 91 1 Chapter 91--Jesus and John Standing Together in Ministry DDB2 92 1 Chapter 92--Pearl Harbor Day Has Something in Common With the Fall of Babylon DDB2 93 1 Chapter 93--Let's Make the New Covenant Clear to Our Children DDB2 94 1 Chapter 94--What Is the Cause "Backsliding"? DDB2 95 1 Chapter 95--The Greatest Sin of All time DDB2 96 1 Chapter 96--Impossible to "Backslide," Unless ... DDB2 97 1 Chapter 97--The Biblical Picture We Have of Jesus DDB2 98 1 Chapter 98--Can We Actually Open or Lock the Gates of Heaven? DDB2 99 1 Chapter 99--A Fascinating Christmas Story Hidden in a Most Unlikely Place DDB2 100 1 Chapter 100--The Beginning of Eternal Life “in Christ” DDB2 101 1 Chapter 101--Has Anyone Thought About the Innkeeper in Bethlehem? DDB2 102 1 Chapter 102-- "A Remnant" Will Receive the Full Gift of Repentance DDB2 103 1 Chapter 103--Can We Follow Christ and Not Be in Warfare? DDB2 104 1 Chapter 104--A Time for Resolutions? DDB2 105 1 Chapter 105--Christ Has Done Something for Every Human Being DDB2 106 1 Chapter 106--A New Chapter in Righteousness by Faith DDB2 107 1 Chapter 107--One GREAT Promise Not Yet Fulfilled DDB2 108 1 Chapter 108--Is God Concerned About Our Exploring His Universe? DDB2 109 1 Chapter 109--There Will Be a Last Generation! DDB2 110 1 Chapter 110--Does Jesus Really Need Us? DDB2 111 1 Chapter 111--If You Ask the Lord to Give You Some "Bread," Can You Believe That He Will? DDB2 112 1 Chapter 112--Take a New Look at Your Trials; You May Be Missing a Bonanza DDB2 113 1 Chapter 113--What the Angels of Heaven Are Begging Us to Do DDB2 114 1 Chapter 114--Does Our Salvation Depend on Maintaining a "Relationship" with Jesus? DDB2 115 1 Chapter 115--Two Harvests--Character That Develops in Two Kinds of People DDB2 116 1 Chapter 116--An Expensive Object Lesson DDB2 117 1 Chapter 117--Can National or State Governments Exercise the Principle of Agape? DDB2 118 1 Chapter 118--Christ’s Ministry as the World’s High Priest DDB2 119 1 Chapter 119--The Best King Israel Ever Had (Next to King David) DDB2 120 1 Chapter 120--Habakkuk's Question--Eternal in Its Significance DDB2 121 1 Chapter 121--An Example of How the New Covenant Is a Blessing to Youth DDB2 122 1 Chapter 122--Daniel and Revelation--"Light" Focused From Heaven DDB2 123 1 Chapter 123--Ask the Lord How You Can Bring Some Truth to Someone ------------------------Chapter 1--A Serious Question--Is Your Heart "Loyal to Him"? DDB2 1 1 Do you ever ask the question, What is Jesus Christ doing now? With instant electronic news, millions of people know almost immediately what is happening around the world. Can we be as well informed about what Jesus is doing? Is He looking after our interests? And can we know this for sure? DDB2 1 2 Hebrews 7:25 says, "He ever lives to make intercession for [us]." Is Jesus trying to change the Father's mind toward us? No, because the Father loves us as much as He does. Those who come to God through Him enjoy His interceding to protect them from the cruel attacks of Satan, not only physical violence but also his evil spirits of despair and condemnation. DDB2 1 3 Psalm 121:4 tells us that He "neither slumbers nor sleeps." Heaven's "helpline" is open 24 hours a day. DDB2 1 4 The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, will respond to your prayer for help. God even answers the prayers of children, and He sometimes will answer your selfish prayers in order to encourage you in any way possible. But He so much wants to teach you to grow up to appreciate what Jesus is doing as our great High Priest--preparing a people to be ready for His second coming in power and great glory! DDB2 1 5 The total resources of Heaven, of its vast government, are directed toward instructing and training every human soul who will respond, to get ready. You can read it in 2 Chronicles 16:9: "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him." DDB2 1 6 What's important is this. Instead of you trying to get in contact with Him, He is trying to find a way to get in contact with you! Does your heart respond to Him; is your heart "loyal to Him"? Now that's a serious question! ------------------------Chapter 2--New "Elijahs" Facing Old King Ahabs DDB2 2 1 The conscientious, alert follower of Jesus is in constant tension. Every wind of doctrine is blowing with force. Publications on the Internet and by printing are flooding our mailboxes, both postal and electronic. Voices are clamoring to be heard with new interpretations of key Bible teaching. Some are seriously aberrant but are clothed in appealing language that is intended to deceive "if possible, even the elect" (Matt. 24:24). DDB2 2 2 The tension is heightened by remembering that it is wrong to let oneself be deceived by clever falsehoods (we should by now have "eye salve," Rev. 3:18), but at the same time it is a revived rejection of Christ if we "despise prophecies" that are of heavenly origin (cf. 1 Thess. 5:20). The Lord has a way of raising up "messengers" (often humble ones!) to whom He has revealed new truth that His people need to hear. They are new "Elijahs" facing old King Ahabs, or new "John the Baptists" facing the old "Sanhedrins" that still condemn truth. DDB2 2 3 In John 6 Jesus stood alone before the Jews, confronting them with a real problem: He split the congregation! The leaders and people were perplexed; how could they interpret the data about Jesus? Was He the Messiah? Were the evidences He gave them valid proofs? We say "yes!" but the problems weren't always easy for the people. Not one of the leaders of the people accepted Him for what He said He was. That confused the common people. DDB2 2 4 Jesus sympathized with their perplexity, and He sympathizes with yours. He said, "If anyone wants to do [the Father's] will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority" (John 7:17). That promise doesn't excuse us from studying; evidence must be carefully weighed. But it is an assurance of the unerring guidance of the Holy Spirit. Now is the time when we need it as never before! ------------------------Chapter 3--Does God "Harden" Some People's Hearts? DDB2 3 1 Does God "harden" some people's hearts so they cannot believe? Does He "fit" some people for "destruction"? Did He "harden Pharaoh's heart"? There is a text in Romans that some think says so; and unless we understand it, we have a little nagging doubt hidden away in our hearts that is certain to confuse us and discourage us in some sudden moment of temptation. DDB2 3 2 Speaking of Pharaoh, Paul seems to say that he is an example of people God has "raised up" for the one purpose of destroying them. Our English Bible has misunderstood the Greek that Paul actually wrote: "Hath not the potter power over the clay ... to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? ... God ... endured ... the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction" (Rom. 9:21, 22, King James Version). Surely sounds like He has "fitted" some people "to destruction"! Some read that and think of themselves as toys in God's hands that He purposes to break and throw away. DDB2 3 3 They must not think that way. The key word in the Greek in verse 22 which is translated as "fitted" is a word that grammatically can be understood two different ways: either as a perfect passive (as in our English translation) or as a middle participle which means they "fitted themselves for destruction." According to everything else the Bible says about God's character, that is the proper translation. DDB2 3 4 Paul says that God has "endured with much longsuffering" this wearisome process that people put themselves through of fitting themselves for destruction. God created them and fitted them for eternal salvation, and He redeemed them; but by unbelief (disbelief) they have resisted His grace and perverted it. Like Pharaoh, the prime example, the more light God shed upon their pathway, the more they hardened their own heart. DDB2 3 5 There are ten Bible texts that say Pharaoh "hardened his own heart." And there are ten that say "God hardened his heart." Contradiction? No; it's the metaphor of the clay again: the more sunlight shines upon it, the harder it gets. Until we "let" the Holy Spirit give us a "new heart," the more light the Lord shines upon us, the more we harden these poor sinful, selfish hearts. DDB2 3 6 The Good News? You can pray the prayer that is 100 percent sure to be answered: ask for a tender, melted, broken heart (Psalm 51:10, 17). The answer will come through understanding, appreciating, what happened on Christ's cross. ------------------------Chapter 4--Are You Longing for Some Solid Truth You Can Trust? DDB2 4 1 Are you longing for some solid truth, firm as a rock, that you can trust, that's also good news? Here it is in Titus 2:11-14: DDB2 4 2 It's truth taught by the "grace of God that brings salvation ... to all men" (vs. 11). It's not a fear motivation. The "grace" is that "much more abounding" kind that's greater than all our sin (Rom. 5:20). And it's given, not merely offered, to "all men." It overwhelms you when you think about it. "Every man" does one of two things: he either receives it or he rejects it. DDB2 4 3 That grace (not fear!) teaches us to say "No!" to every temptation to sin that Satan can fling at us (Titus 2:12, New International Version). That's where our problems are--"worldly passions." We don't naturally know how to do it, but that "grace" teaches us to "live soberly, righteously, and godly, in the present age" right where we are (vs. 12). The worst sinner learns under that tutelage. It's being in school with Christ as the Teacher. (That's a great privilege!) DDB2 4 4 We cherish "the blessed hope" of seeing Him come again--we believe His literal second coming is that soon! (vs. 13). That otherwise impossibility is accomplished by comprehending how He "gave Himself for us" (vs. 14). It's looking, beholding, grasping, absorbing, the four grand dimensions of a love (agape) that passes knowledge (Eph. 3:16-19). When you gaze at His cross, the lethal bites of the "serpent" are healed (John 3:14, 15). DDB2 4 5 Why did He "give Himself for us"? To save us "in sin"? No, to save us from it (Titus 2:14). You see yourself as the believing thief crucified with Him. Self dies with Him. You share His cross, by living faith. DDB2 4 6 What He's doing is to "purify for Himself" 144,000 people in a time when the Enemy says it's impossible to happen (vs. 14 again; see also Rev. 7:1-4; 14:1-5). Whether that's a literal or symbolic number is not the point. What you must believe is that the Savior loves you so much that He invites you to be among them, to "overcome ... as I also overcame" (Rev. 3:21). He wouldn't invite you if it were not possible. ------------------------Chapter 5--The Gift of the Sabbath DDB2 5 1 No matter who you are or where you are, the Sabbath is a blessing that God does not merely offer you, but gives you. Someone may be sick in the hospital, or a prisoner on Death Row, but no one can be deprived of the holy hours of the true Lord's Day, the Sabbath. DDB2 5 2 You don't have to be converted, or be a good person, to receive this "gift" of the Sabbath. It's like the "gift" of justification that Romans 5 says five times God has givento the world "in Christ," not just offered us. You may have spent your whole life in disregarding this gift of the Sabbath; if so, you have deprived yourself of blessings you could have enjoyed immensely. The one who disregards the holy Sabbath day is like Esau, the man to whom God gavethe inestimable blessing of the birthright but "despised" it and "sold" it for a trifle of worldly pleasure (Gen. 25:34; Heb. 12:16, 17). DDB2 5 3 When the Sabbath begins at sundown, welcome its holy hours. Kneel and thank its Giver for it. Turn off the voices of the world so you can hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit. Don't reduplicate Esau in yourself--don't "sell" even a few moments of this holy time for a worldly indulgence of godless amusement. Demonstrate that you cherish and treasure God's gift of the holy Sabbath--how else can you demonstrate that you cherish and treasure the sacrifice of the Son of God which Sabbath-keeping "signifies"? (That's how the Sabbath is a "sign" of sanctification, Ezek. 20:12.) DDB2 5 4 None of us are the least bit worthy of this gift of the Sabbath. Our hearts are by nature carnal; the holy hours of the seventh day find us contaminated with worldly thoughts and desires. Hence, a sincere, honest, thoughtful prayer that the same "Lord of the Sabbath" who created the gift may hallow our soiled hearts, cleanse us, and grant us in these holy hours to be a student in the "school of Christ" for this one day. DDB2 5 5 You'll be sorry to see the Sabbath "go" when again the sun goes down and you'll immediately look forward to another Sabbath to come. We live the six days for this personal "heart-to-heart" with our Savior. Which is what it means to "remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." ------------------------Chapter 6--A Phrase Coined by the Apostle Peter that Catches Our Interest DDB2 6 1 The apostle Peter coined a phrase that catches our interest in each succeeding generation of earth's history: "the present truth" (2 Peter 1:12). We begin to think of that neglected side of the history of Jesus--His "marriage." It's the "wedding" of all time, and even of all eternity. The Son of God takes a Bride! It seems that that grand denouement of history is "the present truth." DDB2 6 2 Weddings are festive occasions in all cultures and in all times; this Wedding causes all Heaven and the universe itself to break into singing. There are four grand Hallelujah choruses of joy unsurpassed and music never heard in all eternity. DDB2 6 3 "The Lamb" is the Son of God, the "Word" who was "in the beginning," who "was with God," who "was God," the Creator in whom "was life; and the life was the light of men," the One who "became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:1-4, 14). He is the Prince of Heaven, and He is also our King of kings and Lord of lords. He is getting married! DDB2 6 4 He is the Great Protagonist in the "war in heaven" in which the battlefield was transferred to this earth. The struggle is with "the great dragon," who was at one time Lucifer and is now "that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world." "The marriage of the Lamb" comes simultaneous with the Lamb's final victory over Satan (Rev. 12:7-10; 19:1-9). The "Lamb's wife" is in the middle of the excitement. DDB2 6 5 As any bride complements her husband, so "the Lamb's wife" has a role in this great final celebration. It can't take place until she "makes herself ready"! All around the world it seems that Christian people are being drawn to ponder the current cosmic crisis of why and how the Bride-to-be has delayed her getting ready. Heaven is Concerned! ------------------------Chapter 7--A People Will Be Ready! DDB2 7 1 Jesus promised in John 14:1-3, "I will come again." And He clearly explained in Matthew 24 that His coming will be personal and literal, and He will resurrect the "dead in Christ." 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17 tells us that those who will be resurrected are "the dead in Christ" who have chosen to abide in Him. So, the question makes real sense: What kind of special preparation will those people make who go through the final time of trouble, overcome the mark of the beast, stand on the sea of glass "without fault" (Rev. 14:1-5), and actually welcome Christ at His second coming? DDB2 7 2 The Bible is full of Good News, but here is where it is finally focused in its greatest brilliance. First comes what appears on the surface to be intense bad news--the Holy Spirit will shine that Light into the darkened chambers of the human heart until every secret, previously unknown sin is mercilessly exposed. God's people will be painfully aware of its deep existence that they had never before fully realized. Every last vestige of spiritual pride will be laid in the dust. DDB2 7 3 The superficial idea that we're "OK" will be shattered by the realization that no one of us is any better or more righteous of ourselvesthan anybody else in the world. The sin of somebody else will be seen to be oursin, but for the grace of Christ. At last, those who believe in Christ will realize what God said through Isaiah long ago, "Their righteousness is from Me" (54:17), not from themselves. DDB2 7 4 And what will be the crowning sin in which they at last realize they share guilt? The crucifixion of Christ! Zechariah 12:10 says, "they will look on Me whom they have pierced." Each will see himself or herself at the cross! DDB2 7 5 Then comes the Good News: "A fountain shall be opened" for cleansing that will flow in unprecedented glory (13:1). Grace will abound "much more," corresponding to the "much more" conviction of sin that God's people will experience. The final negative will be matched by the final Positive. A people will be ready! ------------------------Chapter 8--The Next Event on the World's Agenda DDB2 8 1 John the Baptist had the great honor of introducing the Messiah to the Jewish nation: "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" he cried (John 1:29). The name "Lamb of God" means that Jesus must die for the world, in place of humanity dying. That death has to be the second death, the eternal one. DDB2 8 2 That's what Jesus meant when He said, "I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself. This He said, signifying by what death He would die" (John 12:32, 33). He is the Son of God, the Creator, the Redeemer; all of humanity will gather at His cross, "drawn" irresistibly to the amazing sight of the world's Creator enduring the curse of God in Himself, dying as One "despised and rejected of men," suffering the unspeakable horrors of hell itself. DDB2 8 3 It's a spectacle that even the angels of heaven and the inhabitants of the vast universe are also "drawn" to watch with wonder, for Christ is not only "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42), He is also the Savior of the throne, the government, of God. The fate of the universe trembled in the balance as Jesus was dying on that cross. Let Him utter one angry, impatient word, and all is lost. Why was the event so vastly important? DDB2 8 4 Everything in the universe that makes life possible, the cohesion of atoms, the basic principle of life itself, was in jeopardy. God had an Enemy who had been the highest angel, the highest created being, who had rebelled against His government and its fundamental principle of agape. Sin was a challenge to the very foundation of God's existence and thus to the existence of His realm. Now the Son of God was to meet that Enemy on the battlefield and wrestle hand to hand. He was to "die to sin" (Rom. 6:10), to be exposed naked to the gaze of the world and of the universe (the Romans always crucified their victims naked). Now the mysterious foundation pillars of God's government must be exposed. Jesus doesn't want to die the second death any more than you do; going to eternal hell was no more fun for Him than for anyone. "God with us" is now both human and divine, finite and infinite both. As one of His seven steps of condescension (Phil. 2:5-8), He must "empty Himself." DDB2 8 5 He must not die alone, unseen, uncomprehended. If He must "taste death [the second] for everyone" (Heb. 2:9), "everyone" must see Him do it--the grandest, most terrible sight possible for any intelligent being to "behold." And there we have the next event on the world's agenda--"Christ and Him crucified" proclaimed, which is the message of Revelation 18 that must and will "lighten the earth with glory." And that is Good News. ------------------------Chapter 9--What It Means to Be "Reconciled to God" DDB2 9 1 The Bible is full of comforting, encouraging assurances of the heavenly Father's unending love. He is the "Wonderful, Counselor" (Isa. 9:6) who alone understands all the intricate details of our lives since our conception (Psalm 139:7-17). DDB2 9 2 When the Bible pleads with us, "Be reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20), the plea is for us to believe His character of love, that infinite though He is as the Ruler of the universe, He is also the personal, intimate "our Father in heaven" whose heart yearns for us as if we were the only person for whom the Savior gave His eternal life. DDB2 9 3 His close, intimate love goes both ways: (1) forward into our future ("I will never leave you nor forsake you," Heb. 13:5); and (2) backward to our very conception in the womb of our mother, according to that psalm. DDB2 9 4 We can't "do" anything to earn salvation; when the jailer in Philippi asked the apostles what he should "do to be saved" they told him frankly, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 16:30, 31). That means again, "be reconciled to God." DDB2 9 5 We sometimes think that the book of Hebrews is over our heads; but Paul ends chapter 13 with a humble, simple, heart-warming request for us to "pray for him" as though he is as needy as any of us (vs. 18). So we get down on our knees, side by side with "our beloved brother Paul" (2 Peter 3:15), and just like us, he prays for "a good conscience." DDB2 9 6 As we face our future confident that the Lord will never "forsake us" or let go of our "right hand" (Isa. 41:13), let's trust that He has led us unerringly in our past. Part of our being "reconciled" to Him includes that confidence that His leading in our past has been only faithful love. ------------------------Chapter 10--A "Gift" Given to "All Men" DDB2 10 1 What the Bible teaches about "justification" is clear as sunlight, but "the little horn" of Daniel's prophecies has sought to confuse this truth. It had been God's intention that "the faith of Jesus" should lighten the earth with glory. But the great "falling away" (apostasy) that Paul predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2 (based on Daniel!) was the work of "the man of sin" (vss. 3-7). He has stirred up debate and confusion about "justification." These have darkened this glorious truth for many sincere people. (Maybe you, too!) DDB2 10 2 The New English Bibleaptly defines that word "justification" as simply God's "verdict of acquittal" (Rom. 5:16). Our enemy, Satan, condemns us in God's law court; he himself is shut out of heaven, and charges that we should be, too. But God steps in and vindicates, "acquits" us, as though we had never sinned. Now He can send His rain and sunshine on all alike as though we were innocent. He gives "all men" this "free gift ... resulting in justification of life" (Rom. 5:18; Matt. 5:45). But how can the Father pronounce this "acquittal" that Satan hates? Is it fair? Muslims say, "No!" But what's the Bible answer? DDB2 10 3 The Son of God has become "the second Adam," the new corporate Head of our human race, has taken all our guilt upon Himself ("the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all," Isa. 53:6), accepted our condemnation, died our second death both "for us" and "as us," and thus has "acquitted" us. We are "justified by His blood," says Paul (Rom. 5:9), which was shed at the cross of Jesus. Six times Paul says the "acquittal" is a "gift" given to "all men." "Many" reject the "gift," throw it away, "sell the birthright." But if you clasp it to your heart, cherish it, keep it, appreciate it, that is, "believe"--you cannot be lost. ------------------------Chapter 11--Does the Book of Revelation Reveal What's going on in the World Today? DDB2 11 1 Does the book of Revelation tell us what its name means--that is, reveal the meaning of what's going on in the world today? Yes! Let it speak. Its series of Seven Churches reveals the overall history of Christ's true church through the ages down to our time today (chapters 2, 3). Its series of Seven Seals reveals the history of apostasy in the Christian church down through the ages (chapters 4-7). Its series of Seven Trumpets reveals the meaning of world history in relation to God's plan of salvation (chapters 8-11). DDB2 11 2 For centuries, humble Protestant scholars have seen in chapter 9 the story of Islam and its significance in the world. "The fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. ... And the sun and the air were darkened ..." (vss. 1, 2). The sixth trumpet pinpoints the identity (vss. 13-21). Islam was divinely permitted for a special task: to be a scourge to the fallenness of apostate Christianity. DDB2 11 3 The apostasy ("the falling away," 2 Thess. 2:3-7) in the popular church in the early Christian centuries fed a ferocious zeal for Islam's propagation. Reverence for idols, for example, ignited in the Muslim breast an anger they saw as "righteous," and in retrospect one understands it directed at blatant public contradictions of God's holy law. Muslims had protested a fallen Judaism; now they protested a fallen church. They saw Islam as the world's savior. Thus they still see it. DDB2 11 4 The culture of the West is widely viewed as "Christian." We are in history redivivus. The "fallen star" had its origin in heaven; its monotheism impacts the thinking of the billion-odd Muslims, among whom die-hard zealots view Hollywood and dancing cheerleaders as the ultimate essence of "Christianity." The book of Revelation clarifies the confusion of our post 9/11 world. "Blessed is he who reads, and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near" (1:3). Its message to all is, "Repent" (3:19). DDB2 11 5 Take a good look at the "seven trumpets." The "seventh" is even now sounding (11:15-19). The News behind the news is Christ's High Priestly ministry. ------------------------Chapter 12--A Fish That Made a "Big Splash" in the News DDB2 12 1 A fish has made a "big splash" in the news [when this message was written in 1998]. It's 4 feet long, weighs 64 pounds, and doesn't belong in our modern world say the scientists. Well-preserved fossils show that this identical fish lived at the same time as the dinosaurs, the same fish that has been caught off the coast in Indonesia. And scientists have told us that was 60 million years ago. DDB2 12 2 But here he is, coelacanth (SEE-le-kanth), found in deep water in our modern ocean, unchanged by these supposed 60 million years during which evolution was supposed to have occurred. By now, that's long enough for this "animal" to be looking like a humanoid! But no, here he is looking just like his ancient friends when they frolicked in the waters side by side with the dinosaurs. No progress. DDB2 12 3 It would probably be easier for Christians to go to prison or even the stake standing for their faith than it is to stand alone in the intellectual trial facing the ridicule of the scientists. The latter tell us that the Genesis story of Creation and the Flood is false, and they quote reams of supposed scientific evidence. You're just naive if you believe the Bible, they say. DDB2 12 4 It would be absurd for this tiny tidbit of Good News to try to adduce scientific evidence to support belief in the Book of Genesis. But we must face the test of faith, like the apostles having to face ridicule because they believed the Carpenter of Nazareth to be the Son of God. The real issue now underlying all others is not trying to interpret scientific "evidence" this way or that, but appreciating agape--a love that cannot originate on planet earth. Ask any evolutionist where he thinks agapehas come from. (If he is ignorant of its existence, that would indicate the church has not told him the truth about it!) DDB2 12 5 The Bible idea of agapeis a love that no human could invent or develop through social evolution. It is expressed at the cross of Christ. The evolutionist is silenced by it. Reaching the heart by that simple story can bypass the impact of a library of "scientific" literature. ------------------------Chapter 13--Is Jesus Christ Embarrassed by the Apparent Success of Evolution? DDB2 13 1 Is Jesus Christ embarrassed by the apparent success of evolution? Vast numbers who in former generations were reverent, who stood in awe of the God of the Bible, whose hearts were moved by the story of Jesus, who reverenced the message of the Bible, today despise it because they have embraced the message of the scientists who say that their evidence proves that a six-day creation of the world has been rendered impossible. DDB2 13 2 Jesus Christ spoke of Genesis as a true book which He accepted as valid. Multitudes in "Christendom" used to gather in great church buildings to worship and listen to reverent sermons. Now--has "science" embarrassed Jesus? Was He naive? Did He deprive Himself of the confidence of thinking people? If you and I are thoughtful people, what shall we believe? DDB2 13 3 Although there is a vast amount of literature upholding evolution, remember that there is also considerable literature which maintains that the teaching of a divine creation in six days (as Genesis says) is more reasonable scientifically than is evolution. But arguments back and forth do little good. DDB2 13 4 The scene of conflict has shifted: the new battleground is love--not the superficial, egocentric love-emotion that humanity knows naturally; the issue is agape.It's the towering truth of "Christ and Him crucified" as the coming focal point of world attention. The God of creation and redemption has implanted in human hearts a longing for truth and right (cf. Gen. 3:15); He knows well how to capture the attention of the humanity He has created (and redeemed). Psalm 67, for example, declares the world witness that God intended ancient Israel to bear: "God ... cause His face to shine upon us, that Your way may be known, ... Your salvation among all nations. ... All the ends of the earth shall fear [reverence] Him" (vss. 1, 2, 7). DDB2 13 5 The truth of agapeis a great field of "science" in itself; the world awaits the revelation of the career of the "little horn" of Daniel, how this world power has counterfeited the cross of the Son of God, tried to nullify agape, made the world into a vast, fallen "Babylon." But truth is coming out boldly. DDB2 13 6 Those whose hearts are moved, "constrained," by the agape of Christ will never be embarrassed. ------------------------Chapter 14--The World Has to Decide--Who Is the True Christ? DDB2 14 1 Christianity is competing with the great non-Christian religions of humanity--Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, paganism. Which system of belief can capture the good will and devotion of the human race? DDB2 14 2 Christianity has the disadvantage of a serious scandal: it is fractured into innumerable sects, philosophies, and denominations. Hence the constant effort to reunite them all into "one church." The Roman Church professes to be the best equipped to accomplish this objective; during the Middle Ages it "was given" the supreme power of the state to enforce conformity to its version of "one body, ... one faith, one baptism" (see Eph. 4:4, 5), even to the point of imprisonment and sentence to martyred death of those who conscientiously dissented. DDB2 14 3 There are basically two versions of Christianity that center in two views of Christ, the Founder of Christianity. The two contrasting views clash as far back as the time of ancient Iraq's Babylon. There was the then-popular idea of divinity "whose dwelling is not with flesh" (Dan. 2:11). This concept of "God" was confronted with the opposing view supported in principle by the prophet Daniel that "the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them" (see Rev. 21:3). Daniel believed the biblical concept of divinity, who enters the stream of humanity in the form of an incarnated Savior whose "name [is] Immanuel, which is translated, 'God with us'" (Matt. 1:23). DDB2 14 4 So the world has to decide: who is the true Christ? The One who has taken upon His sinless nature our sinful nature, who became truly human, one with us, "in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15), living a righteous life in sinful flesh, saving humanity from sin instead of in it, condemning sin in our sinful flesh (see Rom. 8:3, 4), dying humanity's "second death" and justifying the fallen human race in Himself? DDB2 14 5 Or is the true christ "the christ" of the great Immaculate Conception dogma that cancels his descent from the fallen Adam, that provides him an "exemption" from the DNA inheritance of "all men," that excuses him from our temptations in the flesh, that separates him from us? DDB2 14 6 On this clear-cut distinction hinges the great final issue that will confront humanity. ------------------------Chapter 15--Did You Know That The Holy Spirit Closes Doors? DDB2 15 1 If you're hungry to learn how the Holy Spirit works among us humble, lowly minded people, look at the story in Acts of how the gospel first went to Europe. After the disputes among the early believers were settled by the Jerusalem council (Acts 15), "day by day, the congregations grew stronger in faith and increased in numbers" (16:5, The New English Bible). Paul and Silas wanted to go and preach the message "in the province of Asia," but "they were prevented by the Holy Spirit from delivering the message" there (vs. 6). Interesting! The Holy Spirit closes doors--we have thought He always opens them! DDB2 15 2 Next, the frustrated apostles "tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them" (vs. 8). We don't know just how He closed these doors, but we do know what frustration is! Perhaps the Lord permitted travel restrictions to stop them, or persecution, or health problems. Whatever, they saw doors closing all around them. Strange, when Jesus had said, "Goforth to every part of the world, and proclaim the Good News to the whole creation" (Mark 16:15). DDB2 15 3 Maybe you have run into these God-inspired roadblocks, maybe written something you think should be published but you find doors closed, or you want to preach or teach in a church and the pastor and elders don't want you. Paul and Silas didn't give up, they traveled right on through Mysia and went to Troas (Acts 16:9). Troas was getting closer to where the Lord really wanted them to go. They were almost there! DDB2 15 4 Then came the big break! The Lord gave Paul a vision--I have a whole new continent for you to pioneer, the continent of those to come, the Waldenses, of Wycliffe, Luther, the Wesleys (vss. 9, 10). Paul probably didn't realize it at the time, but this was where Daniel's prophecies were to find fulfillment. The problem of some closed doors always guides you to the right open door! ------------------------Chapter 16--What It Means to be "Betrayed" DDB2 16 1 Have you ever wondered how the Eleven disciples felt when one of their number, Judas Iscariot, betrayed Jesus? They also felt betrayed. DDB2 16 2 They had never suspected that one of their number, the most talented of them all, the one who everybody felt would surely become the prime minister of the new "kingdom" Jesus was setting up, went over to the side of the scribes and Pharisees. And think how elated the scribes and Pharisees were that they had captured Judas Iscariot! DDB2 16 3 We have long known that into the seasons of all who remain faithful and true to the end there will come times of trial and keen disappointment, like Elijah running away from Queen Jezebel who threatened to kill him. The final issue that comes into the open just before the very last days will be that of the seal of God versus the mark of the beast. DDB2 16 4 Congregations that have always ostensibly been loyal to "the seal of God" (cf. Rev. 7:1-4) will be tried severely when the popular mark of the beast is enforced; some, in fact we understand many, formerly loyal congregants, will become turncoats and will engage in persecuting their former brethren. Those loyal to the "seal of God" will sense what it means to be "betrayed"! DDB2 16 5 Jesus was betrayed, and those closest to Him will share His experience. DDB2 16 6 In mercy to His disciples, the Lord Jesus had permitted them to go through a preview experience in John 6 when He had preached about the bread of life. "Many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more," and Jesus sorrowfully turned to the Twelve and asked, "Do you also want to go away?" They responded, "Lord, to whom shall we go? ... We have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (vss. 66-69); but even then Jesus knew who Judas Iscariot was! (vss. 70, 71). DDB2 16 7 It's in similar mercy to our souls that Jesus permits us to go through the sad experiences of "betrayals," in preparation for the final issue when it comes (and it may be very near). It will be like a great dam bursting when the water gushes down sweeping everything (almost!) in its path; but none need be swept along if we have prepared. Our roots now can be sunk deep down into the truth and by the grace of Christ we can stand. DDB2 16 8 But we must study, we must know the truth for ourselves. Hours spent in entertainment must become hours spent in pursuing the truth so we know it for ourselves first hand, not because some guru has told it to us. "Happy" are those who are hungry and thirsty to learn, to know, to understand (Matt. 5:6, Good News Bible). ------------------------Chapter 17--Jesus' Solemn Command: "Read, Understand!" the Prophecies of Daniel DDB2 17 1 Did the apostle Paul preach the prophecies of Daniel? Did Jesus do so in His ministry? We know that the angel told Daniel to "shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end" (Dan. 12:4). Why then did Jesus tell His disciples to "read" the prophecies of Daniel and "understand" them (Matt. 24:15) if the book was "sealed"? DDB2 17 2 And why did Paul remind the believers in Thessalonica of Daniel's prophecies about the great apostasy ("falling away") and the coming of "the man of sin, ... the son of perdition" (2 Thess. 2:3), the "little horn" power of Daniel 7, 8? DDB2 17 3 Although the full understanding of Daniel's prophecies could not be known until these last days in which we now live, it is clear that the apostolic church understood that Christ's second coming could not take place until Daniel's prophecies of the great "falling away" came first. Jesus knew, and Paul knew, that the church needed that information! DDB2 17 4 Although Jesus picked out of the Bible the prophecies of that one book of Daniel and emphasized them for Christians to "read" and "understand," most priests, pastors, and teachers never preach or teach about them. The promise that the Lord has made in Daniel 12 is that in the time of the end, "many" will heed the Lord's command and will ponder those prophecies, and will "increase" the "knowledge" of them before the world (vs. 4). DDB2 17 5 And now to every one living in this tumultuous world comes Jesus' solemn command: "Read, understand!" the prophecies of Daniel. That means, "Study! Read!" Let a hunger and thirst for righteousness crowd out any obsession with this evil world's amusements (cf. Matt. 5:6). ------------------------Chapter 18--What's the Difference Between "Corporate Confession" and "Corporate Repentance"? DDB2 18 1 "Corporate repentance" is a million miles away from a mere committee action, or a four-color advertisement promoting it as the latest "groupthink" strategy. That would never help, for there are many who because of ingrained "loyalty" will jump on any new program that is promoted by "groupthink," for they want to be "in" and thought well of. A "corporate confession" would accomplish nothing. As we near the end of time, the Lord cannot be satisfied with such a superficial work. DDB2 18 2 The word "corporate" has nothing to do with the organization of the hierarchy. Repentance is a gift of the Holy Spirit, not a constituency vote. The work of repentance is always individual and personal, but the word "corporate" is simply the proper term to describe how each "member of the body" relates to the Head and to one another (1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4). DDB2 18 3 Corporate repentance is personally repenting of the sins of others as though they were our own, feeling the pain and guilt of other members of the body, which we realize would be ours but for the grace of Christ. DDB2 18 4 This is how the "message of Christ's righteousness" becomes relevant. His righteousness must be imputed 100 percent, for we do not have even 1 percent of our own. We share the corporate guilt of the whole world--but for the grace of Christ. No one of us is innately better than another. As Luther said, we are all made of the same dough. Every lion in Africa is by nature a man-eater, but few get "the opportunity" to eat human beings. We can say that lions share a corporate nature. DDB2 18 5 The Lord Jesus calls upon "the angel of the church of the Laodiceans" to "be zealous and repent" (Rev. 3:14, 19). While such repentance is always personal, it is also "of the body," and therefore "corporate." DDB2 18 6 The repentance of ancientNineveh at the preaching of Jonah is an example of national repentance, led by "the king and his nobles" (Jonah 3:5-9). A repentance of the church today as a body would be denominational. The Lord will give the gift, and His honor requires that He have a people who respond, both leaders and laity (cf. Zech. 12:10- 13:1). ------------------------Chapter 19--"Faith Which Works" DDB2 19 1 You are praying for the Lord to help you understand righteousness by faith. Very good; He will be happy to hear your prayer; that's for sure. DDB2 19 2 But while you are praying, there is a pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen awaiting attention; very likely He will impress you to go do them first, and while you're doing them you may remember other "work" that needs attention. DDB2 19 3 These words of Jesus may seem out of place: "If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine ..." (John 7:17). But the one little sermon we have from Mary the mother of Jesus is very appropriate: "Whatever He says to you, do it" (John 2:5). The dear Holy Spirit is always busy convicting us of sin. DDB2 19 4 A thousand times over we must insist that "by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works,lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9); but we must remember that the "faith" through which we are saved by grace is a special kind--it's always "faith which works" (Gal. 5:6, King James Version). DDB2 19 5 In other words, the "works" is a verb expressing the actionof the faith, not a noun. That's the key. DDB2 19 6 Yes, when you row your boat you row with two oars, otherwise you stay in circles. In that sense, we may say that salvation is by faith and by works; but let's be careful not to repeat the sin of the ancient Jews in rejecting the most precious message of the pure gospel as the Lord in His great mercy sends it to us. Yes, the old covenant is wonderful in that it has held the world together for 6,000 plus years. You can drive home in comparative safety because of the fear that other drivers have of the law. DDB2 19 7 The old covenant has sparked many revivals and reformations in "Israel" past and modern; but "the days are coming" when the Lord will "make a new covenant" with His people, it's rank sin to resist and cling to the old (Jer. 31:31-34). DDB2 19 8 We have resisted in the 19th, throughout the 20th, and now well into our 21st century; isn't that long enough? ------------------------Chapter 20--Christ's Last Work as High Priest DDB2 20 1 Jesus Christ has been resurrected from the dead, and has ascended to heaven where He now functions as a great High Priest. Does He have work to do? If so, does He always have success? And is it possible that there are people on earth who can hinder His work? We read in the book of Daniel about one of the mightiest of the angels of heaven who was hindered in what he was doing: "the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael [another name for Christ], one of the chief princes, came to help me" (10:13). Christ's work as High Priest is a ministry on the hearts of people. Yes, they can resist Him! He does not force anyone. The king of Persia in Daniel's time is an example; he was working against God, but through the Holy Spirit Christ persuaded him to stop resisting and let God's people go free and return to their homeland. DDB2 20 2 It could well be that Christ as the world's great High Priest has been pleading with your heart to stop resisting Him, and to let Him lead you to get ready for His second coming. The Lord told Saul of Tarsus that "it is hard for you to kick against the goads" (Acts 26:14). Continual resistance of the Holy Spirit is terribly hard! DDB2 20 3 Fighting against God wears a person down! We read in Galatians 5:17 that the Holy Spirit "[strives] against the flesh," another name for our sinful nature. Thank God He does! If He leaves us alone, we are lost. Our sinful nature "strives" against the Spirit--true; but it's good news that the Spirit is stronger than the flesh. How do we know that? "Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more" (Rom. 5:20). DDB2 20 4 What is Jesus Christ doing today? A work which the Bible calls "the cleansing of the sanctuary" (Dan. 8:14), the last work He will do as High Priest before He comes again as "King of kings and Lord of lords." Now is the great cosmic Day of Atonement. That work is His last great effort of grace to woo us away from worldliness and win our hearts to be ready for His coming. He has a big job to do! He's at it 24/7. Don't hinder Him. ------------------------Chapter 21--Mary, the Mother of Jesus, Believed the Word of the Lord DDB2 21 1 It is interesting to think about Mary, the mother of Jesus our Savior. She was as human as anyone else on this planet. The Bible makes clear: there was nothing special about her that sets her off as different from the rest of humanity, except one thing--she believed the word of the Lord. We find that when, newly pregnant, she came to the hill country where Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist lived. Elizabeth greeted her by saying, "Blessed is she who believed" (Luke 1:45). DDB2 21 2 You'd think that the mother of the Messiah would be the happiest woman ever. But she knew our sorrows, our loneliness, our pain. And she said, "My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior" (vs. 47). She knew her need for a Savior from, not in, sin. DDB2 21 3 But no other woman in all of history ever had a giant sword thrust through her "own soul," as the one that the old prophet Simeon predicted would happen to her (2:34, 35). Elizabeth had said she should be preeminently "blessed among women" (that is, especially happy; 1:42), but Simeon said she must also be preeminently wounded among women by the "pierce" of that "sword." (This teaches us that God has a special regard for the sorrows women have to endure.) Seeing her son crucified was a cruel experience. You can't imagine a worse one. DDB2 21 4 But there was pain greater than her maternal pain. She knew that her Son was born to be the Savior of the world; now, what could His death (on a cross, of all places!) mean? Was this the end of the plan of salvation for the world itself? She may not have understood "the great controversy between Christ and Satan" as clearly as we do today, but it would have been natural for her to have agonized throughout that painful "three days and three nights" while her Son lay in Joseph's tomb. It seemed that the very foundations of heaven itself had crumbled, and that Satan must emerge finally victorious. DDB2 21 5 God has an agenda for His people. We are to "grow up" out of our childish concern for self so we can share the concern that Jesus has for His triumph in the "great controversy." Will this not be the loving concern of a Bride for her "Husband," the Lamb? "Abiding in Him" involves a deeper intimacy. ------------------------Chapter 22--The Sabbath--A Day Free From Fear DDB2 22 1 Most human beings know what fear is; if you don't, it's not "normal." The world is reeling with it today. What Luke says (21:25, 26) is so true right now: "On the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, ... men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth." DDB2 22 2 You can't escape this anxiety unless you live on the planet Mars. But you can escape the fear by observing the Sabbath, a day free from fear. It's a day of heaven come down to earth. God's presence is in the Sabbath day. He Himself set it apart, sanctified it, and blessed it. In the Sabbath you draw nearer, Sabbath after Sabbath, to Him. Because His presence is in the Sabbath, your heart becomes filled with peace and the fear is expelled. DDB2 22 3 You may say, "That's only for one day; as soon as the sun goes down at the end of the Sabbath, here comes all the fear again as we hear the daily news!" DDB2 22 4 No, that's not true; the peace of the Sabbath calms you and remains with you by faith as you go through the new week, until the next Sabbath. The commandment says, "Remember the Sabbath day ..." You start remembering the next Sabbath as soon as the sun goes down Sabbath evening. And because of the joy of Sabbath-keeping you can sing, "Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God" (Psalm 46:2-4). DDB2 22 5 And because of the joy of Sabbath-keeping you can sing, "Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God" (Psalm 46:2-4). ------------------------Chapter 23--Agape--the Dominant Element of the Final Message DDB2 23 1 The story of Joseph in the Bible is no fairy tale; Egyptian history and archeology attest how true to historic life the details are. It fits well in the Hyksos era, for the Pharaohs were not native Egyptians. They could well have employed a Hebrew in a high government post. Egyptian records show how there came a change in national economy when all the land except in temples was acquired by the crown. We can trust our Bible story! DDB2 23 2 Is Joseph a type of the church that will proclaim a message that "lightens the earth with glory" in our last days? This special church is given "the spirit of prophecy" as Joseph was gifted (see Rev. 12:17; 19:10). It must pass the test of moral purity, as Joseph passed the test with Potiphar's wife tempting him. "Fornication" or "adultery" is not to be evenmentionedamong that people who "overcome even as Christ overcame" (Rev. 3:21). DDB2 23 3 The church that proclaims a message that lightens the earth with glory will suffer persecution, as Joseph suffered it from his brothers and even his father. The last-days' message will save people; lives will be changed; characters will become "at one" with God. Joseph saved many people's lives; the "remnant church" will proclaim a message that will lead many souls to eternal life. DDB2 23 4 But every one who will partake of the blessing will know first-hand "the chastening of the Lord" (Heb. 12:5-12). That will make more distinct how much the Lord loves him or her! That agapewill be the dominant element of the final message. ------------------------Chapter 24--The Only "News" the Lord Has for Anyone Is Good News DDB2 24 1 Old King Saul had rebelled against the Lord continually for much of his reign as Israel's monarch. Then when the Lord raised up young David to be his successor, Saul became possessed by an insane jealousy which motivated him to try to kill the youth. (Thus, in the books of heaven Saul was now listed as a "murderer," because the books of heaven record the sins which we would have committed if we had had the opportunity.) DDB2 24 2 Time and again the dear Lord appealed to Saul to repent of this murderous hatred; and sometimes Saul made a feeble effort to respond. He even apologized to David and thanked him for sparing his life in the cave of En Gedi where David and his men were hiding when the king innocently came in to “attend to his needs” (the story is in 1 Samuel 24:1-22). But King Saul held on to his jealous hatred. DDB2 24 3 Then finally the old king comes to En Dor where he faces the last challenge of his life. A vast military host of the Philistines is gathered against the feeble armies of Israel; national disaster looms. Saul prays an empty prayer, without repentance. (The story is in 1 Samuel 28:1-6, but there was no change of heart in Saul's "inquiry" of the Lord.) DDB2 24 4 Then King Saul did something unforgivable: he prayed to Satan for wisdom and salvation--a desperately wicked thing to do. This now put himself and his kingdom into the hands of Satan. DDB2 24 5 But even so the Lord had no bad news to tell King Saul: it was not too late for the king to repent and to cast himself and his kingdom on the mercy of the Lord; it was not too late for jealousy-ridden Saul to humble his heart and save both himself and his kingdom. If Saul had been willing to humble his heart in repentance and prayer to the Lord, the Lord would have received him and forgiven him; but his prayer was empty of repentance--still the Lord had no bad news for the man. DDB2 24 6 But Satan, through the witch of En Dor, poured a "ton" of bad news on the poor king's head, and the result was that he died in utter despair at his own hand (31:1-6). The Lord never drives a despairing soul to suicide! DDB2 24 7 The only "news" the Lord has for anyone--at any time--is goodnews. ------------------------Chapter 25--The Last Great Trials of Faith DDB2 25 1 Why is it that sometimes God doesn't answer His "phone" when sincere people call Him in prayer? Why did God let poor Job go through that horrible experience when He Himself had to admit that Job was "a perfect and an upright man" (1:8, King James Version)? Why did He let David for 10 long years be hunted in the wilderness like a wild animal when he was "the anointed of the Lord"? Why, when Jeremiah gave himself for service, did God let him suffer a lifetime of anguish (no restitution ever, like Job had!)? Is God fair? DDB2 25 2 Well, let's try to answer these questions. Job was honored to fight alone in the arena like a gladiator, given the job of defending God in His great controversy with Satan. Stupendous: a human being entrusted with that enormous responsibility--defending God! If Job had done what his dear wife said, "Curse God and die!" (2:9), he would have proved that Satan is right, and forced God into profound embarrassment before the world and the universe. A terrible battle, but God had no choice: let him go it alone, apparently forsaken. (And the "church" of that day, his three friends, made his trouble worse.) Job was a forerunner of Christ, a tremendous honor. DDB2 25 3 There had to be a "David" so that when the Son of God became the Son of man He could also be "the son of David." David had to go through his experiences of feeling forsaken by God so that Christ could later read his psalms and be strengthened. David "the anointed one" was also a forerunner of Christ. The price? Pain and suffering; but it was worth it. DDB2 25 4 Jeremiah is honored as one of the greatest of the prophets; he will have the honor throughout eternity. DDB2 25 5 God must have "144,000" to honor Him likewise in the last great trials of faith (Rev. 7:1-4; 14:1-5). If He has only 143,999, His word will fail in the great controversy with Satan. Perhaps you are that last one who is so important. Hang on. ------------------------Chapter 26--In His Sermon on the Mount, No One Knew What Jesus Meant DDB2 26 1 In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told us to "love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you" (Matt. 5:44). DDB2 26 2 But no one knew what He meant. It went right over people's heads. No one really understood the true dimensions of "love" until the cross (cf. Eph. 3:18, 19). The word Jesus used for "love" was not the ordinary, day-to-day one that people used in the Greek or Latin world--it was agape. The idea was foggy; it couldn't be defined until the cross. DDB2 26 3 The world marvels at the miracle of His resurrection after three days in the tomb; but the even greater miracle was the love He demonstrated. It was unearthly--it had never been seen since time began. Every crucifixion done by the Romans had been a demonstration of cursing, and raw hatred. Here was one where the Victim prayed for His murderers! It became talked about throughout the Empire. No advertising could have been purchased at any price that was more effective for proclaiming the gospel. DDB2 26 4 This love known as agapeis in a different category than what we call love. Unlike the "natural" love we are born with that loves its own, or loves nice people, agape loves ugly people, mean people, unworthy people, yes, enemies. Unheard of! DDB2 26 5 On the lips of the apostles, it became the word that "turned the world upside down" (Acts 17:6). Its origin was unearthly. It had to be "poured into" emptied human hearts from an Outside source (Rom. 5:5). It couldn't be conveyed by lectures, and it can't be propagated by PowerPoint. It has to be communicated by a white hot flame burning in a human heart that has been deeply moved by the Holy Spirit. DDB2 26 6 You look, you stare, you wonder; you "behold the Lamb of God" on His cross. It takes time. You'll be doing it right on into eternity. ------------------------Chapter 27--Why Did Jesus Come Down to This Earth? DDB2 27 1 Why did Jesus, the Son of God, come down to this earth? Not simply so He might take us to heaven when we die. He has another blessed purpose. The angel Gabriel told the virgin Mary before He was born, "You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). This is how the Apostle Paul described it: DDB2 27 2 "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit" (Rom. 8:2-4). DDB2 27 3 That was a greater achievement even than making the Milky Way! It's "easy" for the Creator to make a world or a sun; He simply speaks the word--and it's done. But conquering sin in fallen, sinful human flesh? "Condemning" it there? Delivering us who have fallen, sinful flesh from the dominion that sin has over us? That's something God could not do by simply sayingan empty word, "I conquer sin!" No, that would never do. DDB2 27 4 He cannot tell a lie, or claim to have accomplished something that's not real. So, He does it! He becomes a real Baby in Bethlehem's manger, a true human being, grows up as a child and a youth, meeting all our temptations to sin, and saying "No!" to every one of them, even until He was hanged on a cross. DDB2 27 5 And there on His cross, the devil throws his worst temptations at Jesus, trying to get Him to sin in one tiny, almost insignificant way so that Jesus might fail of His mission "to save His people from their sins." But Jesus conquered every subtle temptation! DDB2 27 6 No, no idol or image can ever represent that glorious achievement! No angel in heaven would ever think of bowing down to an image of any kind. He couldn't do it! And neither can you or I if we have an adequate understanding of the righteousness of Christ our Savior. ------------------------Chapter 28--The Baptism of Repentance DDB2 28 1 Shortly before Jesus met the woman at the well at Sychar (John 4), John the Baptist had baptized Him. But that meant a prerequisite of repentance, for the only people that John could baptize were those who had repented. But Jesus never had sinned! Then how could He let Himself be baptized? To be baptized without repenting would be hypocrisy, for John's mission was only "the baptism of repentance" (Acts 19:4). John knew this. That's why he refused Him the rite. DDB2 28 2 Here's the wonder: the sinless Son of God lets Himself be lowered into the water the same as any common sinner, making a public confession of repentance. (It's childish to think the reason was He merely wanted to show us the physical method--John could do that; or make a "bank deposit" of "merit" to be transferred to some disadvantaged people like the thief on the cross.) DDB2 28 3 Jesus actually did experience repentance. He had to, or John could not have baptized Him; but it was not for His own sins, but for ours. Therefore it had to be corporate repentance. Totally sinless, He was "made ... to be sin for us, who knew no sin" (2 Cor. 5:21). He identified with the human race so closely that He felt that our sins were His own. Don't you want understanding and compassion? Yes. Jesus learned how to feel that burden for others, including the five-times divorcee at the well. DDB2 28 4 The earth must someday soon be lightened with the glory of "the third angel's message in verity," when a multitude of all nations and tongues will join Him in winning every one in the world who is willing to believe the gospel. DDB2 28 5 Rather than a few celebrities on a wide screen or through electronics, that fourth angel's ministry must be performed by humble people working on a personal heart-to-heart level. Their "training"? Seldom that of "literary institutions," but knowing the Good News that is better than we have ever thought it is. ------------------------Chapter 29--Was Jesus Tempted to Regard Himself as a Total Failure? DDB2 29 1 Have you ever thought that Jesus was tempted to regard Himself as a total failure? As His name was "Immanuel, ... 'God with us'" (Matt. 1:23), He took upon His divine nature our complete human nature which involved the full extent of our temptability. That means that "in all points [He was] tempted like as we are [tempted]," but thank God, "yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15, King James Version). DDB2 29 2 Satan wrung His soul with that awful feeling on His cross that He had been mistaken about Himself. It was a nameless horror that prompted His shriek, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46). He had to listen to the people taunting Him, "If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross"! (vss. 40, 42). That was a cruel suggestion for He could not help but realize that His career had ended with the most ignominious failure any human could experience--death as a criminal! His faith was stretched. DDB2 29 3 In fact, more than once in His life and ministry, Isaiah 49:4 had been fulfilled in His experience: "Then I said, 'I have labored in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and in vain.'" And this fierce temptation comes just as the Father assures Him through the Holy Spirit, "You are My servant, ... in whom I will be glorified." He gives Himself to His Father: "Surely My just reward is with the Lord, and My work with My God" (vss. 3, 4). DDB2 29 4 Even on the cross before He took His last breath, Jesus' hope was restored by faith: The Lord "formed Me from the womb, ... I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, ... [to be His] salvation to the ends of the earth" (vss. 5, 6). Though tempted to despair, Jesus ended His life in glorious triumph by faith. ------------------------Chapter 30--Is Fear a Valid Reason for Us to Give Our Heart to Jesus? DDB2 30 1 Is fear a valid reason for us to give our heart to Jesus? Well, fear is an important element in the makeup of any human being. You look both ways before you cross a busy street. You remember you must pay the rent. You plan for a "rainy day." And Jesus plainly said, "Fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matt. 10:28). Noah was "moved with godly fear" when he contemplated the coming Flood, so he "prepared an ark for the saving of his household" (Heb. 11:7). Wise! He didn't want to drown. DDB2 30 2 But let's ask a second question: Is fear aneffective motivationfor giving our heart to Jesus? The other side of that same coin is a motivation of hope for reward. And no, fear, and hope of reward fail as effective motivations for being Christians because the result is the "lukewarmness" that Jesus says makes Him sick at His stomach (see Rev. 3:16, 17). A church crowded with lukewarm members is no satisfaction to Jesus. DDB2 30 3 Let's ask a third question: How does fear relate to love as motivation for following Jesus? John says "perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18). That kind is a special love known as agape, which is different from any kind of "love" that we humans inherit through our DNA. It's the kind of love that drove Jesus to die for us on a cross, to die a different kind of death than any human has ever died--the equivalent of "the second death" (see Rev. 2:11; 20:14). Peter says Christ went to "hell" in order to save us (Acts 2:27). DDB2 30 4 If we "let" that love into our hearts, it will "cast out" our fear. Paul says that God is trying His best to persuade us to "let" that "mind" of Christ "be in you" (Phil. 2:5). That kind of love (agape) is stronger than the healthy fear that comes with us naturally. You may come forward in an altar call motivated by a healthy fear of being lost and a self-centered desire to be saved--a good beginning. But if you stay where you are, you will not grow spiritually. DDB2 30 5 Christ as our High Priest is preparing a people to be ready for His second coming--and that is not a "works trip," but learning to "comprehend" the dimensions of that agape-love (see Eph. 3:14-21). It stretches our little souls and "enlarges" our "hearts" (Psalm 119:32). ------------------------Chapter 31--The "Elijah" Message and a Clever Counterfeit DDB2 31 1 How can one tell the difference between a genuine "Elijah" message that God sends, and a clever counterfeit? When God fulfills His promise to send "Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord" (Mal. 4:5), there will be very certain evidences: DDB2 31 2 (1) The message will be as unpopular as Elijah's was in his day. The news of what Elijah said to King Ahab about "no rain" flew throughout the kingdom like word goes on the Internet today. Many far and near will condemn it while at the same time the message will "go" far and near. DDB2 31 3 (2) The message will be uncomfortable to those who love sin and worldliness, because it will be inspired by a Visitor, the Holy Spirit, whose first work is to "convict ... of sin" (John 16:8). DDB2 31 4 (3) Elijah's message will proclaim full religious freedom. To those in Israel who wanted to worship Baal, Elijah gave the ultimate in opportunity. Risking his life on Mount Carmel, he invited the 450 prophets of Baal to do their thing before everybody. Gave them full access to the media of the day. It was a full, unhindered demonstration of Baal worship. It follows that in these last days, the true Christ will give full liberty to "Baal" to do his thing--publicity, swollen budgets. Let the people have a big dose, so they can get sick of it on their own. There might even be something to that proportion of 450 to 1. When the final showdown comes, as it was on Mount Carmel, we read that when the storm at last begins to blow, multitudes of what we have thought were true disciples will be like "dry leaves," like in Jesus' day when "many of His disciples went back, and walked with Him no more" (John 6:66). DDB2 31 5 (4) "Elijah" will have a positive message, as he had on Mount Carmel. He didn't spend his precious time railing against Baal worship, but re-built the broken down altar of the true God, and called on the people to see what happens when His worship is restored. DDB2 31 6 (5) The fruit of Elijah's message? A national repentance: "When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, 'The Lord, He is God!'" (1 Kings 18:39). As in John the Baptist's fulfillment of the Elijah message, so the message that comes "before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord" will "make ready a people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:17). DDB2 31 7 It appears that "the third angel's message in verity" (Rev. 14:1-12) and the "Elijah message" are the same: repentance permeating the "body of Christ." ------------------------Chapter 32--A Valuable Promise--"Happy Are Those Who Are Concerned for the Poor" DDB2 32 1 Do you like to help poor people? Jesus said in Mark 14:7 that as long as time lasts, there will be poor people all around us. In the final judgment day, we will be very much embarrassed if we have not helped them. In fact, Jesus' parable in Matthew 25 hinges our eternal destiny on how we have treated the poor. He says that He will tell each person, "Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me" (vs. 40). In other words, Jesus identified Himself with poor, needy people. DDB2 32 2 Psalm 41:1-3 has a very valuable promise: "Happy are those who are concerned for the poor; the Lord will help them when they are in trouble. The Lord will protect them and preserve their lives; He will make them happy in the land; He will not abandon them to the power of their enemies. The Lord will help them when they are sick and will restore them to health" (Good News Bible). DDB2 32 3 Note the word "concerned" does not mean flipping a coin to a poor person now and then, and responding grudgingly to an appeal for help. It means a constant state of the heart, a constant feeling of concern for the needs of others, a habitual desire to help. The Lord notices when that kind of concern fills our hearts and He responds by helping us when we are in need. And note verse 2: He will make us happy, and will not abandon us to those who would harm us. And verse 3: This is especially precious--the Lord will help us when we are sick and restore us to health. All because we have a habitual concern for poor people! DDB2 32 4 Well, there are many poor people in the world today and one wonders what to do to help them. One doesn't like to pour water down the drain; some people are poor because they waste what they have. In the long run, what poor people need most of all is a true knowledge of the pure gospel of Christ. Only at the cross of Christ can they learn the secret of true self-respect. Let's remember that nothing that we possess is really our own--we are just managers of the Lord's wealth! ------------------------Chapter 33--Is God Really Pleased With You Personally? DDB2 33 1 How can you know if God is pleased with you? You know He loves you because the Bible says He loves the world, that is, He loves everybody. But is He happy, really pleased with you personally? DDB2 33 2 We can't evade what Jesus says--in the final judgment He will be forced to tell "many" people who expect Him to congratulate them, "I never knew you!" (Matt. 7:22, 23). He loved those people, yes; but they were never one with Him. DDB2 33 3 The same picture emerges in the Book of Revelation when He feels forced to tell "the angel of the church of the Laodiceans," "You make Me so sick at My stomach I feel like throwing up!" (3:16; that's what the literal Greek says). The people so addressed have been naive, thinking that all is well with them, feeling "rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing" (vs. 17). They were so self-deceived they thought Jesus was pleased with them. DDB2 33 4 If there is anything we want to avoid, it's ending up in that condition. So, what can we do? DDB2 33 5 (1) Pray David's Psalm 51, realizing that we have no innate goodness of our own. It's only the grace of Christ that has saved us from whatever sins somebody else may be guilty of (that's the reality of corporate guilt). The ones the Lord is pleased with are those of Isaiah 66:2, "On this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word." DDB2 33 6 (2) The Lord doesn't go around behind your back, hiding reality from you. Have a frank visit with Him and ask Him straight out, "Lord, are You pleased with me?" You know He loves you for He loves everybody; but what you want to know is, "Lord do you knowme? Am I "this one" on whom you "look"? DDB2 33 7 He will receive you and will answer your prayer. In fact, that's the precise business that Jesus is in right now! ------------------------Chapter 34--New Covenant Truth is Explosive "Gospel" DDB2 34 1 It's among the more fantastic things that Jesus said about what it means to believe in Him. The statement was made under the heat of His passion just before His crucifixion, as if it were His farewell message to the people at a Feast of Tabernacles: DDB2 34 2 "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water'" (John 7:37, 38). DDB2 34 3 The evidence that we truly believe in Him will be seen in the quality of the spiritual food, or refreshing "water of life," that we share with others. We can't help it--that "water" is continually flowing like an artesian well to refresh the people the Lord brings us in contact with. You and I don't need to worry about it, or be anxiously concerned (well, we are of course concerned lest we may muddy the "waters" somehow), but we don't make the water flow from our hearts. That's just the nature of the "water of life," it flows continually. DDB2 34 4 It's what Paul said is "the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:5), which is "the power of God to salvation" (Rom. 1:16). New Covenant truth is explosive "gospel." "Always be ready to give a defense [an answer] to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you ..." (1 Peter 3:15). DDB2 34 5 A prayer that is according to the will of God (1 John 5:14) and therefore sure to be answered in our behalf is a prayer for understanding of the pure truth of the New Covenant in contrast to the Old; the Old leans toward bondage (Gal. 4:24). For sure, that is not "water of life"! Only the New Covenant has life in it. ------------------------Chapter 35--Christ’s Sacrifice Is a Shared Substitution--What Does It Mean? DDB2 35 1 Ask any group of Christians, "Why did Jesus die on His cross?" and they will tell you, "He died as our Substitute." And that's 100 percent true. But what does it mean? How does that truth make any difference in the way we live? DDB2 35 2 We say, "He died instead of us," and that's true; He did. If you had been drafted in the American Civil War of 1861-65, you could hire a substitute to take your place and die instead of you; now you can enjoy life while he suffers and his loved ones mourn. "My substitute has taken my place!" It's a vicarious substitution. And you can think of the sacrifice of Christ in that same way. He died instead of you. DDB2 35 3 But is it a childish way of thinking of His cross? Is it basically egocentric? DDB2 35 4 The Bible goes far deeper: Christ's sacrifice is also a sharedsubstitution. "I have been crucified with Christ," says Galatians 2:20. We were “baptized into ChristJesus, ... baptized into His death, ... buried with Him through baptism into death, ... united together in the likeness of His death, ... our old man [the love of self] crucified with Him, ... died with Christ." If all this is true, then "we shall also live with Him" (Rom. 6:3-8). But only if. DDB2 35 5 One is the kindergarten, flower-girl-at-the-wedding idea of substitution--very, very true; but the other is the bride growing up “to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13), prepared to stand with Him side by side in the "marriage of the Lamb." It's a time for divine-human intimacy never before realized by the body of His church. DDB2 35 6 Apparently the Bridegroom believes the time has come for His people to "grow up." The long delay must weary Him. Does it weary you? ------------------------Chapter 36--A Youth Who Could Have Had First Chance at Becoming an Apostle Paul DDB2 36 1 This young man came running up to Jesus almost out of breath: "What good thing shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" A wonderful new-convert-to-be! Jesus caught his word "do," and proceeded to give him a thoroughly legalist answer: "Keep the commandments," and He cited the Ten. On the surface, His answer thrills legalists today. DDB2 36 2 The young man was fishing for more: he told Jesus he had done everything specified since he was a child. "What do I still lack?" What he meant was, he wanted to achieve perfection--the goal of every legalist. DDB2 36 3 Then Jesus zeroes in on the real thing: "If you want to be perfect, sell what you have and give to the poor." Don't think He wanted to discourage the youth: "you will have treasure in heaven." That should satisfy any acquisitive nature cultivated "from ... youth." But Jesus couldn't do any "evangelism" without telling about the cross: "And come, follow Me" (Matt. 19:16-22). The youth could have had first chance at becoming an Apostle Paul! DDB2 36 4 But the poor fellow had a terrific problem. It was worse than leprosy or being blind. He was rich, "he had great possessions." So he walked away. Jesus later conceded to the disciples: "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" Then He repeated it with a slight difference--"who trust in riches… !" (Mark 10:23-25). He appears to contradict what He said in Matthew 11 about His yoke being "easy" and His burden "light" (28-30; again legalists may be delighted for they don't like that "easy" or "light" idea). DDB2 36 5 If you are rich(and everybody who gets this message is,in some way), you can solve your problem by confessing that you don't deserve a whit of the "wealth" you possess: what is your rightis that second death that Jesus died in your place, and for you. ------------------------Chapter 37--Wrestling With Fear DDB2 37 1 Have you ever been so baffled, you didn't know what to do? You were afraid of the future; you'd made a mess of things in the past; you knew you didn't have any credit for good behavior to bolster up your prayers. How could you expect any blessing from the Lord? DDB2 37 2 Deep in your heart comes this feeling which we all have sometimes--God can't really bless me or even accept me unless I can "produce." Yes, it's fear, and unless you're ready for translation like Enoch or Elijah, you wrestle with it. DDB2 37 3 Could you dare to believe that the Father condescends to accept you, and that He has done so "in Christ," and even promises you eternal life--without your earning it? Would that be an immoral thing for God to do? Well, He did it for Abraham in Genesis 12:2, 3, in those seven New Covenant promises. And He does it for you. He intends for you to claim them by faith. DDB2 37 4 Jesus gives you permission to call His Father your Father. Anyone can pray the Lord's prayer. He can also read Psalm 23 and claim the Lord as his Shepherd. God has left His door to His house open for "whosoever will" to dwell there (cf. vs. 6; Rev. 22:17). (If you're trying to win souls, get someone on his knees to pray those prayers!) DDB2 37 5 How did I get this idea in my mind, or heart? It came through Galatians. Forget your TV or video games and read and appreciate that book. It sounds like a back-door way to understand the New Covenant, but it's the way that helped me. DDB2 37 6 The Heavenly Father actually loves you personally! Let Him win your heart, and obedience to His law becomes your delight. Then you "stand fast ... in the liberty" Christ gives you (Gal. 5:1). ------------------------Chapter 38--A Neglected Book of the Bible That Opens a Door Into Heaven DDB2 38 1 There's a little Book deep inside the New Testament that is mightily neglected--Hebrews. You almost never hear a sermon about it. Yet it is precious because it opens a door into heaven so we can actually see what Jesus is doing now. The fact is, He's too busy working to take a vacation. He has workto do, night and day, constantly. He must stay at His job seven days a week because His great enemy is like "a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8, 9). Satan has lost his temper in his "wrath" against Christ and His people (Rev. 12:12). Jesus must fight! The better we understand what's going on behind the scenes, the less we'll feel like "goofing off." ("Retirement" becomes an obsolete word.) DDB2 38 2 The almost forgotten Book of Hebrews details the work Jesus is doing in His "office" (yes, that's a valid word to describe His position, and we're free to walk in by faith): DDB2 38 3 (1) He is sending a special contingent of angels to try to "hold" back horrible war that will sweep tens of thousands into death and inflame millions into angry passions that will make comprehension of the gospel difficult (see Rev. 7:1-4). "Winds" are about to blow now! DDB2 38 4 (2) While the "nations [are] angry" Jesus opens His "temple of God in heaven" so we can see what's happening (Rev. 11:15-19). And here is where the Book of Hebrews comes on stage: it describes His special present-day job more clearly than any other Book in the Bible. DDB2 38 5 (3) He is described as our "High Priest," working as our Pastor, Counselor, Psychologist/Psychiatrist who is the Great Physician of sick and troubled hearts and minds. Don't kid yourself--you need Him! That ministry is for you personally as if you were the only "patient" He has on earth. DDB2 38 6 His goal? To prepare you for His second coming (Heb. 9:28). Big job! If we don't "resist" Him, He'll do it. And He knows how to do it. ------------------------Chapter 39--Is It Possible That Terrible Disasters Can Turn the Heart of a Nation to God? DDB2 39 1 Is it possible that terrible disasters can turn the heart of a nation to God? After 9/11, for a few weeks, people in America were solemn. Even Disneyland closed briefly. Like ancient King Ahab who "walked softly" after Elijah's stern rebuke, the nation seemed to walk softly for a time. Talk shows became a bit subdued in tone; comedians were more serious for a time; and sales of luxury items slacked off. DDB2 39 2 The media reported a year later that New Yorkers were still in a state of "humility." The horror was unspeakable. Thoughtful people everywhere couldn't help but think of Revelation's description of the final fall of modern "Babylon": "'Alas, alas that great city ... for in one hour such great riches came to nothing.' ... Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, 'Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore'" (18:16-21). DDB2 39 3 "God bless America!" we sing. "Stand beside her, and guide her." And all this time since 1776, God has done so (except for a skirmish in 1812 when the British burned the White House). God has "stood beside" us and saved us from invasion within our own shores. He has responded to our National Hymn, "Protect us by Thy might, Great God our King!" Now we still wonder why He "stood back" and permitted (for the first time!) that horrendous incursion of 9/11. Will Heaven ever be forced to judge, "There's nothing of moral rectitude left in this nation worth divinely protecting"? DDB2 39 4 No, disasters are not God's method of turning a nation's heart to Him. Ahab's "repentance" lasted only a short time, as do all repentances induced by fear. Only the "Elijah" message of "turning hearts," of much more abounding grace, can effect a permanent conversion. It's time for it, on this great cosmic Day of Atonement! ------------------------Chapter 40--A Compelling Power That Will Move the Honest in Heart DDB2 40 1 When Jesus speaks of the future, He says, "Let not your heart be troubled" (John 14:1). Yes, there will be "a time of trouble," but four glorious happenings will also coalesce: DDB2 40 2 (1) "This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations" before "the end will [can] come" (Matt. 24:14; and that "gospel," says Jesus, will have to include the story of Mary Magdalene and her washing Jesus' feet with tears, Mark 14:9). DDB2 40 3 (2) The great "angel" of Revelation 18:1-4 will proclaim the message that will "lighten the earth with His glory" (vss. 1-4). The message will at last be demonstrated as "the power of God to salvation" (Rom. 1:16). Servants of God, endowed with power from on high with their faces lighted up, and shining with holy consecration, will go forth to proclaim the message from heaven. A compelling power will move the honest in heart. God will be in the work, and every saint will be fearless of consequences and follow the convictions of his own conscience and unite with those who keep all the commandments of God. Fear of relatives or of economic distress will be powerless. A large number will take their stand in preparation for the coming of Christ. DDB2 40 4 (3) The re-sent "Elijah the prophet" will arrive "before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn ... hearts" (Mal. 4:5, 6). The work of the Lord will be finely tuned, precisely balanced, powerful, so that what God's people have wanted to see for two millennia will come: Mary Magdalene's demonstration of what "faith" is (Luke 7:50) will "turn [hard] hearts" (they're everywhere now!). DDB2 40 5 (4) At long last, the words of Jesus will meet their fulfillment: "Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself" (John 12:31, 32). There will be many "Pauls" coming to "Corinth" like him proclaiming nothing but "Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:1-5). DDB2 40 6 Lord, hasten the day! ------------------------Chapter 41--David's "Psalm of Psalms" DDB2 41 1 The Book of Psalms is everybody's favorite devotional reading. Those songs say things to God and about Him that we wish we could say, but we don't dare. They are openly honest, laying bare the very deepest emotions in our hearts. No matter how much we cleverly put on the appearance that "all is well," inside we are wrestling with the same problems David had. DDB2 41 2 "Why have You forsaken me?" we ask when we are going through our valley of shadows. We read of other people's miraculous answers to prayer, but "O my God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; and in the night season ..." (22:1, 2). "Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were delivered; they trusted in You, and were not ashamed. But I ..." And then David says what we don't dare say even though we sometimes feel this way, "But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people" (vss. 4-6). DDB2 41 3 But the Psalm of Psalms that defies our understanding most is the one (the only one!) that ends in despair--Psalm 88. It says the most painful things about God of any of the Psalms. It's the near-death and near-hell category of prayer. Not the death of some elderly person who might welcome silent rest, but it's the death of a very aware young person whose bitterness is the most distressing because it is the most deeply felt: "Loved one and friend You have put far from me, and my acquaintances into darkness" (vs. 18). (Teenagers need to read the Psalms; they are one of the groups most prone to depression today.) DDB2 41 4 David has put into words of prayer thoughts that seethe beneath the surface in hearts: "Lord, You are to blame for my divorce! You turned this person against me when he or she had told me, 'I love you!' and I believed it. There is no bitterness in life so painful to endure as 'Loved one You have put far from me!'” The psychiatrists and counselors can work overtime to heal, but the wound still festers even years or decades later. "God did it, not me! It feels like He hates me!" DDB2 41 5 Read Psalm 88 again: David is not bitter, and neither do we need to be. Don't miss the huge comfort that is here: David is a type of Christ who drank a cup of hatred more bitter than any of us can taste. Through David we learn to know Him--as He is. ------------------------Chapter 42--Evidence of God's Special Love For You DDB2 42 1 Would you like to have some bona fide evidence that the Lord loves you personally and especially? That would be better news than winning the lottery, wouldn't it? Well, maybe you can find out. Does He chasten you, reprove you? Does He remind you, convict you, of your sins and your weaknesses and your failures? DDB2 42 2 There's a special Hebrew word found in Psalm 73:14, that encompasses all those thoughts, and it might bring great encouragement to you if you can say Yes to my questions. The psalmist is praying and he says, "all day long I have been plagued, and chastened every morning." Listen to his prayer as it is in the Good News Bible: "O God, ... every morning you have punished me. ... I tried to think this problem through, but it was too difficult for me until I went into your Temple [sanctuary]. ... When my thoughts were bitter and my feelings were hurt, I was as stupid as an animal; I did not understand you. Yet ... you hold me by the hand. You guide me with your instruction and at the end you will receive me with honor. What else do I have in heaven but you? Since I have you, what else could I want on earth?" (vss. 14-25). DDB2 42 3 Hebrews 12:6-8 picks up on this insight, saying: "Whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? If you are without chastening, ... then you are illegitimate and not sons." DDB2 42 4 In other words, the Lord is talking about discipline. He is not punishing you in the sense of making you suffer for your sins, to pay a debt; that's the Hindu idea of karma. No, He is training you to stand in the time of trouble, to be a member of His parliament, of His cabinet, to sit with Him on His throne (Rev. 3:21). And all that is the practical result of His work in the Most Holy Apartment, in the cleansing of the sanctuary--preparing a people for translation. His chastening is an evidence of His special love. Accept it! ------------------------Chapter 43--Jesus Knows What It’s Like to be Human and Heavily Laden DDB2 43 1 Do you feel harassed and burdened with all the things you have to do? You may be young enough to carry on without collapsing, and you may feel that you simply must have a pill now and then or you can't get through the day. And yes, you do try to squeeze in some Bible reading or something from "the Lord's messenger," but then, the more you read the more guilty you feel for not getting everything done that is "duty." DDB2 43 2 Well, here's a little tidbit from the Lord Jesus Himself that's different: "To you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, ... who have not known the depths of Satan, ... I will put on you no other burden" (Rev. 2:24). This shows that the Lord Jesus knows what it's like to be human and heavily laden. DDB2 43 3 The particular context in “Thyatira” that called forth this compassionate little remark is not fully understood, but you have the full right to think of Jesus as being sympathetic to you. You may have thought of the Holy Spirit as constantly convicting you of sin (John 16:8--that's true, but it's also "comfort," John 14:16, King James Version), prodding you always to work harder, to do more, to pray more, to study your Bible more, to pay more tithe, give more offerings, go on more missionary journeys, get up earlier, diet more, and you feel exhausted spiritually as well as physically. Is it the Lord's will for you? DDB2 43 4 Stop and think a moment: the Lord Jesus promises He will put a limit on the "burdens"He will lay upon you. He even insists that His "burden is light." And the closer you let Him get to you, His yoke becomes more "easy" (Matt. 11:28-30). DDB2 43 5 Your lifelong entanglement with a works program may incline you to think this is heresy; but it's a side of Jesus you need to realize. He's your Lord, yes; but He's also your Friend. ------------------------Chapter 44--The "Elijah" Message--What Will It Do? DDB2 44 1 When the "Elijah message" comes, what will it do? How can we recognize it, so we don't treat it as the Jews treated John the Baptist? (see Matt. 17:10-13). DDB2 44 2 It will not be a revival of legalism, harsh, vindictive, condemnatory. Just the opposite: "He ["Elijah"] shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers" (Mal 4:6, King James Version). A message of reconciliation! And that means "atonement"--the cosmic Day of Atonement ministry centered in the sanctuary's Most Holy Apartment. DDB2 44 3 Elijah had no patience with the "prophets of Baal," but he had enormous patience and tenderness for the people. The people were sheep who had been led astray by their shepherds who had been supported from the national treasury. (Anyone who gains his livelihood administered from the sacred tithe should tremble before God.) Elijah's indignation was inspired by the Holy Spirit. It was the "righteous indignation" God expresses in Jeremiah 23 and Ezekiel 22 and 34 where He says "Woe to the shepherds [pastors] … who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?" (Ezek. 34:2). Self-worship disguised as the worship, the ministry, of Christ! That is the essence of Baal worship. God hates it. DDB2 44 4 But His heart yearns toward the people who are led astray, especially the youth and the children. "Elijah's" message will heal alienated hearts. Hardness will be melted. Through "the grace of God," not through harsh legalism, buried "roots of bitterness" will be exposed for what they are and a people will realize a precious oneness with Jesus (see Zech 13:1; Heb 12:15). DDB2 44 5 And, of course therefore, a precious oneness with one another! "Elijah's" message will do for God's people what it did for him--it prepared him for translation. Don't kid yourself: Satan will oppose that message hell-bound. But "the grace of God" will be much more abounding. God's people will respond to their High Priest. ------------------------Chapter 45--Who Are the "Blessed" Ones in the Bible? DDB2 45 1 The word "beatitude" is a big word, which in the Bible is rendered as "blessed," and that simply means "happy." It means that certain people enjoy a happiness that is the natural result of their faith and obedience; it can also mean that God in a supernatural way gives happiness to such people. But we hasten to add that He does not show partiality, favoring one person over another (James 2:1). DDB2 45 2 Don't let Satan discourage you with his suggestion that you are not one of God's favored ones. You may feel that way, but that doesn't mean that his suggestion is true. Even Jesus as He hung on His cross cried out, "My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Because of Christ's sacrifice, you must believe that the Lord loves you and has chosen you to be His child. That's what the "believing" in John 3:16 means. DDB2 45 3 So who are the "blessed" ones in the Bible? The answer has to be: those who believe God's gracious Good News. Their faith works, and that is why they obey, and the natural result is "blessedness." DDB2 45 4 There are well over 100 "beatitudes" in the Bible. But when Jesus came, He surprised the Jews of His day with "blessings" that seemed directly the opposite of their ideas: "Blessed are the poor in spirit," "Blessed are those who mourn," "Blessed are the meek," "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst," "Blessed are those who are persecuted," "Blessed are you when [people] revile you ... and say all kinds of evil against you falsely," etc., etc. Stunning! DDB2 45 5 Those words woke up a class of people who had been educated to feel left out of the kingdom of God! Surely Jesus must have been impressed by that "beatitude" in Psalm 94:12 which says: "Blessed is the person whom You instruct, O Lord, and teach out of Your law, that You may give him rest from the days of adversity." A happiness to be found in the most unexpected place! And Paul adds, "Whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son [or daughter] whom He receives" (Heb. 12:6). DDB2 45 6 Do you really need more evidence that He loves and receives you? ------------------------Chapter 46--The Good Shepherd and Practical Day-by-Day Living DDB2 46 1 How does the Good Shepherd seeking and finding His lost sheep translate into practical day-by-day living? If the Savior gives us a good faith-relationship with Himself, shouldn't it be fair for us now to "maintain" that "relationship" by Bible study, prayer, and witnessing? If the Lord gives you a new car, isn't it fair that you "maintain" it by changing the oil, renewing the brake pads, paying the insurance, etc., etc.? DDB2 46 2 Yes, of course, only fair. But a lot of cars get dilapidated by not being "maintained," the new car thrill wears off; and also lots of people lose their "relationship with the Lord" by neglect and forgetfulness. So we have "revival" campaigns at various intervals. And of course, all that is good. DDB2 46 3 It sounds like such reasonable good sense that millions know no other way to be Christians. But when you think it through, isn't this the essence of the "by faith plus by works" idea? We're afraid of any Good News that's better than that lest making the Good News too good might lull us to sleep and we'll forget to keep the law. The "faith plus works" idea becomes immensely popular because it seems to be the only way people can stay "faithful." (The Old Covenant is loath to give way to the New Covenant.) DDB2 46 4 If the Good Shepherd has risked His own life to save the lost sheep, doesn't it make common sense that He require the sheep now to walk its way home? Yes, of course, that's only fair; but that's not what the parable says: "When He has found it, He lays it on His shoulders, rejoicing" (Luke 15:5). Paul says in Philippians: "I am sure that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus" (1:6, Good News Bible). What does that mean? Lazy, do-nothing religion? DDB2 46 5 No; it means that through the Holy Spirit the Good Shepherd who initiated this good "relationship" now seeks to maintain it. His love is not only a finding love, it's also a keeping love. The Holy Spirit is a Person who keeps convicting us of "sin, ... of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:7-11). Be careful: don't drown His voice. That's where our problem starts. DDB2 46 6 Even Jesus when he was with us in the flesh needed His Father to wake Him up "morning by morning ... to hear as the learned." (Does the Father love you less? It seems fair and good sense to say No, He loves His Son more; but the amazing truth is He loves us just as much!) But Jesus did not resist His Father's awakening calls--as we do so often: "I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away" (Isa. 50:4, 5). DDB2 46 7 Mr. Laodicea, you can't save yourself even 1 percent. But you can let Christ save you, you can "let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus," you can "let the word of Christ dwell in you richly," etc. (Phil. 2:5; Col. 3:16). You can stop resisting Him. ------------------------Chapter 47--"It Is Written" Was Jesus' Experience DDB2 47 1 The Almighty, the omniscient God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, could well have anticipated our modern film technology, and had an angel camera crew on the scene when Jesus was crucified 2000 years ago. Then we could have it on our screens absolutely accurate--that face of Jesus clear and undistorted by any unavoidably sinful human imitation of Him. DDB2 47 2 The Father chose not to do it for us. Instead, He chose to "reveal" Him in a Book that itself throbs with life because the same Holy Spirit who inspired it inspires our reading of it. There in the Book "we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death [the second!], crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone" (Heb. 2:9). DDB2 47 3 Every human heart has a built-in monitor screen whereon the Holy Spirit as a projector flashes a true image of Jesus; each individual "sees" Him as the Galatians "saw" Him, "crucified among you" (3:1). This "image" flashed on the conscience by the Holy Spirit is in vivid 3D, in full color, and each believing individual is summoned from the grandstands where he thinks he is only watching and becomes a participant himself in the drama--"crucified with Christ" (2:20) or crucifying Him afresh (Heb. 6:6). And you never in all eternity forget what you "saw" and knew first-hand. DDB2 47 4 We could complain to the Father that He has deprived us of this actual "movie" that was never recorded on film. But He would have to respond to us that His own Son, Jesus, had no such "movie" setting forth the happenings from creation on to His time. Jesus had to depend instead only on the Word--the Bible. "It is written" had to be His experience. No angel gave Him any advantage greater than you and I have in what is "written" in the Bible. DDB2 47 5 The Holy Spirit always asks us, "Do you understand what you are reading?" (Acts 8:30). The Ethiopian invited Philip into his chariot and they read Isaiah 53. Invite the Holy Spirit with you to read the life of Jesus, especially its closing scenes--in Psalm 22, 69, Isaiah 53, Zechariah 12, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, etc. Wait on your knees; Give Him time to flash on your conscience the clear, undistorted vision of "Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:1, 2). You'll abhor watching any imitation of it. ------------------------Chapter 48--Is a Fool More Difficult for God to Save Than an Ordinary Sinner? DDB2 48 1 There is a prayer in the Bible that can be the last stand for any human in distress. It's the one that will always be answered in kindness and grace: "God be merciful to me a sinner!" (Luke 18:13; the little Greek particle ho makes the publican pray, "God be merciful to me the most sinful sinner!") But is there any prayer in the Bible like, "God, be merciful to me, a fool"? DDB2 48 2 Is a fool more difficult for God to save than a plain ordinary sinner? King Saul confessed to David, "I have played the fool and erred exceedingly" (1 Sam. 26:21). He had been persecuting David, "the anointed of the Lord." But we do not read that King Saul prayed for God to have mercy on him; he finally ended his brilliant career in suicide. DDB2 48 3 In rejecting Jesus, the Jewish leaders accused Him of tremendous delusional grandeur: "For a good work we do not stone You, but ... because You, being a Man, make Yourself God" (John 10:33). As Jesus hung at last on His cross apparently "forsaken" by His Father, and ridiculed by the crowd, Satan wrung His heart with fierce temptations. DDB2 48 4 Only a few short hours before, He had regaled His disciples with prophecies that when "the Son of man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory, [and] all the nations will be gathered before Him" (Matt. 25:31, 32). Now behold Yourself, says Satan, naked on a Roman cross, forsaken of Your Father, ridiculed by all the people; how could you have been plunged from Your delusions of grandeur any lower than You are! If Jesus was tempted, He wondered if His enemies may have been right all along. DDB2 48 5 As we read Psalm 22 (the transcript of His prayer as He hung there), we find that He was sorely tempted to think of Himself as less than human, "a worm" (vs. 6). The agony of forsakenness was not cosmetic; He drank the cup of hell to its dregs. When finally by His faith He broke through the darkness of the second death into the sunlight of His Father's acceptance, His prayer indicates that he had been tempted to think of Himself as the Fool of all fools: "Save Me from the lion's mouth and from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me. ... You who fear the Lord, ... He has not despised nor abhorred ... the Afflicted, nor has He hidden His face from Him; but when He cried to Him, He heard" (vss. 21-24). DDB2 48 6 Man may despise a fool, but God does not "abhor" a repentant one. If any "forsaken" sinner anywhere in the world reads this, let him or her take heart. ------------------------Chapter 49--What Is Faith? DDB2 49 1 We talk much about "faith" and many have written books and preached sermons about it. But what is faith? The best definition I have found for "faith" is this: it is a heart-appreciation of the love [agape] of Christ. DDB2 49 2 We know that whatever faith is, it is something that the heart performs because we read, "With the heart one believes to righteousness" (Rom. 10:10). But just what is it that "the heart" does? The heart "chooses" to "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). DDB2 49 3 It is not a workthat the heart performs--which "work" could be readily understood as having some merit (and for sure, our "carnal minds" would naturally seek for something to take credit for! (see Rom. 8:7). Faith is simply a response of the sinful human heart to the revealing, the pouring-out, of the love [agape] of Christ. DDB2 49 4 It's a positive response, not careless or negative in any way; the sinner immediately receives the gift of repentance for his hard-heartedness. Isaac Watts long ago said it well: DDB2 49 5 "When I survey the wondrous cross DDB2 49 6 On which the Prince of glory died, DDB2 49 7 My richest gain I count but loss, DDB2 49 8 And pour contempt on all my pride." DDB2 49 9 To "survey"--the exact, right word; but how do you "survey"? Quietly, alone, on your knees, every earthly voice hushed--TV, cell phones, all our electronics; you invite the Holy Spirit to enter into your thinking, your comprehension, to be your Teacher while you "wait" patiently "in school" before Him. DDB2 49 10 Psalm 27 gives the secret now that we want: "When You said, ‘Seek My face,’ my heart said to You, ‘Your face, Lord, I will seek [!].’ … I would have lost heart [fainted], unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living [that is, while I am still alive]. Wait on the Lord: ... wait, I say, on the Lord!" (vss. 8, 13, 14). ------------------------Chapter 50--Jesus Has Pledged Himself to Endure With His Faithful Disciples Today DDB2 50 1 All through Bible history and the history of Christianity, those who seek to follow Jesus have been opposed, ridiculed, and persecuted. Always, the believer who would be faithful must "take up his cross" in order to follow the true Christ (Luke 9:23). DDB2 50 2 Elijah was opposed by the government of the Israelite nation; the opposition of the king and queen was so terrible that he was denounced as "public enemy No. 1." The same persecution was seen in King Saul's bitter hatred of David, the youth whom the Lord had "anointed" to replace him as future king. Then Jeremiah had to spend his entire lifetime enduring the persecution inflicted on him by the successive kings and leaders of Judah following the death of good king Josiah. DDB2 50 3 At first the official leadership of the nation of Israel was favorable to the message of John the Baptist, but later what they considered objective evidence made them conclude they were forced to criticize, then oppose, then reject, and finally crucify, the Man whom God had sent as their Messiah. It was the popular thing to do--shout, "Crucify Him!" (John 19:15). DDB2 50 4 Must we still "take up [our] cross" in order to be faithful to Him? Yes, but does that mean that life must be dreary, enduring sadness and loneliness? No, the promise of Jesus has particular reference to life today. He said: "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20). DDB2 50 5 As He walked with the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace (Dan. 3:25), so He has pledged Himself to suffer and endure with His faithful disciples today. In every confrontation with Satanic falsehood, Jesus wins the victory. ------------------------Chapter 51--How Jesus Won Souls DDB2 51 1 You would like the Holy Spirit to help you win some soul to conversion in Christ. Note how Jesus won souls: He always gave them Good News. DDB2 51 2 Take for instance, the crucified thief on the cross (Luke 23:34-43): Jesus' last chance to win somebody before He had to die! What did He tell the thief? "You will be with Me in Paradise!" simply because the ex-hate-filled man asked to be "remembered." Jesus gave the poor man Good News. DDB2 51 3 Consider also the woman taken in adultery in John 8:1-11 (don't cut the story out of your Bible!). Did He tell her, "If you will keep straight from now on, God will forgive your sins and then He will accept you"? No, He gave her Good News: "I do not condemn you; go and sin no more." I take your condemnation upon Myself; I am paying the price for your sin; I lift from you this burden of guilt, because as the Lamb of God I bear your guilt Myself. His command to "sin no more" was more a promise than a restriction. With this message, she was able to "go and sin no more." Jesus saved her right then and there. DDB2 51 4 Cleopas and his friend on the path to Emmaus (the story begins in Luke 24:13). They were so overwhelmed with discouragement that they would have given up their faith in Jesus as "the Savior of the world" if they had not gotten help just then. With His true identity concealed, He gave them a Bible study that was full of Good News. He saved them. Go and do likewise for some soul who needs Good News. ------------------------Chapter 52--The Only Group of People in the Bible to be "Without Fault" DDB2 52 1 There is a strange group of people brought to view in Revelation 7 and 14. They "follow the Lamb wherever He goes" and they "are without fault" before the throne of God (Rev. 14:4, 5). A special angel places "the seal of God" upon them while four other angels perform the difficult task of holding back the horrible hurricane winds of human passion that threaten to involve the world in the end-time war of wars (Rev. 7:2, 3). DDB2 52 2 This is the only group of people in the Bible to be designated as "without fault." The placing of the seal of God on them while earth's final war threatens, makes clear their appearance is near the end of time. DDB2 52 3 For sure, they are not legalists. Their being "without fault" is not a self-help kind of egocentric righteousness; what they do is totally unique. They have learned how to "follow the Lamb," the crucified Christ. In other words, it is clear that their being "without fault" implies that like all humans they are sinners by nature. In following the crucified Christ means that they have had the same battle with temptation that all humans have. What sets them aside as special is that they have "overcome ... as [Christ] also overcame" (Rev. 3:20). DDB2 52 4 They will be the first to acknowledge that they are "the chief of sinners," "less than the least of all saints." They will be praying the constant prayer, "God be merciful to me a sinner" (1 Tim. 1:15, Eph. 3:8, Luke 18:13). Not the slightest whisper of a claim to holiness will be heard escaping their lips. DDB2 52 5 They share a special relationship to that one person of all time who enjoyed the highest praise Jesus ever bestowed on anyone--Mary Magdalene. He defended her against the religious leaders of the day (the Twelve apostles!), and said she "has done [all] she could" (Mark 14:8). Jesus died our death--the second; but before He drew His last breath, He could behold by faith that Mary's prototype demonstration of righteousness by faith would be duplicated in those "144,000" people at the end of time. DDB2 52 6 In her humility of soul Mary probably thought that she was useless. But in truth she was very important! So are you. You have an important place in God's last work. ------------------------Chapter 53--How Do You Think God Relates to You? DDB2 53 1 When you think of God, how do you think He relates to you? Church members view Him as making salvation available to "all men," but in what way? Is He like a shopkeeper who has his goods available to "all men," his doors always open, like a gas station open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? All the customer has to do is go there and obtain what he wants; do you think of God in that way? He never turns any "customer" away who "comes"? Sounds like Good News, doesn't it? Yes, it is! DDB2 53 2 The Jews thought of themselves as His agents, His "shopkeeper." They had the "goods" of salvation; if the Gentiles wanted it, they could "come" and get it. But Jesus had an even better idea: He would not only "open shop" but He would go in search of customers! He would become a divine Salesman (Good Shepherd?), and through the Holy Spirit would "knock" on every man's "door." And if someone would open the door to Him, He would do more than "sell" His goods of salvation, He would "give" what He had "without money and without price" (Isa. 55:1). It's as though He would take "every man" (that means every person) by the hand and say, "Come, let's go to heaven! You're welcome! When My Father accepted Me, He accepted you; He has a place for you in heaven!" Short of actual coercion (for He will never force anyone against their will), He says, "Come, you simply mustbe saved!" DDB2 53 3 That's what Peter meant when he said, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). In other words, the religion of Jesus (rightly understood) is the only one in heaven or earth that goes beyond the Shopkeeper version and says, "God insists! You mustbe saved!" DDB2 53 4 The first version is good, orthodox, lukewarm righteousness by faith--your salvation depends on you taking the initiative. The second? Sounds like your salvation depends on God taking the initiative, and your heart is melted by His love, by appreciating what it cost Him to save you. ------------------------Chapter 54--How Lowly Should We Think of Ourselves? DDB2 54 1 The apostle John nails down some good news logically: "If we ask anything [in prayer] according to [God's] will, [1] He hears us. And [2] if we know that He hears us, [3] whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions we have asked of Him" (1 John 5:14, 15). We "have" them--that is, on deposit credited to our personal account in God's Bank in heaven; when we need them most, we'll realize them. (John's context is ministering salvation to your needy "brother." That's always "according to His will"!) DDB2 54 2 We can pray a thousand times for something that isaccording to God's will--Paul's prayer in Romans 12:3: "I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think." Lord, save us from arrogance, from pride, from making fools of ourselves! King Nebuchadnezzar strutted about saying, "Is not this great Babylon that I have built ... for the honor of my majesty?" "That very hour" he was brought down to the level of a cow (Dan. 4:30, 33). Apparently that was the level that he ought to think. After 7 years of insanity he realized that every breath was given him by the grace of God, and he thought of himself correctly (vss. 34-37). DDB2 54 3 But how lowly should I "think of myself"? Am I "nothing"? A "worm"? (Psalm 22:6). Paul says: "think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith." As Christ my Savior hung on His cross in the darkness, forsaken by everybody including God (Matt. 27:46), He thought of Himself as "a worm, and no man." That hurt! But He went through that experience so I might never have to think of myself as a "worm." God does not want me to think of myself as nothing but as someone redeemed by that costly sacrifice of the Savior. Now, "I am crucified with Christ" (Gal. 2:20). By His grace, this miserable arrogance of the love of self is crucified with Him. DDB2 54 4 Said John Bunyan in The Pilgrim's Progress: "He that is down need fear no fall, / He that is low, no pride./ He that is humble ever shall / Have God to be his guide." He breathed the atmosphere of heaven, says one wise writer. ------------------------Chapter 55--In the Devil's Present-day "Plagues," There Is Mixed the "Mercy" of God DDB2 55 1 The Bible speaks clearly about "seven lastplagues" in which "the wrath of God is complete" (Rev. 15:1). They are "poured out" by "seven angels" who declare that "true and righteous are Your judgments," "Lord God Almighty" (16:7). They are "the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation," because each recipient will "worship the beast and his image, and ... receive the mark of his name" (14:10, 11). DDB2 55 2 Why this terrible outburst of God's wrath? All through the millennia of history, the "wrath of God" has been tempered, diluted, softened, "mixed" with His mercy. But when those final plagues are poured out, it is full strength. Why the abrupt change? DDB2 55 3 Has God at that time changed His character? Up until now He has made "His sun [to] rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matt. 5:45). By virtue of Christ's sacrifice on His cross He has treated every man as though he had not sinned. That is "mercy," the "justification of life" that Paul says is Christ's "gift" to "all men" from His cross (Rom. 5:15-18). Does He then no longer "love the world" for whom He "gave His only Son"? DDB2 55 4 Yes, He still loves the wicked, but they have now corporately, finally, totally rejected that love. When "the world" crucified Christ (not just the Jews and Romans, 3:19), He forgave them. That's why He can send "His sun" and "rain" on all of us alike. DDB2 55 5 When a terrible tornado totally destroys a city, does that mean that those people "were worse sinners than all other[s] ... because they suffered such things"? Jesus answered that question in Luke 13:1-5 with a negative answer. All the world is corporately guilty of crucifying Him and must repent. The whole world will suffer in the end, but only when it repeats the crucifixion of Christ in wanting to murder God's people, enforcing the universal decree that all who "would not worship the image of the beast to be killed" (Rev. 13:15). For that final universal sin there will at last be no forgiveness, only the "full strength" wrath of God. DDB2 55 6 Thank God that in all the devil's present-day "plagues," there is mixed the "mercy" of God. Rejoice in it; but let's not dare presume upon it. ------------------------Chapter 56--Jesus' Good News Promise, "I Will Come Again" DDB2 56 1 Is Jesus Christ doing anything special now? Or is He doing the same as He has always done since He ascended to heaven nearly two millennia ago? DDB2 56 2 His work throughout the ages has been preparing people to die--a wonderful work. By His Holy Spirit untold millions are being prepared to come up in the first resurrection so they can inherit a place in His eternal kingdom. Thus they have prayed in their last hour, "Abide with me, ... the darkness deepens, Lord, with me abide." For those who die, nothing can be more important than to be "counted worthy to attain ... the resurrection from the dead," says Jesus (Luke 20:35). DDB2 56 3 But must sin continue to plague human life on this planet forever? Must the agony of the Middle East continue generation after generation, on and on? Remember that Jesus Himself feels all this misery (Isa. 63:9). DDB2 56 4 The Good News is that He promises, "I will come again" (John 14:3). For His sake, as well as ours! But He can't come the second time until He prepares a people, not to die as have billions, but to be translated without seeing death (see 1 Thess. 4:15-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-55; Rev. 14:14-16, etc.). What's the difference, if any? This is it: the final tests! DDB2 56 5 Who are those people? It's not our job to judge anyone. But silently, steadily, the Lord Jesus as our great High Priest in His closing work in the heavenly sanctuary is doing just that--preparing a people to endure the final tests of the mark of the beast by faith to stand unmoved when the Holy Spirit is withdrawn from the earth, to be loyal. They "overcome even as [He] overcame" (Rev. 3:21). Listen! ------------------------Chapter 57--Learning to Talk With God DDB2 57 1 People learn to do all kinds of wonderful things. Some learn to play baseball, some soccer, some to play the piano or the violin, some to be surgeons, etc. But there is one thing everybody must learn to do--talk with God. And yet most people are afraid to try to pray. They think they don't know what to say. And they wonder if God will even listen to them, and if He will answer in any way at all. Well, I'd like to encourage you to learn to talk with God. DDB2 57 2 (1) Jesus tells us how to begin in Matthew 6:6: "When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." DDB2 57 3 (2) Notice what he says about God being your Father in heaven. If you have had a kind, loving earthly father it may help you to see God that way, but even if your earthly father has not been a good example to you, you can easily learn to believe that your heavenly Father loves you, listens to you, and answers you. Make a choice to believe in God whom you cannot see with your eyes, but you have plenty of evidence that proves His love for you. DDB2 57 4 So, (3) begin by saying Thank You to Him for all that you do have--before you begin asking Him for things that you don't have. DDB2 57 5 (4) There's something else very important before you begin asking things for yourself--be sure to ask for something for somebody else first! Think of someone somewhere who needs help of some kind, and pray for that person beforeyou begin praying for yourself. DDB2 57 6 (5) Be honest with God and tell Him all that is in your heart, including your mistakes, yes, what you know is your sin. And remember, when you know you have sinned, don't stay away from God--that's the very best time to come to Him. He already knows you have sinned and still He loves you. He doesn't love the sin, but He loves you and wants to separate the sin from you. That's what forgiveness really is--it takes the sin away from your heart. DDB2 57 7 Then the last point: (6) Give your heavenly Father a chance to answer you, to respond to your questions. He will speak to you in the Bible. Yes, I am serious; Jesus promised that if you go to your room, close the door, and pray to your heavenly Father in secret, "your Father will reward you." You can lean to talk to Him and you can learn to listen to Him. ------------------------Chapter 58--Talking With God Face to Face as Moses Did DDB2 58 1 When Moses chose "to suffer affliction with the people of God" (Heb. 11:25), he turned his back on "the treasures in Egypt." His life thereafter was one of almost unending toil and sacrifice and tears, until finally he died utterly alone on Mount Nebo and was buried there by angels. DDB2 58 2 But as compensation, he was permitted to go up into "the mount" and there fast, and commune with the Infinite One. Moses was the man, unique among all fallen descendants of Adam, "whom the Lord knew face to face" (Deut. 34:10), for "the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend" (Ex. 33:11). What do you think--would that be worth more than Egypt's wealth and luxury? DDB2 58 3 Who is "Moses" today? The wealth of the Vatican is enormous, probably far greater than all the wealth that the ancient Pharaohs ever dreamed of. Does the Vatican turn its back on the glory of this world, in order to "suffer affliction with the people of God"? DDB2 58 4 Or is "Moses" a symbol of the leadership of Protestant churches today? God enjoyed "friendly" communion with Moses "face to face." It was a pleasure for Him. One wonders if today He is lonely, neglected, like an elderly man in a nursing home who yearns for someone to talk with "face to face." DDB2 58 5 Where is the pastor, the church administrator, the leader, who climbs "the mount" and fasts and communes with God, and thinks God's thoughts with Him, then goes down into the Valley, his face shining with glory, to communicate the knowledge of God to the people? What a pity if such a leader, appointed by God to shepherd His flock, never takes time to go up in the "mount"! Or have we come to a time of electronic marvels and jet planes and satellite glory, so that talking with God face to face as Moses did is old-fashioned? DDB2 58 6 Well, we want some Good News--so here it is: Your"mount" is waiting for you, and there on top is the Infinite One waiting patiently to commune with you. The air there is pure; youcan breathe it. ------------------------Chapter 59--Yom Kippur and the Cosmic Day of Atonement DDB2 59 1 What does it mean to live while that great "seventh angel" of Revelation 11 blows his "trumpet" (vss. 15-19)? What is "Day of Atonement" living? And what's so different about it than living on any ordinary "day"? DDB2 59 2 The Day of Atonement for Israel of old was what Jews today regard as "Yom Kippur," a day being observed by Jews around the world. This is a solemn "day," different than any other of the year (Lev. 23:27-32). It was a kindergarten lesson of the cosmic Day of Atonement in which we live today, a time of being completely reconciled to God (the word "atonement" means "at-one-with"). It's the opposite of being afraid of God; it's living totally, fearlessly, in harmony with Him. DDB2 59 3 It'snot wearing hairshirts or walking on hot coals or starving yourself (Hinduism has been specially designed as a gross counterfeit of it). It's not being ascetic, going off in the desert to be a nun or a monk (the Dark Ages idea was a total distortion of it). It's not the karma idea of piling up "good works" to make up for all the bad things you've done. It's not fear-motivated living; it is love-motivated living. It's totally being at-one with Jesus, of living in heart-union with Him. It's not fanaticism or dour self-torture. It's not singing sad hymns all the time. DDB2 59 4 So, what is Day of Atonement living? It's "growing up" out of spiritual infancy "to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13), and loving every moment of it! It's a mature "comprehension" of His thinking, His feelings, His aspirations (3:14-21). It's identifying with Him to the point of being "in Him," of looking at the world as He looks at the world and being supremely happy in that identity. DDB2 59 5 Yes, since time began there have always been "some few in every generation" who have "grown up" out of the kindergarten idea of worshiping God and have been at-one with Him, like Enoch who "walked with God," and Moses, whose heart was so in tune with Him that he was willing to have his name blotted out of the Book of Life rather than see Israel go down the drain (cf. Heb. 11:5; Ex. 32:31, 32). DDB2 59 6 But now on this cosmic Day of Atonement, this "antitypical" one, God has a worldwide corporate "body" of people so "at-one" with Him that they become a Bride to Christ who "has made herself ready" for "the marriage of the Lamb" (Rev. 19:7). Every moment of every day becomes an exciting adventure "with Him." ------------------------Chapter 60--"The Lord Upholds All Who Fall ..." DDB2 60 1 Can you think a moment and envision God in the way that Psalm 145 does? The Book of Psalms is where our intimate closeness to the King of the Universe is emphasized; you and I may be the most lowly inhabitants of this globe, yet we remember that "the Lord thinks upon me" (Psalm 40:17). DDB2 60 2 You are delighted when a friend tells you he or she has been thinking about you--with good will. DDB2 60 3 Well, it is solid truth that the Lord, infinite though He is, busy as He is keeping the Milky Way running smoothly, takes time to devote His thought processes to you and me individually, with good will (cf. Luke 2:14). "In Christ" the infinite Father is as close to you and me, unworthy as we are, as if we were the only inhabitants of this "desert island" of earth. DDB2 60 4 Yes, we must as the most rudimentary lesson of heaven's kindergarten, believe two magnificent things: (1) "he that comes to God must believe that He is, and (2) that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Heb. 11:6). He has reconciled us who are in heart at "enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7), but at the same time we must let go this enmity we have: now "be reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20). DDB2 60 5 Here is how Psalm 145 pictures God (it's like He puts pictures in His Bible like we put pictures in our books): here is the mighty God kneeling down like you kneel down with some food in your hand to entice a fawn or chipmunk to come and eat out of your hand. "The eyes of all look expectantly to You, and You give them their food in due season." The Lord opens "[His] hand and satisfies the desire of every living thing" (vss. 15, 16). This includes the squirrels and the birds, and the bears--all. DDB2 60 6 But that's not everything in this "picture." Read more: "The Lord upholds all who fall, and raises up all those who are bowed down" (vs. 14). "All," yes; if we will let Him do it. DDB2 60 7 Don't be ashamed to kneel before Him so the entire universe sees you; let everybody on earth and in heaven see that you are "bowed down." When He does that, He puts "a new song" in your soul, even "praise to our God: many will see it, and ... trust in the Lord" (Psalm 40:3). DDB2 60 8 That's His substitute for an anti-depressant drug, or the psychiatrist's couch. ------------------------Chapter 61--One of the Most Neglected Passages in the Bible DDB2 61 1 One of the most neglected passages in the Bible explains simply how righteousness by faith works.Yet it's profound. DDB2 61 2 The topic talks about when you and I will meet Jesus Christ face to face in final judgment, a very real moment of life, the most real ever (2 Cor. 5:10: "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ"). DDB2 61 3 What will ensure our happiness, then? Not what we have done in achievement, but what we have permitted Him to motivate us to be and to do: "The love of Christ constrains us" (vs. 14). The opposite of restrain, that love impels us, pushes us outside of ourselves, makes us do things we never thought we could do. When you've been "constrained" by love to do something, any whiff of merit is denied. DDB2 61 4 This "constraint" is not mysterious emotion but sober, rational thinking: "because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then [that's equivalent to saying that] all died; and He died for all" (vss. 14, 15). In other words it's a 2 + 2 = 4 phenomenon: what happened on the cross means that when He died, actually youdied. And the simple fact is that if He had not died then you would not have survived! "We judge thus," the most profound reality of all human life. You and I owe everything to Him. DDB2 61 5 From now on, living is simply recognizing the honest obligation that we are in debt eternally and infinitely. It's the most joyous debt you can imagine. ------------------------Chapter 62--A Strange Group of People DDB2 62 1 They are a strange group of people who keep popping up before our consciousness. Some of us would like to forget them and stash them away in a theological attic, out of sight and mind. But then they get back on the stage again--these mysterious 144,000. DDB2 62 2 What makes us uncomfortable to even think about them is that "in their mouth was found no guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God" (Rev. 14:1-5). No church can hang up a banner, "The 144,000 "R" Us" like "Toys "R" Us." Instead, we realize how faulty we are by nature. And even when we get old, the Holy Spirit helps us remember, "There is none righteous, no, not one" (Rom. 3:10). Even to read aloud what the Bible says about these mysterious 144,000 is suspected as teaching the heresy of "perfectionism." DDB2 62 3 To go on letting ourselves be faulty, indulging in selfishness, being worldly, is as comfortable as wearing an old shoe. Rowing upstream is just too difficult, well, it's downright impossible, is the idea. "Allah" knows we can't be "without fault," so let's just trust His "compassion" and settle down to stay sinful in character. It's comforting to notice that's how everybody else is. DDB2 62 4 But here those people are back on stage--the fruition of God's goal for humanity. In spite of countless evil angels, they will "follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (Rev. 14:4). It means Christ as the crucified One has captured their hearts; they "glory in the cross of Christ" (Gal. 6:14). They discover a blessed "hunger and thirst for righteousness" that transcends their natural love for selfish worldly pleasure. These people see something in Jesus. ------------------------Chapter 63--Ezra and Nehemiah--Often Neglected, but Have an Honored Place in the Bible DDB2 63 1 When a Laodicean reads the two books of Ezra and Nehemiah as a narrative story, strange comparisons pop up. The Laodicean is already conscious of the Lord's rebuke in his life today, for He says, "Be zealous and repent" (Rev. 3:19). Now in reading these books, he relives the painful struggle of these Israelites to return from the 70-year captivity in Babylon. DDB2 63 2 As they try in spite of their enemies ridiculing them, the people of God under Nehemiah's direction manfully work to rebuild the walls of old Jerusalem, walls broken down by the Babylonians some 70 years before. Everything seems to go against them. It's not that the Lord Himself works against them, but He does permit their enemies to harass them. DDB2 63 3 Sanballat and Tobiah, for example, rise against the Jews continually. Their principal weapon is ridicule; they despise their efforts to rebuild the walls, saying that if a fox were to walk over their rebuilt wall it would fall down (Neh. 4:3). DDB2 63 4 So difficult is their work that with one hand the workers hold a sword or a spear and work with the other hand on the wall (4:17). It was a labor of repentance; the people of God were humiliated, yet they pressed on until the heavy task was completed. DDB2 63 5 It was the Lord's intention over a century ago that His people go forth with "the most precious message" that with His blessing should lighten the whole earth with glory; but modern "Sanballats" and "Tobiahs" rose up to oppose the work. DDB2 63 6 Now the consecration and devotion of the Lord's servants will be tried; we have come to the time when we must "gather warmth from the coldness of others." Faith in the Lord begets courage in the Lord; our task is not laying stones on stones to build a wall; our task is proclaiming truths on truths, demonstrating to the world that "the third angel's message in verity" is the truth that will lighten the earth; it will bring to a glorious triumph "the great controversy between Christ and Satan." DDB2 63 7 The books of Ezra and Nehemiah are often neglected, but they have an honored place in the Bible: to encourage the hard-pressed workers of the Lord in these last days. ------------------------Chapter 64--You Are Never Crucified Alone--Always it's "With Christ" DDB2 64 1 When does temptation become sin? Can you hope (in this life) to get to the place where you can be relieved of the burden of being tempted? DDB2 64 2 You have a grand piano; you enjoy its glorious tone. When it's time to go to bed you think, "Oh, that poor piano! All night long while I rest it must continue to endure those tons of pressure put upon its frame by all those strings stretched taut--I'll loosen them all." The result? The music is gone! DDB2 64 3 If you have thought of Jesus Christ as a person exempt from enduring the pressure of our temptations, you have missed the point of the New Testament. Its very first page describes Him as "Immanuel, ... God with us" (Matt. 1:23). God with youin your most alluring, nearly overmastering temptations. He was a Man with a capacity for enormous human temptation, because we read that He "was in all points tempted like as we are" (Heb. 4:15, King James Version). There is no human on the face of this planet who is "tempted in all points" as the human race is tempted; each of us is tempted only in our own little microcosm of temptability. DDB2 64 4 But this Human was also Divine, the second "Adam," the Head of the human race embracing within Himself all the temptability that all human beings collectively endure. No human being who prostrates himself before the throne of God in anguished prayer for deliverance from sin can battle against a temptation for which Christ has not already battled. And the Good News is loud and clear: He endured them all "yet without sin." The tension of temptation was there in His soul every moment of His life until that final hour on His cross when He felt to the full the awfulness of man's sin and its diabolical pressure that wrenches the spiritual nerves and sinews of humanity. DDB2 64 5 You say the tension you must endure is unbearable? Don't despise the music that only your soul can produce! Sing or play a duet with Christ--He never asks you to do a solo. (If you're a musician you know the joy of doing duets!) You are never crucified alone--always it's "with Christ" (Gal. 2:20). ------------------------Chapter 65--God Did the Unthinkable! DDB2 65 1 When God the Father, our Creator, found Himself confronted with a world (this fallen planet) that had rebelled against Him, He did the unthinkable: He frankly forgave us all! DDB2 65 2 This astonished the unfallen universe. DDB2 65 3 He sent His only Son, gaveHim, to die our second death. DDB2 65 4 The death of Jesus was infinitely more than a weekend of sleep (which any crucified person would appreciate; crucifixion did not kill people, it tortured them); the kind of death that Jesus died was what He described when He screamed on His cross, "My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46). The death that Jesus died is God-forsakenness. That's what hell is. DDB2 65 5 He knew He was dying our second death; He knew He was entering hell for us--the hell that has no ending, no light at the end of its dark tunnel. DDB2 65 6 Someone may object, "but He was resurrected the third day!" This understanding that many have diminishes the sacrifice of Christ and deprives us of the ability to appreciate its grand dimensions. DDB2 65 7 Crucifixion is a terribly painful experience but it is not lethal. Victims could live on for days, even weeks. It's torture. But Jesus knew that the death He was dying is the unending hell--the "curse" of God. DDB2 65 8 Moses had said it truly, "He who is hanged [on a tree] is accursed of God" (Deut. 21:23). Everybody believed Moses, including Jesus, which is why He screamed in His agony, "My God, why have You forsaken Me?" The cross was the proof of God's forsakenness of Him. DDB2 65 9 Hell is the infinite curse of God, the Father; there are no measurable dimensions to the extent of its horror; yet Jesus chose to enter into it; and the Father chose to giveHim to it! DDB2 65 10 When we sinners even begin to see its "width and length and depth and height" (Eph. 3:18), there is no end to the devotion that this divine love motivates us to give to Him forever! ------------------------Chapter 66--How Can a Person Be Truly Converted When He Is “Old”? DDB2 66 1 Nicodemus asked a pointed question that troubles every one of us, young or old: "How can a man be born when he is old?" (John 3:4). The word is geronin the Greek, from which we get gerontology, the science of growing old. (We get our word "grey" from that word too! In other words, Nicodemus asked, "How can a grey-haired person get converted!?") DDB2 66 2 Child psychologists usually agree that one forms his patterns of thinking and emotional response by the age of seven. Even a teenager has a decade of habit patterns of neurotransmitters developing a momentum hard to change, so he or she too is "old." If you haven't learned to play the violin well by 12, you'll probably never make it to Lincoln Center. DDB2 66 3 Now, how can a person be truly converted when he is "old"? The world says, "It's impossible." But Jesus took on Nicodemus, and said a decided "Yes!" to his question, "Most assuredly, ... do not marvel!" (vss. 5-7). Then He said that this miracle new birth comes about entirely by the work of the Holy Spirit (vs. 8). DDB2 66 4 Nicodemus was right in one respect--you can't re-birth yourself. Jesus hands out no do-it-yourself "be-born-again" kits. Paul got His point when he said, "From first to last this has been the work of God" (2 Cor. 5:18, The New English Bible). God plants the seed of the new birth in your soul like a wind carrying tree seeds far and wide and you "can't tell" how that gospel seed of hope got blown into your soul (see John 3:8), but it will germinate if you don't step on it and stamp it out. A seed germinating can break rocks and concrete! No human heart is too hard for what the Holy Spirit does therein. DDB2 66 5 Yes, Nicodemus! When a person is old, he or she can be born again! Jesus said, "Listen!" It happens by looking at Moses' "serpent" lifted up on a pole like the Israelites bitten by the poisonous snakes (vs. 14). The "serpent" represents Christ on His cross. You look and the poison of sin (self-love) is drawn out of your heart. You are born again by believing that love (vs. 16). "By grace you have been saved through faith" (Eph. 2:8). Perk up, Nicodemus! There's hope. ------------------------Chapter 67--It About Takes Your Breath Away! DDB2 67 1 We are smothered with advertising for sales--grocery, department, hardware stores, whatever. But we can't have any of the precious goods the merchant offers unless we take the initiative to go to his store and pay the price. We must take the first step; otherwise, all he offers is in vain for us. DDB2 67 2 Many youth have acquired a similar idea of God's salvation. What Christ accomplished by His sacrifice on His cross makes an "offer" which does us no good unless we take the initiative to come and get it. Many just don't want to get "involved." They back off. Don't take the offer. DDB2 67 3 I sense no gratitude to the merchant who "offers" me his merchandise; and if I pay his price and take it, I feel I owe him nothing more. We're on equal terms now. Is this like Christ's salvation bargain? He has done nothing for me if I decline His "offer." And if I accept His "offer," I have done my part in the salvation transaction. The best kind of devotion possible for me to feel is lukewarmness. DDB2 67 4 For hundreds of years this has been the idea most Catholics and Protestants have had. But the books of Romans and Galatians give a different idea: Christ's sacrifice has already impacted every human being, whether or not he or she believes. It is not a mere offer; He has given the gift to "all," yes, say some thoughtful believers, He has placed the gift in your hands. DDB2 67 5 Ephesians says He has already "blessed" us all, "chosen us in Him," "predestinated us to the adoption as Sons by Jesus Christ to Himself," "made us accepted in the Beloved," in Him we already "have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace [unmerited favor]" (1:3-7). It about takes your breath away--but there it is, it's true. Read it. DDB2 67 6 According to the Bible, we are all "Esau" who didn't need to do anything to "get" the birthright. It was given, not just "offered" to him--from his birth. According to the Bible, every baby born into the world comes with the giftof the "birthright" to heaven. Our "last" or "second Adam," Christ, has already redeemed him. But too many do like Esau--"despise," "sell" what He gave them. We don't need to do that: "whosoever will" can cherish, treasure, appreciate the Gift--what the Bible means by the word "believe." Tell Him, "Thank You!" ------------------------Chapter 68--Can Anything Good Be Said for Halloween? DDB2 68 1 Can anything good be said for Halloween? DDB2 68 2 Not really, except to confess the honest truth that it is purest paganism that has wormed its way into the supposedly Christian faith of many millions. DDB2 68 3 So the question resolves itself into a simpler one: can anything good be said for paganism itself? The Bible offers the repeated comment that paganism imported into the supposedly Christian church is "Babylon" from which the sincere follower of Jesus Christ is sternly commanded forthwith to "come out!" (Rev. 14:8; 18:1-4). DDB2 68 4 But let's use sanctified common sense in the process: just to come down hard on Halloween alone and neglect the real significance of paganism entrenched in professed Christian thought is to repeat the whole sad apostasy from its beginning. DDB2 68 5 The story takes us to Daniel, the one book of the Old Testament that Jesus earnestly urges us to "read" and "understand" (Matt. 24:15). In chapters 8:11-13; 11:31, and 12:11, 12, paganism figures as impacting itself on the captive people of God taken to a 70-year exile in ancient Babylon. There is evidence in Daniel that the Israelites in captivity in literal Babylon had an idiom for what endlessly surrounded them: "the continual in transgression." DDB2 68 6 The literal Hebrew is: ha tamid be pesha, the word tamid being translated as "daily," and ha as the article, "the." It occurs those five times in Daniel, and nowhere else in Scripture in that way. DDB2 68 7 The Hebrew verb in 8:11-13 is rum, which does not mean primarily "take away" but "lift up," "exalt." The Catholic and Protestant Christians who lived through the end of the 1260 years of papal oppression in 1798 A.D. recognized "the daily" as paganism which became exalted in the early apostasy of much professed Christianity. The result has been described as "baptized paganism." The classic volume, The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan, describes the process as "paganism incorporated" into Christianity (p. 50). ------------------------Chapter 69--The Bible Tells Us to "Fear Not" as We Get Close to Final Events DDB2 69 1 The Bible tells us over and over to "fear not" as we get closer to the final events of time. "I will fear no evil," says the person who believes that the "the Lord is [his] Shepherd" (Psalm 23). "Do not fear, little flock," says Jesus, "for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32). In common language it means the Father enjoys giving you the inheritance of His kingdom while the world has despised you. DDB2 69 2 All who believe the Good News of the gospel of Jesus will be tested as Daniel and his faithful friends were tested by the fiery furnace, the challenge of Belshazzar, and the lions' den (chapters 3, 5, 6). There will be those who believe the 23rd Psalm, and there will be those who don't. "All who dwell on the earth will worship [the beast], whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8). But the Lord Jesus will have a people true to Him! DDB2 69 3 For such faith in "the Lamb of God" to be established in us will mean an appreciation of what it cost Him to save us by His death on His cross. Those "who follow [Him] wherever He goes" (14:4) will indeed be a "little flock" compared to the majority; Jesus is jealous for His honor. He says, "Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. ... He who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it" (Matt. 10:32-34, 38, 39). DDB2 69 4 Does it make you tremble? Don't fear! Keep close to Jesus in His closing hours; let self be "crucified with Him" and then "perfect love [agape] will cast out [your] fear" (1 John 4:18). ------------------------Chapter 70--A Precious Glimpse Into the Heart of Jesus DDB2 70 1 Jesus of Nazareth was the best man who ever walked this planet. But did He ever have enemies! It was a puzzle to Him when He was a Boy, why people hated Him so much. He meant no one any harm, yet He seemed to be a lightning rod that attracted people's animosity, and He couldn't help it. DDB2 70 2 Here is a precious personal glimpse into the heart of Jesus--He says, "Those who hate Me without a cause are more than the hairs of My head" (Psalm 69:4). Only one person in all human history could have said that; and it was literally true. Every human being (us included!) has come into the world with the natural equipment of ingrained enmity against Jesus: "The carnal mind is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7). That's our natural state if we never hear the gospel. Every human being rates one of those hairs on Jesus' head! DDB2 70 3 As a Boy, He learned that it's no fun when people don't like you, and there seems to be nothing you can do about it. They were His "enemies wrongfully," He says. He had to act continually as though He had stolen things (which He had not done!) and be forced to pay back what He had never stolen! "Though I have stolen nothing, I still must restore it," He says (Psalm 69:4). DDB2 70 4 He loved family ties as much as any of us (it's not nice to be alone in an unfriendly world); but He "became a stranger to [His] brothers and an alien to [His] mother's children" (vs. 8; yes, Mary had more children). The other kids weren't picking on Him because He was weak or sickly, but for the opposite reason: He was the only "healthy" One in the family, and they couldn't stand His constant example of being unselfish. DDB2 70 5 Sometimes He couldn't help but cry. Even as a Boy He carried a burden they had no idea about, but "when [He] wept, ... that became [His] reproach" (vs. 10). "When I poured Myself out in prayer and fasting, all it got Me was more contempt" (Peterson, The Message). DDB2 70 6 The hatred young Jesus was up against stuck to Him all His life until His same enemies tortured Him in His death. And here's where I don't know how to write it: He loved them and prayed for His enemies at His painful end. DDB2 70 7 "Lord, we don't know how to follow Your Example! It's not in us to love enemies. Hell is where everybody hates everybody else; please save us from it!" ------------------------Chapter 71--It's True--Our Heavenly Father Wants Us to Be Rich DDB2 71 1 It's shocking, but it's true: our heavenly Father wants us to be rich—not only spiritually, but financially! While it's true that He is especially kind and merciful to poor people, and the famous poor widow who cast in her two mites into the temple treasury is eternally blessed (Luke 21:1-4), the Bible actually says that God wants His people to be materially rich. But wait a moment, let's read what the Lord says, in context: DDB2 71 2 "God is able to give you more than you need ... [He] will always make you rich enough to be generous at all times, so that many will thank God for your gifts" (2 Cor. 9:8, 11, Good News Bible). DDB2 71 3 He blessed King Solomon with enormous worldly wealth so long as the king was willing to use it wisely (1 Kings 3:9, 12, 13). The key is our readiness to lay aside our natural-born love of self. Jesus was poor in this world's wealth; He had nothing but His clothing as His wealth when He was crucified. Therefore, every poor person in the world can hold his head high in self-respect; God honors him for He has adopted him into His "family in heaven and earth" (Eph. 3:15; 1:5, 6). DDB2 71 4 But Paul's idea is that God would be honored and pleased if we could grow up "to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ," out of our childish love of self, so He could trust us with money (cf. 4:13, 14). But let's not waste time yearning to be rich, thinking we are strong and wise enough to use wealth in an unselfish way; we are probably like Peter when he promised he would never deny his Lord (Luke 22:31-34, 57-60). DDB2 71 5 May the love of Christ move us now to let self be "crucified with Christ" (Gal. 2:20) so we share what we do have. And then trust the Lord to give us of His grace to "grow up" in due time, when He can entrust us with more. ------------------------Chapter 72--What Is Required for Baptism? DDB2 72 1 Should fear be the motivation in leading someone (a child, for example) to be baptized? Whether the right answer is yes or no, let's not forget what Jesus said about letting the little children come to Him and don't hinder them, don’t get in their way, don't stop them (Matt. 19:14). Even if a child demonstrates a lack of mature sanctification, let's think of those arms of Jesus opened wide to welcome him or her. And if we have mistakenly "hindered" one, let Jesus give us the gift of repentance. DDB2 72 2 And let's express on His behalf a glad welcome into the kingdom of God and trust Him to "receive" them. Let the child snuggle into His arms. When He warned us not to "hinder" them, He knew that as sincere parents or teachers we could be inclined to misunderstand His drawing of the children and sincerely but inadvertently "hinder" them. DDB2 72 3 The story of one famous baptism inspires us. The Ethiopian eunuch riding in his chariot "down from Jerusalem to Gaza" was reading the Bible while jolting along. What had caught his attention was Isaiah 53, about the "Suffering Servant," wondering what the heart-arresting story meant. "Then the Spirit of the Lord said to Philip, 'Go near and overtake this chariot.'" Philip's response is inspiring: "Philip ran to him." Oh that the Lord may give us grace to be so instantly responsive! (See Acts 8:26-38.) DDB2 72 4 He began his soul-winning ministry by asking a question, usually a good way to break the ice: "Do you understand what you are reading?" The man needed a human being to illuminate his reading of the text! "How can I, unless someone guides me?" Thank the Lord, he welcomed Philip who eventually told him, "If you believe with all your heart, you may" be baptized. DDB2 72 5 What is required for baptism? That "believing with all the heart." What it means to "believe" is therefore important. In the Ethiopian's case, it was a heart appreciation of Isaiah 53. Excellent! Read the chapter, verse-by-verse, with a voice subdued by humility, letting the Spirit melt the heart. Let the children come to Jesus. ------------------------Chapter 73--The Greatest Miscarriage of Justice in All of History DDB2 73 1 It was the greatest miscarriage of justice in all of history: the Son of God came to this earth to save us, He became one of us, He became the second Adam (the first had brought a judicial curse upon us). Instead, Jesus, as the second Adam, brought a judicial blessing and judicial acquittal upon everybody. And yet "we" corporately turned upon Him and hated Him and expelled Him from the world by killing Him. DDB2 73 2 It was the acting out of the truth in Romans 8:7, which says: "the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be." None of us can proudly say, "If I had been there, I would not have joined in doing that to Him!" Our "carnal mind" is our universal possession. Each one of us needs a "new mind." DDB2 73 3 Philippians 2 can enlighten us: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (vs. 5). We can have a new mind if we only consent for it to be given to us! If we want it! We can't pick and choose and end up saying we want only 10 percent of it. We must take the entire gift: DDB2 73 4 "[He took] the form of a servant" (vs. 7). Not one of the twelve disciples humbled his soul enough to get down on his knees and wash the Savior's feet (John 13). Some one might have been willing to do it--but the humiliation before the crowd was too much for their proud hearts. "His mind" chose to wash the disciples' feet. DDB2 73 5 Let's keep asking Him to give us that "mind." As surely as a new day has come, we will be confronted with the practical choice in some way to "receive" that "mind." DDB2 73 6 Let's say "Yes!" ------------------------Chapter 74--What Is Special About a Day-of-Atonement Repentance? DDB2 74 1 We must understand why there must be a special heavenly Day of Atonement. Involved in it is a special experience for God's people on earth, but this does not imply that God has arbitrarily withheld that unique blessing from previous generations. It would not be fair for Him to grant the last generation something He deliberately kept away from others in past ages. DDB2 74 2 Previous generations simply did not availthemselves of the full grace that Heaven has always wanted to bestow. The long delay of thousands of years has not been necessary because of God's unwillingness to give, but because of man's unreadiness to receive. The prophetic word, "Unto two thousand three hundred days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed" (Dan. 8:14), is a prediction that during the last era of human history, God's people will grow into a mature faith that will make possible their full reception of Heaven's grace. The prophecy of Daniel comprehends theirspiritual development "unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:14), not growth on the part of God. DDB2 74 3 God withheld nothing from Adam that arbitrarily kept him out of the company of the 144,000. His own spiritual immaturity was what kept him from appropriating all the grace that an infinite God would have granted even then. The sanctuary could have been cleansed in ancient times if the historical development of humanity had made it possible. God's infinite resources cannot be limited; the deficiency has been on our side. A final generation will receive the gift of repentance, a metanoia,* an after-perception that views past history in the light of contrition. Then it can be said, "The marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife hath made herself ready." ------------------------Chapter 75--Does God Merely Offer Us His Friendship, or has He Given It? DDB2 75 1 Let's ask two serious questions: (1) Does God merely offer us His friendship? Or (2) has He given it? No difference between the two ideas? Look again. DDB2 75 2 If (1) is true, then He is standing aloof from you, withholding His actual friendship until youtake the initiative and dosomething to activate it. Then when you dothe right thing, forever afterwards you congratulate yourself for what you have done. In other words, it's a faith plus works trip. DDB2 75 3 But if (2) is the truth, and you finally realize that God has been your Friend all along and you have been too stubborn and blind to believe it, then forever afterwards your heart is melted in spiritual humility. Number (1) inevitably leads to the "rich, and increased with goods" condition of the church of Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-21); and Number (2) leads to ultimate repentance and reconciliation with Christ. DDB2 75 4 As to which is true, does the Bible give an answer? Number (1) is what the Bible calls the "old covenant." And yes, you can quote old covenant ideas in the Bible! But Galatians 4:24 says they lead to "bondage." The old covenant "version" of the gospel produces the Laodicean spiritual condition. But the new covenant is Number (2). The truth is that "God so loved the world" (not offered to), "that He gaveHis only begotten Son" (not offered to do so), "that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish" (John 3:16). Jesus said, "The bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (not just offer to give, John 6:51). DDB2 75 5 The Samaritans got the point: Jesus was not merely offering to be "the Saviour of the world." They said He is (John 4:42). Paul got the point, for he said that "the living God ... is the Saviour of all men," not merely offering to be (1 Tim. 4:10). Isaiah saw the reason why this is true: "The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6). He has already died the second death "for every man" (Heb. 2:9). So, now it's time to humble your heart and believe, appreciate, what He has already done for you. That kind of faith will change your life! ------------------------Chapter 76--Will God Ever Have a Perfect Church? DDB2 76 1 Is it possible that God will ever have on earth a perfect church? Not just one tiny little congregation out in the backwoods, where its members are isolated and insulated from the devil's temptations, where there's no TV, no Internet, no shopping malls, not even a radio. No, that would not be a fair test. The real question is: Can God ever have a perfect worldwide church--in the world but not of the world--in the midst of all the evil that the devil can produce? DDB2 76 2 The question itself is controversial with many saying a decided No. "Nobody is perfect, so how can God ever have a perfect church?" If we let Paul's words mean what they say, the answer becomes Yes! He says Christ "gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special ["pecular," KJV] people, zealous for good works" (Titus 2:14). DDB2 76 3 Then there is Ephesians 5:25-27: Christ "gave Himself" to have "a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing." And there is in Ephesians 5 the idea that this church is to be the Bride of Christ. In fact, the expression "without spot" is quoted from the Song of Solomon 4:7, again speaking of the Bride of Christ at last ready for the wedding. DDB2 76 4 Christ will not marry some "super-woman"; but the corporate body of His people are brought to view in Revelation 14:1-5, 12, 15, and 16 as a church in whose "mouth was found no guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God." And they finally surface again in 19:7, 8 where the Bride is seen as at last "making herself ready." DDB2 76 5 But back again to the objection: "Nobody's perfect." Granted; but the fact that there never has been a church "ready" to be the Bride of Christ doesn't mean that it's impossible or that it will never happen. It won't be a "works program" or ecclesiastical promotion that accomplishes Christ's purpose. It will be a "faith trip," something to do with that phrase: "Christ gave Himself." DDB2 76 6 Here at last will be a group of people who, in a corporate, united sense, have grown up out of their childish understanding to grasp "the width and length and depth and height, to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge," that led Him to "give Himself" for us (see Eph. 3:18, 19). Let's start growing up today! ------------------------Chapter 77--Something Jesus Said That Seems Difficult to Believe DDB2 77 1 Jesus said something He obviously wants us to believe, but of all the things He said, this seems the most difficult to believe: "My yoke is easy, and My burden is light" (Matt. 11:30). Everyone who has been serious about following Jesus has discovered that "in the world you will have tribulation" (John 16:33). It's also painfully true that "the world has hated them [those who believe in Jesus] because they are not of the world, just as I [Jesus] am not of the world" (17:14). DDB2 77 2 The problem is that there are "children of light" in the world, and there are "children of disobedience" or "children of wrath" who instinctively feel toward the "children of light" as the world felt toward Jesus. "If they have persecuted Me, they will persecute you," He says. DDB2 77 3 But you and I cannot be sure who is who! When Stephen was being stoned, he would naturally have thought that Saul of Tarsus (holding the coats of those throwing stones to kill him) was a "child of the devil" like the others (Acts 7:59-8:1). But Steven's Christlike spirit witnessed to Saul, and that man "consenting to his death" became wonderfully converted to Christ. (Imagine how Stephen will feel in the first resurrection when he meets the apostle!) DDB2 77 4 So Jesus encourages us to cherish hope in our hearts toward those who "spitefully use you," and to pray for them (Matt. 5:44). Even our "tribulation" then becomes the joyful experience of soul winning! As we endure our pain, we are buoyed up by the constant hope that "our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2 Cor. 4:17) just as Stephen's stoning affliction has "worked" for him. We actually learn to know by experience what it means to identify with Jesus when He said, "In the world you will have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). DDB2 77 5 "In Him" we too "overcome the world." Joy fills our hearts. The unthinkable becomes real, and wonder of wonders, we selfish, worldly people ourselves (that's what we all are by nature) discover that we can actually pray for those who harm us. Miracle! DDB2 77 6 And then we're on top forever after, for "we walk in the light as He is in the light, [and] we have fellowship with one another" (1 John 1:7). We are never left alone. ------------------------Chapter 78--Cosmic Day of Atonement Living, All the Way Through DDB2 78 1 When the sanctuary service was the center of Israelite national interest, there were two ways to observe the annual day of atonement: (1) old covenant, and (2) new covenant. Both are explained in Leviticus--the fear response (1) of being destroyed or "cut off" (23:29, 30), and (2) the joy of being "clean from all your sins," "a sabbath of solemn rest," reconciled or made "one" with God (16:29-31). DDB2 78 2 What is troubling to us is the phrase, "you shall afflict your souls, and do no [worldly] work at all," which included fasting. Where was there any joy in that? DDB2 78 3 One day in the year without pampering appetite! The key idea in "afflict your souls" is simply self-denial--a truly joyous experience to anyone who has been a slave to an addiction. Freedom from the tyranny of self; mastery over your self-destructive habits. "I will walk at liberty" is the theme (Psalm 119:45), because a grand miracle has taken place in your heart, "for I have sought Your precepts" (vs. 94). "O how I love Your law! it is my meditation all the day" (vs. 97). "How sweet are Your words to my taste! ... Through Your precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way" (vss. 103, 104). DDB2 78 4 In a nutshell, Psalm 119 is cosmic Day of Atonement living, all the way through. It's the joyous hymn of being reconciled in heart to God, not wearing a hair shirt or starving wholesome desires that are God-implanted. It's the opposite of fanaticism. It's dwelling on earth in the atmosphere of heaven. It's sharing with Christ His "one-ness" with His Father; it's following the Lamb "wherever He goes" (Rev. 14:4), and loving every minute of it. DDB2 78 5 And what changes us who are naturally worldly and self-centered, so we want this joyous reconciliation with God? Believing His New Covenant, something called the gospel. ------------------------Chapter 79--Which Came First--God's Forgiveness or His Cross? DDB2 79 1 There's an interesting but important question in connection with the subject of "overcoming sin." Did God forgive sin before the sacrifice of His cross? Or could He forgive sin only as the result of the cross? Which came first: His forgiveness, or His cross? DDB2 79 2 On the surface it appears to be a trivial chicken-egg question. God forgives, period; be happy. Why even bother with why or how or when He does it. But the principle here is so important that the stability of God's universe is involved in the answer. DDB2 79 3 The general idea is that God is omnipotent, that is, He can do anything He wants to. You and I sin; we ask Him to forgive us, and He does. Someone has rightly written, "alienation from God is the natural habitat of humanity," therefore we sin again and again. And God always forgives, like a kind grandfather, because He is omnipotent and it's easy for Him to do so. DDB2 79 4 Finally, after our endless cycle of sinning and repenting, we die; and for the sin itself that is so deeply rooted in us to be overcome (Augustine's theology), there must be an experience after death called Purgatory. There at last the job gets done. Millions of Christians believe this. DDB2 79 5 But the Bible says differently. "The sting of death is sin," for sin carries death within itself (1 Cor. 15:56; Rom. 6:23). God cannot pardon it without His cross; to do so would fill the universe with death. Adam and Eve would have "instantly" perished in the Garden had not "the Lamb [been] slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8). DDB2 79 6 Which must "come first"? That slain Lamb! Yes, God can do anything He wants to, but He doesn't want to fill His universe with death. Therefore He cannot forgive sin apart from a tremendous "giving-for." Without a deep heart-melting appreciation of that "giving-for," sin remains in the human heart, not "overcome." Forgiveness apart from first the sacrifice of the cross would be a cheapening of sin itself, and thus a cheapening of the sacrifice required to overcome it. ------------------------Chapter 80--Who Are the "We," "Us," and "Our" in Ephesians 1? DDB2 80 1 There's a "we," "us," and "our" in Ephesians 1 that has been "blessed ... with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ," who are "predestined ... to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, ... to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made [them] accepted in the Beloved" (vss. 3-6). DDB2 80 2 Who are those people in these first person plural pronouns? Only one possible answer: the entire human race. Christ is "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42; 1 Tim. 4:10). DDB2 80 3 But how can you know that you personally are "adopted"? You, individually, have a first-class personal validation of this "adoption" in the longing sigh of your lonely heart that cries out, "Abba, Father!" (See Rom. 8:15.) But you also have another personal validation of this "adoption": the same text hints at it--"we suffer with Him" (vs. 17), meaning that "we may also be glorified together." DDB2 80 4 Hebrews 12 spells out more vividly this other personal assurance of your adoption into the family of God: "The exhortation ... speaks to you as to sons: 'My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.' If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?" (vss. 5-7). DDB2 80 5 Do you know disappointments, setbacks, disasters, crushing and humiliating heart-rejection? Your first thought is, "God has forsaken me!" But stay a little longer on your knees and you will sense the tie of personal kinship now being forged with Christ. He will never let Himself be "glorified" unless and until He shares the glory "together" with you, as Romans 8 said! DDB2 80 6 There's every reason for you to be assured that you've been "adopted." Now live like the adopted son or daughter that you are; honor your Father. ------------------------Chapter 81--The Healing at the Sheep Pool Illustrates What Jesus Accomplished on His Cross DDB2 81 1 When Jesus healed the paralytic at the Sheep Pool in Jerusalem, who had been sick for 38 years, He asked him no questions or to make no promises. In fact, we do not read that Jesus even preached to the sufferer first. But after He had healed the man, He found him again, in the temple. Then He said something very surprising: "Now that you are well again, leave your sinful ways, or you may suffer something worse" (John 5:14, The New English Bible). DDB2 81 2 Why didn't Jesus tell this man to "leave his sinful ways" beforeHe healed him? That's what I would have done, if I had the power to heal. I would give the sufferer a good lecture and get him to sign on the dotted line that henceforth he would "leave his sinful ways" before I went to the trouble of healing him. Why waste your time on someone who doesn't make good use of the blessings you give him? DDB2 81 3 But, that was not Jesus' way of healing people. He gives the blessing first, and then asks for a response of reformation and repentance. He heals the ten lepers when only one will come back and say thanks. This is the same way He treats the entire human race; He sends His rain on the just and on the unjust, asks for no commitment first, just freely pours out His blessings. In true New Covenant manner He gives His great gift of salvation, and then asks for a response of gratitude. We mustn't read John 3:16 backwards; the truth is that He took the initiative to "so love the world that He gave" His Son and all His blessings first, then asks us to believe. DDB2 81 4 The healing at the Sheep Pool illustrates what Jesus accomplished by His sacrifice on His cross. While we still followed our "sinful ways," He died for us, redeemed us, justified us in a legal sense, died our second death, put His arms around us, and gave us, not merely offered us, a "forever friendship." Nothing short of a total response of eternal gratitude can rightfully be labeled as "faith." ------------------------Chapter 82--Old Covenant versus New Covenant--Which Is Which? DDB2 82 1 Have you been confused about the Old and New Covenants? Which is which? Have you thought that because pastors and theologians are in disarray over it, maybe you needn't worry your head over it, just flip on the TV? Is the issue important enough to get concerned and study? DDB2 82 2 Even the great and wonderful Apostle Peter was confused over it. The Christians were having a conference at Antioch (Acts 15); before the bigwig brethren from church headquarters arrived, Peter was happily demonstrating New Covenant love to the Gentile Christians. He had torn down the spiritual barriers between them, and ate with them. But when the important brethren from Jerusalem arrived, he backtracked, and "built again those things which [he] destroyed" (Gal. 2:11-18). DDB2 82 3 Paul was stirred by the Holy Spirit to confront him face to face before the whole group. And of all places, it was in the cafeteria. Peter had now picked up his tray and sidled away from the Gentiles' table. Now he was supporting the elders' Galatian position that yes, you have some work to do yourself in this "covenant" business. You can't let the Lord Jesus be your Savior 100 percent; you have your percentage to contribute. God's covenant may be a promise but it's also a "deal," a "bargain" negotiated between you two--God and yourself; you must make a "deal" with Him; you must have "balance" between righteousness by faith and by good works. DDB2 82 4 Paul let Peter have it: "I do not frustrate the grace of God," he said. "If righteousness comes through the law [even one percent?], then Christ died in vain" (see Gal. 2:21). DDB2 82 5 Do we have the problem today? Can we represent Christ as safely standing on deck throwing a life preserver out to the drowning sinner? If he grabs the rope, he is taking the initiative in his own salvation, and Paul says that "frustrates the grace of God"! No, the Bible represents Jesus as out there in the water with the sinking sinner, a Life Guard actually saving him 100 percent. And if the drowning sinner doesn't beat Him off, Jesus will get him safely on deck. Salvation is totally of grace, "not of works [even one percent!], lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9). DDB2 82 6 And don't be afraid of too much "more abounding grace." It's real. There is no true obedience to the law except "by grace through faith" (see Rom. 5:20; Eph.2:8). ------------------------Chapter 83--Not a Works Trip--A Faith Trip DDB2 83 1 How can we as followers of Jesus get through this ever-present barrier of the love of self? How can we as individuals learn how to die to self? More serious yet--how can we, as a corporate body, as a church, be "crucified with Christ"? Is it possible now? Or must we be like Israel at Kadesh-Barnea when they failed to enter their Promised Land for 40 years of "wandering" (Numbers 14)? Must we be sent back into the "wilderness" to die off so a fresh new generation can arise to scale the barrier of "self" that has weakened our witness for thousands of years? Could this be the "mother" of Christian problems? DDB2 83 2 Straight off, we know that a newly invented legalism program is not the answer. Trying harder is not it; more "works" is not it. The only way out is for the love of self to be crucified "with Christ," not just re-tortured through new forms of anxious fear. DDB2 83 3 The sanctuary in heaven that the Book of Hebrews talks about is God's office headquarters, His Pentagon where the great war between Christ and Satan is planned and executed. There is intense activity right now. Heaven is awake! As followers of Jesus we are soldiers in the army. But the "fight" is the "good fight of faith." DDB2 83 4 Christ is the High Priest ministering there in a special closing work that has never been fully accomplished in the past--a final and complete reconciling of alienated human hearts to the Savior. This special work reproduces in every believing heart and life the character of Christ. It makes possible the ending of the great controversy between Christ and Satan. DDB2 83 5 There must be a new fresh element that enters in during these last days. It's a clearer grasp and therefore deeper appreciation of what Christ went through on His cross, when He saved us. Beholding that sight leads to self being crucified with Christ. It's not a works trip; it's a faith trip. ------------------------Chapter 84--That Melted-Heart Repentance Will Come DDB2 84 1 The last page of the Bible invites us to come if we are thirsty, and "take the water of life freely" (Rev. 22:17). And Jesus says, "Come to Me" if we're weary and heavy-laden, and He will give us "rest" (Matt. 11:28-30). So, we "come" and we are baptized, and we become members of the church. We are so happy at last to find fellowship in the Lord; heaven on earth. DDB2 84 2 And we continue to "read the Bible, and pray, and witness" like we're always told to do. And we believe the Bible and say so, but then opposition and controversy arise. We're tempted to wish that we had kept still. So, we are driven to our knees to pray, and we ask the Lord, "Why is this happening? I wanted peace, and now this 'war' has come!" DDB2 84 3 The Lord has indeed promised, "the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out" (John 6:37). As you wait quietly before Him in prayer, He answers your questions faithfully. DDB2 84 4 If you keep your eyes on Jesus you will see a Man who was cruelly crucified because He told the truth. And He tells us all, "I did not come to bring peace but a sword" (Matt. 10:34). Deny self, and take up your cross daily (Luke 9:23). But wait a moment--you never fight a battle alone! This is what you must believe. DDB2 84 5 He faithfully promises, "'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we may boldly say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?'" (Heb. 13:5, 6). You choose not to be afraid, in the Lord. Then ... you're not afraid. DDB2 84 6 Even in the church, the Lord's house, where we expect to find heaven on earth, we find conflict and even persecution. That's where the most severe and painful conflicts come! But the Lord still assures you, He won't forsake you. DDB2 84 7 He loves the church for it is yet to become the Bride of Christ; and it does indeed have severe problems within it, for Jesus tells the leadership of the church today that of all the "seven churches" of world history, you are the one outstandingly "miserable, poor, blind, and naked" (the little Greek word hois there, the one; Rev. 3:17). DDB2 84 8 Therefore do not give up on the church, the body of Christ, His Bride-to-be. The final victory in the "great controversy between Christ and Satan" comes at the very end and it requires that the church finally "overcome" and do what He says in Revelation 3:19--repent. It won't at last be fear that motivates her, but a deeper appreciation of what it cost Him to save us. That melted-heart repentance will come, it has to come; hang on! ------------------------Chapter 85--Can the Church Hasten or Delay the Return of The Lamb? DDB2 85 1 As we seek to understand whether the church can hasten or delay the promised second coming of Jesus, we need to ponder who is “the Lamb’s wife” who must first “make herself ready” (Rev. 19:7, 8). Those who say the church can do nothing to hasten the return of “the Lamb” tend to be confused about this issue. DDB2 85 2 They see Revelation 21:6-27 as defining “the bride, the Lamb’s wife” as the literal “city” of the New Jerusalem. This raises a question: if “God is [its] Builder and Maker” (Heb. 11:10), how can the “city which has foundations” be said to “make [itself] ready”? And further, wouldn’t Jesus be guilty of idolatry if He loves a material city of golden streets, walls of jewels, and literal gates? When He cried out to the old city, “O Jerusalem, ... the one who kills the prophets” (Matt. 23:37), was He addressing its literal gates and stones, or the people who inhabited it? When you were married, did you love the bride or your house? DDB2 85 3 When John in vision saw “the Lamb stand on mount Zion,” was it the literal city or the “144,000 [who had] His Father’s name written on their foreheads”? As John saw them, as a group they apparently had by that time “made [themselves] ready,” for “they sang as it were a new song before the throne, [and] ... [followed] the Lamb wherever He goes. ... without fault before the throne of God” (Rev. 14:1-5). DDB2 85 4 No woman in the world is worthy to be the Bride of the Son of God! But all through the Bible His church in a corporate sense is said to be the object of His conjugal love. Neither Luther nor C. S. Lewis had much use for the Book of Revelation, but those whose hearts yearn for Christ’s soon return are thrilled with its message; they don’t help to save themselves by a legalistic do-it-yourself method, but they stop resisting “the Lamb” and they let Him “wash” them “in His blood.” And they let Him givethem the giftof special repentance (Rev. 3:19). Is it not in that sense that the Bride, “the Lamb’s wife,” can “make herself ready”? ------------------------Chapter 86--A Bible Thanksgiving DDB2 86 1 Suppose you were hungry, homeless, and sleeping under a bridge or in a cardboard box; could you celebrate Thanksgiving? Many of us tell how we say thanks for nice homes, cars, food, jobs, friends, and fun. Can those who have none of this have Thanksgiving? Don't say yes if only the Red Cross or Salvation Army gives them a turkey dinner. That lasts only one day, then back under the bridge again. DDB2 86 2 There's a Bible Thanksgiving that gets lost in the normal celebrations: thanksgiving that you don't have to die the second death; thanksgiving that you have actually been given eternal life "in Christ." That refuge under a bridge may be very uncomfortable, but it's your privilege to rejoice that "in Christ" you have already been redeemed from hell itself. DDB2 86 3 The Son of God also was homeless, had nowhere to lay His head, He says; but He was resurrected to eternal life, and "in Him" you too inherit the same. You are welcome to share your living space with Him! DDB2 86 4 It's astounding, but it's Bible truth: you have already been "elected" to eternal life "in Christ," not that you deserve the gift for which you celebrate such transcendent Thanksgiving. Paul says, "by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9; when it says "not of works" it means not of your own volition). DDB2 86 5 Face reality: if Christ had not died for you, you would most certainly have been eternally lost. But He did die for you, and rose again; the "you" in Ephesians 1 and 2 is the "you" of the entire human race. All have been redeemed. Your seat at the heavenly banquet has your place card on it with your name. DDB2 86 6 Now, don't throw away everything by choosing to disbelieve this gospel truth. Yes, you can be lost, and many will be; but not because they weren't elected, or they were overlooked. John 3:16-19 says the problem is unbelief. Believing the Good News will give you a Thanksgiving Day 365 times a year; and such faith will enable you to find a way out from under that bridge. ------------------------Chapter 87--Let Christ Be the One for Whom You Live DDB2 87 1 Do you wonder sometimes if you are insignificant in God's great economy of salvation? DDB2 87 2 Probably old Anna used to wonder if she was only that. You read of her in Luke 2:36-38; God has given her three verses in the Bible! DDB2 87 3 When she comes onstage, she has been married 91 years but was a widow for 84 of them; she is a scholar and teacher. Her whole soul is absorbed "in Christ" for she cherishes the prophecies of His coming. She was like Paul who later said, "for me, to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21). She was living in what Luke says was "the temple," retired "with fastings and prayers night and day." DDB2 87 4 In the ungodly atmosphere that was "the temple" of those days, she held on to her faith "in the Lord's soon coming," as we say; she held on doubtless because she understood the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-26 when the official priests in the temple had long ago abandoned their faith in that prophecy. It was too "old-fashioned" by then. DDB2 87 5 But she being apparently insignificant in God's plan is ready for something wonderful when she comes into the temple precisely at the instant that old Simeon, another who is apparently insignificant, has taken the infant Lord Christ in his arms to pray for Him and bless Him. What a noble life work old Simeon has discovered in his old age way past retirement! No other man in all the world had been so honored--to hold the Messiah in his arms and pray for Jesus! Not many people have ever prayed for a blessing for Jesus! We pray Him to give usblessings! DDB2 87 6 There was something special about Simeon; the apostle Paul had not yet come onstage who later spoke about cherishing "the blessed hope" of seeing the Lord return the secondtime (Titus 2:11-14), yet he cherished the same hope about His firstcoming in his old age! This must have been also on his part a very intelligent and well-informed faith (genuine faith is never willingly ignorant or uninformed). How this was "revealed to him by the Holy Spirit" we do not know; but it could not have been mere factual knowledge of the arithmetic of Daniel 9:25, 26; it had to be a "heart" kind of knowledge or old Simeon could never have been so highly honored as to have been given this key part in the glorious gospel story. DDB2 87 7 Through all eternity in the kingdom of God old Simeon will enjoy this honor of being a key player in the drama of the first advent of Christ. Keep the faith; let Christ be the One for whom you live, and you will be a key player in the unfolding of the events that just precede His second coming. ------------------------Chapter 88--A Question Important to Understand DDB2 88 1 "Why did a God of love order all the killings in the Old Testament?" It's important to understand because one's future life may be shadowed by unbelief and confusion. How can you love a God who orders killings, even of little children? We have only a short time to consider a problem that has filled lifetimes of scholarship. God help us: DDB2 88 2 We don't have two different "Gods" in the Old Testament and the New Testament, but we have two different ways of looking at one true God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. DDB2 88 3 The dividing line comes at Mount Sinai, and those two different ways become the Old Covenant versus the New Covenant (Ex. 19:3-8). Two ways of looking at God! DDB2 88 4 Please note: there were no such "killings" before Mount Sinai--only the God of love revealed in His seven grand promises to Abraham and to his descendants (Gen. 12:2, 3). He promised to givethem "all the land which you see ... and to your descendents forever" (13:15). "The Lord your God," not their sword, will drive out the pagans before them (Deut. 4:36-39; 9:4-6). Like in His promises to Hezekiah to "drive out" the Assyrians, and to Jehoshaphat, "The battle is not yours, but God's. ... You will not need to fight ... stand still and see the salvation of the Lord" (2 Kings 19:20-35; 2 Chron. 20:15-17). DDB2 88 5 If Israel would believe the New Covenant promises of God, He would be able to send "the hornets" to drive out the Canaanites (Deut. 7:20). Sometimes (few!) the people temporarily believed and actually saw it happen (Joshua 24:12). DDB2 88 6 In Israel, "all the families of the earth [were to be] blessed," not killed (Gen. 12:3); only when pagan nations tried to destroy His people did God destroy them--in love to the world, for they were a curse that would corrupt the earth as in the days before the Flood. DDB2 88 7 Even today, confusion permeates the church over the Old and New Covenants. Is salvation by self-centered faith plus works of obedience? Or is it by heart-melting "faith which works by agape" (Gal. 5:6, King James Version) and itself produces obedience? And still today the Old Covenant followers "persecute" the New, as Paul told the Galatians (4:22-29). This is serious business! ------------------------Chapter 89--How Abraham Got Out From Under the Old Covenant DDB2 89 1 What Good Does It Do To Promise That You Will Be Good? Does it help for you to promise God that you will never sin again? Does He want you to make any such promise? DDB2 89 2 If you have ever tried to get an alcoholic to stop drinking, or a smoker to stop smoking, or gamblers to stop gambling, you probably have learned that our promises are like "ropes of sand." DDB2 89 3 It may surprise you that God has never asked us to make promises to Him. He has asked us to choose, yes; to make a commitment, yes; but never has He asked us to promise to keep His Ten Commandments. Rather, He has asked us to believeHis promises that are in those ten. DDB2 89 4 James calls the Ten Commandments "the law of liberty" (James 2:12). Correctly understood, the Ten Commandments are ten promises that if we will believe that the Lord has brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, He promises that we shall never tell a lie, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness, etc. And if we believe the glorious Good News of His deliverance, we shall "remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." And we shall honor our father and our mother; and we shall never take the Lord's name in vain. DDB2 89 5 Abraham got out from under the Old Covenant when "he believed in the Lord," and his faith "was accounted to him for righteousness" (Gen. 15:6). The Lord made seven wonderful promises to him in Genesis 12:1-3, but Abraham made no promises in return. He simply "believed in the Lord." That's all God wanted him to do; that was the New Covenant; and all the obedience and the works followed. But Abraham's descendants, coming out of Egypt 430 years later, made a promise to the Lord in Exodus 19:8, "all that the Lord has spoken we will do." That was the Old Covenant. It's that simple! DDB2 89 6 Are you living under the New Covenant or the Old? If you're in "bondage," the reason has to be the Old Covenant. Come, get under the liberty, the freedom, the joy, of the New Covenant! ------------------------Chapter 90--How Shall We Understand Romans? DDB2 90 1 How shall we understand Romans? Paul's Letter stirs up a lot of controversy; the issue of course is righteousness by faith, and it is not a side issue, quibbling about non-essential trivia. It's about the very heart of the gospel, "the third angel's message in verity." Luther said Romans is the clearest Gospel of all. Can you explain it to someone else, verse by verse? DDB2 90 2 For today's "Dial Daily Bread," we’re simply including a passage from Romans, as it is found in Eugene Peterson's paraphrase (The Message). He may not be perfect in his rendition (no translation is perfect!), but he certainly grasps the heart of what Paul is saying: DDB2 90 3 (This is Romans 4:10 and onwards): "Now think: was that declaration [that Abraham was justified] made before or after he was marked by the covenant rite of circumcision? That's right, before he was marked. That means he underwent circumcision as evidence and confirmation of what God had done long before to bring him into this acceptable standing with himself, an act of God he had embraced with his whole life. DDB2 90 4 “And it means further that Abraham is the father of all people who embrace what God does for them while they are still on the 'outs' with God, as yet unidentified as God's, in an 'uncircumcised' condition. It is precisely these people in this condition who are called 'set right by God and with God'! ... DDB2 90 5 “That famous promise God gave Abraham--that he and his children would possess the earth--was not given because of something Abraham did or would do. It was based on God's decision to put everything together for him, which Abraham then entered [experienced] when he believed. If those who get what God gives them only get it by doing everything they are told to do and filling out all the right forms properly signed, that eliminates personal trust [faith] completely and turns the promise into an ironclad contract! That's not a holy promise; that's a business deal. A contract drawn up by a hard-nosed lawyer and with plenty of fine print only makes sure that you will never be able to collect. But if there is no contract in the first place, simply a promise--and God's promise at that--you can't break it." DDB2 90 6 Yes! this rendition understands the New Covenant correctly! ------------------------Chapter 91--Jesus and John Standing Together in Ministry DDB2 91 1 Jesus taught us to visit people who are unjustly persecuted and imprisoned (Matt. 25:34-46). But there is no record that He visited His faithful but persecuted forerunner, John the Baptist, whom King Herod had unjustly imprisoned in a dungeon (Mark 6:17). DDB2 91 2 At this time Jesus was free to travel about Galilee and preach; in fact, he was enjoying tranquil days with crowds following Him. Poor John, whom Christ had designated as the greatest of the prophets (Matt. 11:11), at this time was languishing in his dungeon, alone, virtually living on the meager reports his disciples were able to bring him of the work Jesus was doing. John longed for Jesus to assert His Messiahship. When it should happen of course would also mean John's release and he would join the Messiah in the grand work to be done. DDB2 91 3 But the weary days dragged by without a visit from Jesus, not even a letter. Was the Messiah oblivious of the lonely suffering of His servant? DDB2 91 4 No, but John was still cooperating with Jesus, though he didn't realize just how he shared that honor. Jesus thought of the unnumbered believers in Him who in centuries to come would suffer alone in prisons, tempted likewise to think themselves forsaken and hopeless. Surely He thought also of those who would lie on beds of illness, tempted to think that they had been forgotten by Heaven. DDB2 91 5 The truth was that while Jesus was enjoying those bright days of ministry in Galilee before "the shadow of a cross arose upon a lonely hill," He did think of John suffering in his dungeon; He appreciated his loyalty. The lonely prophet has been a comfort to all the apparently forsaken sufferers ever since. Behold them--Jesus and John standing together in ministry! Now may we accept gladly our fellowship with Him in ministry! ------------------------Chapter 92--Pearl Harbor Day Has Something in Common With the Fall of Babylon DDB2 92 1 The history of Pearl Harbor Day (Dec. 7, 1941) has something in common with the history of the fall of Babylon. Cyrus conquered that greatest city and empire of the ancient world when they were reveling. While the city of Babylon was given over to drunken feasting and partying, his soldiers stealthily diverted the water of the Euphrates River into a swamp, allowing his soldiers to enter the city at night. They found the river gates open and easily took the city. DDB2 92 2 Pearl Harbor Day found our military and naval defenses virtually "asleep." That "day which will live in infamy" has a built-in warning attached to its history: "When they [we] say, 'Peace and safety!' then sudden destruction comes upon them" (1 Thess. 5:3). DDB2 92 3 This great nation has enemies today. It gained its independence over two centuries ago by a war of attrition in which at Christmas time when the British military were celebrating, George Washington led his rag-tag soldiers in a surprise attack, a minor incident that was symbolic. Hopefully it will never be forgotten. DDB2 92 4 Now, thanks to the security guaranteed by our Constitution, we enjoy unprecedented "peace and safety" with almost obscene prosperity. These are "the last days [when] perilous times shall come: For [people] will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ... lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" (2 Tim. 3:1-4). Entertainment, movies, sports, novels, sensuality, wild materialism--these are the obsessions. It's like a tidal wave of ungodliness pouring over a nation. And of course, as the Holy Spirit is steadily resisted, more and more, violence and cruelty become commonplace. DDB2 92 5 But there is Good News: where sin abounds, grace is seen to abound "much more" (Rom. 5:20). There are people still who keep alert, in tune with Heaven. Especially among youth, the thoughtful, sensible ones "come out of Babylon." They swim upstream against the corrupt-flowing tide of popularity, and permit their hearts to be deeply influenced by the Holy Spirit who reminds them of the Son of God who remained unmoved by the world's temptations. In a world of sin, they cooperate with Heaven. You can be one of them! ------------------------Chapter 93--Let's Make the New Covenant Clear to Our Children DDB2 93 1 Parents who believe “the everlasting gospel” don’t want to be misled into “the mark of the beast.” They sincerely want to “follow the Lamb wherever He goes,” long to receive the “seal of God,” and are burdened for their near-teen daughter who loves to read. They’ve been reading the Bible. Yes, also books about the Bible, but they’ve been reading the Book itself, and that includes the Old Testament. DDB2 93 2 The child is curious; she doesn’t want anything held back. But they’re confused: sometimes the true God comes through as kind and merciful, forgiving, and loving; but there are also times where He seems hard, threatening severe punishment on His people who seem bent on rebelling against Him. Much in the books of the Old Testament prophets seems frankly difficult reading for a sensitive child. DDB2 93 3 But how can one understand the way God so often threatens His people of old? Why that seemingly endless conflict? Why the almost constant unpleasant tension between God and His people? Actually, you don’t see it until you come to Exodus 19. In Genesis there’s a pleasant relationship between God and His people, for example, God making those fantastic promises of “blessings” to Abraham and his descendants, and His tender dealings with Isaac and Jacob. He writes His holy law on their hearts. DDB2 93 4 Then suddenly, a change: He must write it on tables of stone amid thunder, lightning, trumpet blowing, earthquakes, and a fearful death boundary around Mount Sinai. And almost from then on, rebellious people slipping back into pagan worldliness right into the Book of Malachi, until finally we get to Matthew where they crucify their Lord of glory. DDB2 93 5 What happened in Exodus 19? The people themselves formed the Old Covenant (vss. 4-8), whereas Abraham had believed the New Covenant. The New one is the one-sided promise of God; the Old is the "faulty" promise of the people. That's why a major portion of the Bible is the "Old Testament" (or covenant), leading us back to where Abraham was to be "justified by faith" under the New Covenant (Gal. 3:24). Let's make the New Covenant clear to our children! ------------------------Chapter 94--What Is the Cause "Backsliding"? DDB2 94 1 What is the cause of "backsliding"? From time immemorial it has been the problem of God's true people. Jeremiah says they have been "slidden back, ... in a perpetual backsliding" (Jer. 8:5). God says through Hosea, "My people are bent on backsliding from Me" (Hosea 11:7). DDB2 94 2 Their backsliding was apparent as early as the time of the Judges, just after the time of Moses--the story is up and down continually, mostly down, right on through the major and minor prophets of the Old Testament. Finally in 586 B.C. the kingdom of Judah (God's true people) suffered massive destruction. But even in Babylon and ever afterward, the "backsliding" went on until they rejected and murdered the Son of God. DDB2 94 3 God continually has invited His people to "return" to Him (Jer. 3:12, 14), and He has promised to "heal your backslidings" (3:22). The word does not occur in the New Testament, but the word "lukewarm" is there, just as bad, maybe worse, describing God's true people in these last days (Rev. 3:17). DDB2 94 4 Why is it that so often after we have had a wonderful series of "revival meetings" and our hearts have been stirred, that after a few weeks we find we have begun backsliding again? The world has crept in; we have gotten too busy to keep our promise to give the Lord quality time in Bible study and prayer and witnessing, and again we lose that plateau experience. Is it possible that there is a fundamental reason why this problem has gone on for thousands of years? DDB2 94 5 The problem began at Mount Sinai, from the time of Moses. From that truly "mountain-top" experience in meeting the Lord and hearing Him speak His holy law with His own voice with fire and thunder and earthquakes, in only a few weeks the people had backslidden to worshipping idols (Ex. 32:1-6). The problem: they had fastened themselves under the Old Covenant (19:8). We need the New! ------------------------Chapter 95--The Greatest Sin of All time DDB2 95 1 The righteousness of Christ now can cleanse the one greatest sin of all time. According to John's profound statement in 3:14-19, it's the sin of unbelief, not the mere passive ignorance of never knowing truth, but the active sin of disbelieving truth. "He who believes in Him is notcondemned ..." That "not" discloses the darkest guilt of sin. DDB2 95 2 But what is unbelief, this sin of disbelieving? It's the sin committed by the most righteous people on earth, those to whom God's Messiah was sent (the Savior of the world). They made the eternal Prince of glory become the slain "Lamb of God" by the people who slew Him. The cross of Christ extends its arms over the universe of God--the truth of eternity encapsulated in time at Calvary for us to "see." DDB2 95 3 Unbelief is the sin of cherishing hard hearts that cannot be melted, of eyes that cannot shed tears of repentance, of souls that "survey the wondrous cross" with callous disregard. It's the sin of hearts unmoved by the love (agape) that "constrains" any believing heart to total consecration to the One who died our second death for us. It's poisonous sin, the most subtle and deadly of all time. DDB2 95 4 Unbelief is the sin that infiltrates the great world church of Laodicea, the "seventh" and last of all time, the church that torments the resurrected Son of God to the point of acute nausea (Rev. 3:14-21). Each individual professed believer in Christ is a microcosm of the world church, no one holier than everybody else, all sharing a corporate sin of unbelief, all desperately needing a corporate repentance before God, all awaiting the long-promised Elijah who will proclaim a heart-reconciliation, the final atonement. DDB2 95 5 Let's not cap off history by crucifying the Lamb of God afresh. Let's overcome where ancient Israel failed. ------------------------Chapter 96--Impossible to "Backslide," Unless ... DDB2 96 1 When Jesus was about to leave His disciples alone in this unfriendly world, He encouraged them with a promise: He would send the Holy Spirit as His Stand-in, His Replacement, a "Comforter" (says the King James Version), yes, His very Presence. In John 16:7-11 He describes how it's best "for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you." DDB2 96 2 The Holy Spirit is Jesus Himself "abiding" with us, living with us as our Companion, unseen but no less real than when Jesus walked personally with the disciples by the Sea of Galilee. He walks with us "unseen" as verily as the resurrected Jesus walked with those two disciples Sunday evening on their way to Emmaus, when their eyes were "holden" and they did not see Him (Luke 24:13ff.). He talked with them along the way. So He does with us. DDB2 96 3 Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, is determined that we shall not "backslide"--ever! Jesus, as the Holy Spirit, takes the initiative day by day, prodding us, reminding us, yes, "convicting" us of sin (John 16:8, The New King James Version). More than that, He personally reminds us of "righteousness" which means He won't let us forget the way we should live; at every crossroad we come to He "convicts" us of the right way to go. DDB2 96 4 He never abandons us to wander in a fog! And if we listen to that prodding, that reminding, that "conviction of sin and of righteousness," and we don't beat Him off and insult Him, then He graciously "convicts [us] of judgment," meaning, "the prince of this world" [Satan] is "judged" [cast out] of our lives (John 16:11). He "convicts" us of triumph over sin; we see His power in our lives. DDB2 96 5 In other words, in plain language, it's impossible for us to "backslide" unless we do what Stephen said the scribes and Pharisees did: "you always resist the Holy Spirit" (Acts 7:51). The Holy Spirit says He will take you by the hand as a father leads a little child, or maybe the Hebrew means, take you in His "arms," but He says we squirm away from Him (see Hosea 11:3, 4, Good News Bible). There's no need for backsliding--it's time to see it as sin! ------------------------Chapter 97--The Biblical Picture We Have of Jesus DDB2 97 1 The biblical picture we have of Jesus is of Someone always happy, always on top of the world, healing the sick, cleansing lepers, cuddling children in His arms, healing Peter's wife's mother of fever, raising the dead son of the widow on her way to the funeral, calling Lazarus out of his tomb, miraculously feeding five thousands--here's the one Man on earth living in the bright sunshine of His heavenly Father's blessed approval, "in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17). We want to live like Him! DDB2 97 2 But never has there been anyone so plunged into the horror of deepest depression, as this Jesus. From the highest top He must be cast down to the lowest bottom. Writhing in the agony of the darkest curse of God, He cries out in anguish, "Why have You forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46). This is no Hollywood acting; the cumulative pain of the entire world's horror of despair is penetrating His deepest sense of feeling and conviction. Not only is the burden of the world's guilt of sin being laid upon Him, He is being "made … to be sin" (2 Cor. 5:21) in His own deepest soul. At last we see what it's like for a man to be in real hell where the last ray of hope is gone. DDB2 97 3 The crucified wretches that the pagan Romans torture by the thousands are given a sedative so they can black out; not Jesus. He won't taste it (Matt. 27:34). Every cell of His being must remain conscious to know the utmost horror of hell. DDB2 97 4 But wait: "You will not leave My soul in Hades," He says (Acts 2:27). Before the resurrection can come the third day, He must believe His way out of hell on His cross; His soul must be resurrected there in spirit, so He can die in glorious triumph, shouting so heaven can hear Him, "It is finished!" Take your Bible and read Psalms 22 and 69. ------------------------Chapter 98--Can We Actually Open or Lock the Gates of Heaven? DDB2 98 1 Jesus said something both wonderful and terrible when he said to His disciples, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:23). It was a parallel statement with the one in Matthew, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (16:19). DDB2 98 2 As authority figures to other people (that is, parents, teachers, preachers and pastors), can we actually open or lock the gates of heaven to people? Jesus says Yes!If in a fit of temper a parent tells a child, "You are lazy! You'll never amount to anything!" that child will have to carry that burden all his life unless somehow he finds the true gospel that gives him relief from that "burden." DDB2 98 3 If a preacher or pastor tells his congregation similar Bad News, he can close the gates of heaven against children and youth. We may wonder why they drop out of the "family" when they reach their teens, but that was the reason. In a fit of anger, a husband or wife can tell his or her spouse words that wound forever: "There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword" (Prov. 12:18). Sometimes the words are so painful that they are like a barb--it hurts even to draw them out in repentance. You are indeed an authority figure even to your spouse! DDB2 98 4 But there's another half to that verse: "But the tongue of the wise promotes health." Yes, don't forget the Good News side to what Jesus said: we can say Good News to children and youth, yes to spouses, words that will be the opening of the gates of the New Jerusalem to their souls. DDB2 98 5 Let us thank God for a new today wherein we can apply some healing balm to the wounds we have made, and we can tell someone some precious Good News. There is nothing to thank God for more earnestly than that we have another day in which to receive His precious gift of repentance with another opportunity to use those "keys" the right way. ------------------------Chapter 99--A Fascinating Christmas Story Hidden in a Most Unlikely Place DDB2 99 1 There is a fascinating Christmas story tucked away, hidden, in the most unlikely place: a book called The Great Controversy. It presents details that are not in the book on the life of Christ, The Desire of Ages. DDB2 99 2 A special angel was appointed to visit the earth to find who was prepared to welcome the long-awaited Messiah. He visits the palaces of kings; the offices of philosophers, teachers, rabbis, the synagogue elders, the leaders of the one true church on earth of that day with headquarters at Jerusalem; even the high priest's palace. Will the angel find anyone whose humble, contrite heart is longing for the coming of the long-awaited world's Redeemer? If he finds such a person, he will give him the glad news that He is about to be born! But sadly, he finds no one, and is about to return to heaven with the shameful news when he spots a group of lowly shepherds camping in the fields. They love to think and talk about the prophecies. They are not discussing politics, buying presents for each other, worldly possessions, or pleasures; they express their longing for the coming of the world's Redeemer. DDB2 99 3 The angel cannot contain his exuberance! He tells them the glad news and directs them to "the wretched hovel prepared for cattle" in Bethlehem where they will find the One who "unto you is born this day ... a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). DDB2 99 4 As that angel encircles the earth today, visiting the homes, schools, churches of the people who claim to be God's one true people, does he find anyone talking about the coming of the long-awaited "latter rain" of the Holy Spirit? Does anyone care that it has been delayed more than a century? DDB2 99 5 Does anyone wonder why? Does anyone long for its return? Or is there a secret fear that if and when the blessing comes, a lot of worldly "fun" will come to an end? Yes, it's true: the path to Bethlehem will lead on to a cross, which anyone who follows Jesus will also bear. ------------------------Chapter 100--The Beginning of Eternal Life “in Christ” DDB2 100 1 That grand day when “Jesus stood and cried out” so all the world could hear Him (and heaven too), “If anyone thirsts, ... come to Me and drink” (John 7:37), He knew that some people are not “thirsty.” Even He cannot force them to drink. They go through life bereft of a drop of the “water of life.” They may be billionaires, but don’t envy them. DDB2 100 2 There’s much being said about how important it is to drink more water for our health. We should drink it even if we don’t feel thirsty, doctors tell us. Maybe we can learn to develop a thirst mechanism that will keep us healthy (?). DDB2 100 3 Suppose you’re not “thirsty,” but in cold logic you sense that you are spiritually dry; you know that your heart is into worldly pleasure, self-seeking, empty vanity: can you make a life choice that involves doing what Jesus said—“cometo [Him] and drink” even if you don’t feel like it? DDB2 100 4 You cannot save yourself; and no, you cannot come to Him on your own for He said, “No one cancome to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44). The “drawing” is a very real tug on your heart; the Spirit of God is active. He is working even when you wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat after a disturbing dream; “come” right then! Get out of bed onto your knees and thank Him from the depths of your soul that it was only a dream. DDB2 100 5 You read about people who never stop thanking and praising the Lord. It’s our eternal choice. Isaiah reminds us that we don’t “own” an iota of character perfection; “’their righteousness is from Me,’ says the Lord” (54:17). DDB2 100 6 Yes, begin where you are with a prayer of thanks that you have been saved from a hell on earth; just that, nothing more profound. (It’s the truth!) That will be for you the beginning of eternal life “in Christ.” That choice will be “the right action of your will,” for it will make an entire change in your life, for eternity. ------------------------Chapter 101--Has Anyone Thought About the Innkeeper in Bethlehem? DDB2 101 1 Has anyone thought about the poor innkeeper in Bethlehem who said he had "no room" in his inn for Joseph and Mary and the Baby Jesus? DDB2 101 2 "I couldn't help it! I didn't know who Joseph and Mary were or who the expected Baby was!" he may wail. Ah yes, Innkeeper; but you could have given them yourroom! If you had done so, you would have gone down in history as the most blessed innkeeper ever. DDB2 101 3 The Innkeeper in fact is "us"; we never know from one day to the next what opportunity may suddenly be ours. DDB2 101 4 The Lord Jesus teaches us the significance of the most lowly opportunity that may confront us when we least expect something important. He says, "Inasmuch as you did it [anything good or bad] to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me" (Matt. 25:40). DDB2 101 5 The Lord is not trying to compile a list of all the bad things we have done or said in an effort to make a case against our entering His kingdom; He wants to amass a host of good things so that He can say to us individually and sincerely, in the presence of the universe, "Well done, good and faithful servant! ... Enter into the joy of your Lord!" (vs. 21). DDB2 101 6 There is nothing that gives the Lord Jesus more pleasure than saying this to humble people who feel like they don't deserve any honor in God's kingdom. ------------------------Chapter 102-- "A Remnant" Will Receive the Full Gift of Repentance DDB2 102 1 The Lord has a special love for the Jewish people, according to Paul's Romans (chapters 9-11). The apostle's idea is not mere personal national or ethnic pride on his part; it's theological. That is, he sees the Jews as God's chosen descendants of Abraham who were called to win the world to reconciliation with God, and thus put an end to the misery that sin has caused to the human race. DDB2 102 2 But the Jews did what all of us have done--they sinned against God. The divine call to Abraham and his descendants did not abolish the sinful nature that they, along with all of us, inherited from the fallen Adam. That "carnal mind," says Paul, "is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). DDB2 102 3 In God's special call to the Jews, He allowed them to demonstrate what that carnal mind can do when it does what it wants to do. The Jews were left on their own to act out to the full that enmity in that they crucified their God in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. DDB2 102 4 No pagan people have ever fallen that low. Jeremiah asks, "Has a [any other] nation changed its gods, which are not gods? But My people have changed their Glory for what does not profit" (2:11). They have led the world in "enmity against God" and raised a cross on which they crucified Him in the most public manner possible. DDB2 102 5 Nevertheless, He has forgiven them, for when their leaders incited the Romans to drive the nails through His wrists and ankle bones, the Messiah prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34). That means He has forgiven all the Jews in a corporate or legal sense; but they as individuals can never receive the blessing of that forgiveness until they realize what the sin is (not only was, for it continues), and open their hearts to receive the gift of repentance which will always lead to confession and recovery of what they threw away. DDB2 102 6 Paul says that "a remnant" will come to realize the truth and will receive the full gift of repentance(Rom. 11:5). They will lead out in the last gospel task of lighting the world with the glory of "the everlasting gospel" which will be "the third angel's message in verity." Those who were called to herald it to the world have refused to do so, "just like the Jews" who refused to evangelize their world for thousands of years. DDB2 102 7 Thank God that repentance is possible. God has faith in human beings that they will eventually respond appropriately. But why must we delay that wondrous time any longer? ------------------------Chapter 103--Can We Follow Christ and Not Be in Warfare? DDB2 103 1 Can anyone follow Christ truly and not be engaged in warfare? He Himself is heavily engaged in a war known as "the great controversy between Christ and Satan." He says to us, "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. ... Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. ... He who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me" (Matt. 10:24, 34, 38). No room here for couch potatoes! DDB2 103 2 One area of conflict that has raged in minds and hearts for hundreds of years is "justification by faith." Yes, the battle has been going on for most of the 2000 years since Christ. One entire book in the New Testament is devoted to the conflict--the Book of Galatians. There was no way one could be a Christian then and not take a side either for what Paul declared is "the truth of the gospel" or for the false teachers who came from "Jerusalem" to oppose him. And the battle has not subsided even today! Bring up the subject in almost any church or Bible class, and you will see the sparks fly. Must the conflict go on and on forever? Or can those who choose to believe in Christ resolve the conflict and come into genuine and lasting heart unity? Is the Bible clear? Or is the very source of our faith itself muddled and confused? DDB2 103 3 God invites you to come to Him and get the issue settled once for all, so that your mind and heart are clear and your feet are set on the solid rock. David said, "I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps" (Psalm 40:1, 2), DDB2 103 4 Give God a day of your life and (on your knees) prayerfully read Galatians and Romans all the way through. Not somebody's paraphrase or "commentary" in which he has exercised his supposed "hermeneutic" privilege to twist poor Paul into subtle legalism; read an authentic translation, maybe more than one, for perspective (you have two eyes for perspective!), and make your choice to believehow good the Good News is. DDB2 103 5 Yes, read the Bible itself, and let the fog be blown out of your mind and heart. Don't be proud and jump to conclusions; test and re-test your convictions. We can trust the Bible! Just read it with simple common sense. Blessings! ------------------------Chapter 104--A Time for Resolutions? DDB2 104 1 New Year's Day is traditionally the time for resolutions. "I will do better in this or that way during this new year!" And in practice, these New Year's resolutions usually fail before February comes around. DDB2 104 2 A wise writer has said that our promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand, and that the knowledge of our broken promises and forfeited pledges weakens our confidence in our own sincerity and causes us to feel that God cannot accept us. Such promises and resolutions made to God are the famous Old Covenant. The children of Israel made the Old Covenant at Mount Sinai when they responded to God's promise by saying, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do" (Ex. 19:8). DDB2 104 3 Sounds good, doesn't it? And some people understand the Lord as approving of their making the Old Covenant when He later said, "I have heard the voice of the words of this people, ... They are right in all that they have spoken" (Deut. 5:28). This is often interpreted as the Lord's enthusiastic approval of their Old Covenant promise. DDB2 104 4 But those who take this position don't read far enough. In the next verse the Lord sighs, "Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear [reverence] Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them." Paul says that the Old Covenant "gives birth to bondage" (Gal. 4:24). That "bondage" brings darkness into your soul, even though you try ever so hard to be good. DDB2 104 5 No, your New Year's resolutions will not bring you victory and happiness. The Lord does not ask you to make promises to Him; He asks only that you believe His promises to you. His promise is the New Covenant; and for us to believe His promise is what makes Him happy. And in the end it makes us happy, too. ------------------------Chapter 105--Christ Has Done Something for Every Human Being DDB2 105 1 Everyone at some time has dreams, bad dreams, nightmares. But it seems that one always wakes up just before the final tragedy. According to the Bible, since the world began no human being has ever experienced the second death, that is, hell itself, with one Grand Exception--Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the second or "last Adam" of the human race. DDB2 105 2 As the Head of the human race, He tasted death for everyone (Heb. 2:9), not the first death which the Bible calls a "sleep," but the real thing, the utter God-forsakenness which is "the wages of sin" (Rom. 6:23; Rev. 2:11; 20:14). He died your second death; there is no need for you to endure it! Christ has done something for every human being, accomplished it, and given him the benefit. DDB2 105 3 "The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6). Christ is "the Light which gives light to every man who comes into the world" (John 1:9). Not only is He "the propitiation for our sins," but also "for [the sins of] the whole world" (1 John 2:2). A wise writer has written, "He restored the whole race of men to favor with God. ... No sin can be committed by man for which satisfaction has not been met on Calvary, ... a thorough expiation." DDB2 105 4 You and I live today because of that "satisfaction." He has lifted the heart-burden of "condemnation" which sinful Adam passed on to us and has pronounced on "all men" that "verdict of acquittal" that Paul describes in Romans 5:15-18 (The Revised English Bible). That does not mean that everyone is automatically going to heaven; no, because many "receive the grace of God in vain" (2 Cor. 6:1), and reject what Christ has already won for them. But "for every man" there is deliverance already achieved for those "who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Heb. 2:14, 15). DDB2 105 5 But don't we have to dosomething? Of course; let your proud, sinful heart be melted; "humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God" (1 Peter 5:6); let the "constraint" of that love motivate you to live "henceforth ... unto Him which died for [you]" and not unto yourself (see 2 Cor. 5:14, 15, King James Version). Say "Thank You!" with your life. ------------------------Chapter 106--A New Chapter in Righteousness by Faith DDB2 106 1 The closer we come to what the Bible speaks of as "the end of the world" (Matt. 24:3), the more intimate will the people of God become with Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Their acquaintance will become like that of a couple who meet, get slightly acquainted, then fall in love, become engaged, and finally marry; no woman on earth will become the "bride of Christ," but there is a body of people known as "the church" who will "make herself ready" for that epochal "wedding" (cf. Rev. 19:7, 8; Eph. 5:23-27). DDB2 106 2 A "paradigm shift" in understanding is a mild term to describe the upheaval that will occur in the spiritual experience of God's people as they near when Christ closes His High Priestly ministry in the Most Holy Apartment. This tremendous spiritual upheaval will be a new motivation supplanting our old egocentric one. DDB2 106 3 We have always responded to the desire to be saved, but it's still the desire for a reward. We have sung the little song, "I Shall Wear a Crown in My Father's House," we have contemplated exchanging "the cross for a crown," we have widely taught that "securing our own salvation is the highest duty of life." DDB2 106 4 In the closing up of the Day of Atonement, a new motivation begins to take over: a concern for Christ that He receive His reward, that He be crowned King of kings and Lord of lords; our concern for Him eclipses that old one of egocentricity. This won't be righteousness by works; it will be a new chapter in righteousness by faith. At last, "perfect agape [will] cast out fear" (1 John 4:18). A new heart-appreciation of what it cost the Son of God to die for us will be grasped. DDB2 106 5 But this will not be the prized possession of the saints; it will be their communication to the world of "Christ and Him crucified" as the world has never before heard it in such clarity since Pentecost. ------------------------Chapter 107--One GREAT Promise Not Yet Fulfilled DDB2 107 1 All the wonderful promises that Jesus made before His death must and will be fulfilled. But there is one GREAT promise that has not yet been fulfilled, and many Christians think it never will be. They are wrong! He will not fail. DDB2 107 2 That great promise is in John 16:13: "When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth." We usually think of the Holy Spirit as giving us happy feelings or of giving great power in witnessing and producing baptisms; we think that understanding "all truth" is of lesser importance. But over 200 times the Bible speaks of the importance of truth. In ordinary life, law courts, juries, judges, seek constantly to know the truth. Jesus says that it is so important that "the truth shall make you free" (8:32). DDB2 107 3 In His same promise that the Holy Spirit will guide us "into all truth" Jesus promised, "He will show you things to come." The wording is very similar to the opening of the Book of Revelation, "the revelation of ... things which must shortly take place" (1:1). The Book of Revelation was the fulfillment of Jesus' promise! And yet Christian people go in all different directions in understanding what Revelation is saying! DDB2 107 4 Likewise, there is confusion in understanding Daniel's prophecies; yet God commanded the angel, "Gabriel, make this man understand the vision," and later the angel said to him, "I will tell you the truth" (8:16; 11:2). Paul spoke of his message as "the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:5). There is as much division in understanding that as there is in understanding Daniel and the Revelation! DDB2 107 5 What can bring about a unity and clarity of understanding these important truths? Surely when that great fourth angel of Revelation 18:1-4 begins to "lighten the earth with glory," the message that calls every sincere person "out of Babylon" will be a message of pure, unadulterated truth. We pray daily for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. An excellent place to begin finding the answer to that prayer is in honest, sincere, and humble listening to the Bible to permit it to tell us what the truth is in all these controverted areas. Jesus did not promise, "The Holy Spirit will tryto lead you into all truth," or "He wishesHe could lead you into all truth." No, He said He willdo so. DDB2 107 6 As surely as you read this, so surely is the Holy Spirit right now "leading" us into the truth that will bind us together in loving harmony of belief. Let's listen to Him! ------------------------Chapter 108--Is God Concerned About Our Exploring His Universe? DDB2 108 1 Is God concerned about our exploring His universe? “The faith of Jesus” is very clear: God is our Redeemer, a personal God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, our Father, too. He is infinite; He flung the Milky Way in space, and yet He also notices when a little bird falls to our earthly ground. He has counted the hairs on our heads. He cares about each struggling human being, especially those who call upon Him. All this is what the Bible calls “present truth” (2 Peter 1:12). DDB2 108 2 Now, how does this personal Creator of the universe look upon the intent of nations to invade His universe? This personal God and Father of us all “formed [the earth] to be inhabited” (Isa. 45:18); does that word “earth” mean also Mars? Does God intend for man to “inhabit” Mars as well as this planet we call earth? And does He intend for us to invade the great universe that lies beyond, through the expertise of NASA or others? DDB2 108 3 If we become clever enough to physically transport ourselves into God’s vast universe, we should go as emissaries from a planet that has first solved its own problems, that wars are ended and poverty and sin also. DDB2 108 4 Let our governments solve our world health care problems, our world crime, relieve our bulging prisons, comfort our suicidal youth, create a true heaven on earth with no hell mixed in, transform our cities to be “undimmed with human tears”; only then invade God’s great universe beyond our own appointed home. DDB2 108 5 And in the meantime, let’s let our Creator/Redeemer prepare us for the heaven He has long been waiting to inaugurate. Let’s stop resisting Him; let’s believe Him. Let’s stand on His side in the “great controversy between Christ and Satan.” It’s real; we’re in it today--right where we are. ------------------------Chapter 109--There Will Be a Last Generation! DDB2 109 1 Jesus Christ was emphatically clear about the future: this sinful, painful world is not to continue on and on ad infinitum for ages to come. "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:1-3). DDB2 109 2 Note: He receives His people to Himself, not vice versa. He has taken the initiative all the way through: a conjugal love has motivated Him. Love is always the desire to be one with the beloved. Jesus is no different! DDB2 109 3 The story of the second coming of Christ is a love story; there is a Bridegroom involved and a Bride. The drama is played out on planet earth in view of the vast universe of God, as though this planet were the stage. The second coming of Christ is the denouement of history, the one grand event toward which through the ages humanity has moved steadily. DDB2 109 4 The prophet Daniel describes the Last Generation as "the time of the end" (11:35; 12:4). Jesus told His disciples, speaking of specific events, "Then the end will come" (Matt. 24:14). There will be a Last Generation! Six thousand plus years of history cannot be for nothing! DDB2 109 5 The apostles had a clear understanding: "This we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep [not everybody is going to pass through death!]. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:15-17). DDB2 109 6 The joy that Jesus will know will be unbounded, for He has personally, individually loved each one of His saints. The Last Generation will be the reunion. The long delayed wedding of two who have dearly loved each other is an occasion of great joy here on earth; think of a cosmic wedding! Four grand Hallelujah choruses with heaven's symphony orchestras accompanying the massed choirs. "The angel said to me, 'Write this: Blessed [happy] are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.' [New Living Translation], ... who have the testimony of Jesus ... for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Rev. 19:7-10). DDB2 109 7 You are invited; now "make your calling and election sure" (2 Peter 1:10). ------------------------Chapter 110--Does Jesus Really Need Us? DDB2 110 1 Does the Lord Jesus Christ really need us? Is He not the Omnipotent One? So is He not automatically the Victor in His "great controversy" with Satan? Does it really matter to Him if we are loyal or disloyal? And in the long run, won't He win irrespective of our loyalty? DDB2 110 2 Let's back up to the Great Event on Calvary's cross: When Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane we read that "all the disciples forsook Him and fled" (Matt. 26:56). Let us not forget that Jesus, although He was the divine Son of God, had laid aside the prerogatives of His divinity, and He was now the "Son of man." He was living our life, as One of us, feeling as we feel. DDB2 110 3 The pain of those spikes driven into His ankles and wrist bones was horrible, but it was nothing compared to the pain of His soul when His chosen ones, the Eleven (Judas had already forsaken Him), turned away from Him. In the horror of the moment, could He have been tempted to fear that His mission might ultimately fail? After all, weren't these Eleven a prophecy of the ultimate end of His "great controversy" with Satan? DDB2 110 4 Wouldn't it have been wonderful if at least one of the Eleven had firmly declared to the Romans, "If you crucify this Man, you crucify me, too!"? But there is no such story in any of the four Gospels; there is no such Hero for any of us to exult in. DDB2 110 5 Whoever we could be today, the truth is that the Lord Jesus does need us to be loyal to Him. It's too late for Him to have to feel sad that we too have done what the Eleven did long ago. It's time for "144,000" of the weakest and most unworthy of earth's inhabitants to "follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (Rev. 14:4). That's our glorious opportunity! ------------------------Chapter 111--If You Ask the Lord to Give You Some "Bread," Can You Believe That He Will? DDB2 111 1 If you ask the Lord to give you some "bread," can you believe that He will? Or will He deceive you and give you a serpent or a stone? You say "that's an easy answer," but for some it may be a difficult leap of faith to believe the Lord actually loves them that much. Jesus says His yoke is "easy" but it may not always be easy to learn to believe! It may take years of listening. DDB2 111 2 If you know your pantry is empty and you ask Him to give you bread for your starving guest, will He bother even at an uncomfortable hour to get up and give you what you ask for? Well, you know the answer: you can't be a Christian unless you believe that He is kind, merciful, and loves you too much to disappoint you, even at "midnight." You must believe that He keeps His promises. DDB2 111 3 That parable in Luke 11 does not say that He will give you enough bread to stock your pantry for years to come, or enough to feed "five thousand" as Jesus fed them in His day; it says specifically, "He will rise and give [you] as many as [you] need" (vss. 5-8). He answers your prayer for understanding of Bible truth, but it will not make you suddenly omniscient, nor wise enough to hold thousands spellbound with your wisdom. But He will give you all the "bread" you need. So be humble; you will need more understanding tomorrow. Don't be proud of the little He graciously gives you today. That is precious enough but not good enough. DDB2 111 4 And He has promised that you will never lose the Bible study you do today, even if you may be tempted to think it has been boring. "The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you" (John 14:26). Many testify that truths they thought they have forgotten pop up even years later. So your continual "hunger and thirst for righteousness" that drives you again and again to the Word keeps that precious memory alive. DDB2 111 5 Many can give their testimony that when they have asked the Lord to teach them truth, the answer came when they least expected it--a sudden flash of understanding when they needed it the most. His promise is in Matthew 10:19: "It will be given to you in that hour what you should speak." ------------------------Chapter 112--Take a New Look at Your Trials; You May Be Missing a Bonanza DDB2 112 1 What do you do when you pray and pray and you don't get an answer? Or the answer is a plain No? Did I hear you say that all your prayers get a Yes answer? If so you are a most unusual person. Many people, especially children, are perplexed when they hear stories of some people always getting an immediate Yes answer; they don't seem to get such answers. Well, neither do I. DDB2 112 2 Even the apostle Paul had to suffer the disappointment of not getting a Yes answer to his prayers. He tells us about it in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. He had a painful physical problem, and three times he earnestly prayed, Lord, take this away; am I not serving You? And he probably said, like we do so often, "Don't I deserve something?" The Lord said No to his request: "My grace is sufficient for you," and with it you can endure this pain. DDB2 112 3 The children need to understand that if the Lord says No, it does not mean He doesn't love us; He does. His "No!" can be a greater proof of His love than if He lets us win the lottery. DDB2 112 4 We can be sure that He will always give us enough from His store of much more abounding grace that will enable us to bear the trial and endure its pain. That grace is often much better than to have the trial taken away from us. Why? Because His wonderful grace is strongest when we are at our weakest: "My strength is made perfect in weakness," He said to Paul (2 Cor. 12:9). DDB2 112 5 Paul immediately took the hint and capitalized on it: "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast [glory, King James Version] in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." In other words, my trials turn out to be a great bargain! DDB2 112 6 Take a new look at your trials; you may be missing a bonanza. ------------------------Chapter 113--What the Angels of Heaven Are Begging Us to Do DDB2 113 1 The angels of heaven are begging the inhabitants of earth to read the book of Revelation (see 1:1-3). DDB2 113 2 As we come to the end-time, the sounding of "the seventh angel's" trumpet, John the prophet sees "lightnings" and hears "noises ["voices," King James Version], and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail"--the most awful spiritual "storm" in earth's 6000 years (11:15-19). DDB2 113 3 Next he sees the panoramic history of God's true church through the ages, focusing on their final witness of truth to the world (12:1-17). DDB2 113 4 Then he sees the monstrous deception of a counterfeit "christ" and its imitation gospel that leads "all who dwell on the earth" to worship this power except those "whose names are ... written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (13:1-8). The world is being catalyzed into two camps. DDB2 113 5 Next the prophet sees a savage burst of persecuting frenzy wherein multitudes who think themselves following that "Lamb" will repeat the essence of His original unjust crucifixion, on His people (13:11-17). DDB2 113 6 Then the prophet sees the raising up of a group of "144,000" who share a corporate oneness "in Christ" and bring the world to a final up-or-down vote on identifying the true Christ (14:1-15). It will also involve distinguishing the true Holy Spirit from its extremely clever opposite (18:2, 3). We're just about there. Living now is serious business. ------------------------Chapter 114--Does Our Salvation Depend on Maintaining a "Relationship" with Jesus? DDB2 114 1 If you're river rafting in violently turbulent water, everything depends on your hanging on. You need a constant "relationship" with the boat. DDB2 114 2 We're in a turbulent great controversy with Satan. Does our salvation depend on our maintaining a "relationship" with Jesus? Many are the sincere people who get discouraged. They have to make a living; work presses hard on them. They are tired at day's end; morning comes too soon--back to the turbulence of daily life in a godless world. After some days or weeks (or months!) they realize, "I have neglected to maintain that 'relationship!'" Not enough time spent in prayer and Bible study! The precious "relationship" seems broken. DDB2 114 3 If you are one of those ("alive" rather than among the living dead) don't give up in despair. You need some Good News. The Savior takes the initiative to maintain that relationship or fellowship with you! It was never His idea to get you started or involved in a works program; His role is that of Good Shepherd seeking us, rather than vice versa. DDB2 114 4 Bible study and prayer arenecessary. But if you can appreciate the love of that Good Shepherd; if you can "comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love [agape] of Christ which passes knowledge" (Eph. 3: 18, 19), you see Him as the One who seeks to maintain that fellowship with you, as the Father did with Jesus (see Isa. 50:4; don't be "rebellious," vs. 5). "As He is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:17). DDB2 114 5 If you are too busy to eat breakfast, do you despair and say, "I'm no good! I'll never eat again!"? I think hunger will drive you to eat the first chance you get. So does the Savior's love drive you to respond to His continual seeking. His love, not craven fear, will motivate you to thank Him for not letting go of you (Isa. 41:10, 13). Count yourself among these: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matt. 5:6). ------------------------Chapter 115--Two Harvests--Character That Develops in Two Kinds of People DDB2 115 1 In Bible imagery, rain is usually a blessing. There is "the latter rain" which comes at just the right time to ripen a thirsty crop for harvest. But think of a farmer worried about his crop in Israel long ago. Early rain was a blessing that made the seed sprout. The barley matured to a certain place in plant growth that seemed to promise a rich harvest this year; but now the growth is stunted. Drought came at just the wrong time. An enormous crop that never matures for harvest is an agricultural disaster. The farmer doesn't have modern irrigation; he is dependent on rain from heaven. DDB2 115 2 You can imagine the distress in the family, the earnest prayers going up day by day for the Lord to send the long-awaited "latter rain." It must come from Him! DDB2 115 3 In the Bible, this describes the condition of the Lord's church in the last days. The enormity in the size of acreage that the farmer has planted in barley is not good news unless the crop gets that most precious latter rain at the right time. Diligent labor is effort wasted if it doesn't result in a harvest of mature grain ripe for the sickle. DDB2 115 4 Jesus teaches that "the harvest is the end of the age" (Matt. 13:39). But there are two harvests--character develops in two kinds of people: those ready to meet the Lord at His return; and those whose rebellion against Him has also matured (Rev. 14:16-20). DDB2 115 5 A "sickle" is used in both harvests, one by Jesus coming in glory, the other by some other "angel" whose "sharp sickle" reaps a harvest cast into the "great winepress of the wrath of God." There must be two kinds of "latter rain." DDB2 115 6 Time to be alert! No time to sleep! ------------------------Chapter 116--An Expensive Object Lesson DDB2 116 1 Jesus said something very strange that has puzzled many people since the day He said it: "Whoever falls on this Stone [Himself, His history as Savior of the world] will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder" (Matt. 21:44). DDB2 116 2 The leaders of the nation were planning to kill Him; Caiaphas, the high priest, hated Him; Pilate the Roman governor would deliver Him to death, knowing He was innocent; and King Herod would agree to His death. The greatest judicial travesty in all history! DDB2 116 3 Jesus had just reminded them of the well-known story of building Solomon's temple. One large stone had baffled the workmen--they couldn't figure out where to put it and they abandoned it in the weeds, to the heat of summer and the storms and frost of winter. Finally, they discovered that it was the "chief cornerstone," where it proved to be an exact fit. So, said Jesus, He is the "[head] stone which the builders rejected" (vs. 42). DDB2 116 4 So far, it is clear. But why the idea of anyone "falling on the Stone and being broken"? Well, Peter was an example of such a person. A proud man, he was sure he would never give in to pressure and deny his Lord, but before the rooster crowed in the morning he had denied Jesus three times. Peter wept bitterly when he realized the sinfulness of his own heart. His repentance was deep. He "fell on the Stone and was broken." The love of self was broken up; his heart was broken. It was reported in early times that ever afterward there was a tear glistening in his eyes. DDB2 116 5 On the other hand, look at Caiaphas, Pilate, and Herod: all they have is the final judgment. Christ will not grind them to powder--what will do it is their own history. He will not say a word to condemn them in that final judgment; they will do it themselves. They will salvage nothing for eternity. DDB2 116 6 A wise writer has used this text about the "Stone" in appealing to church members to let the Holy Spirit melt their proud hearts, and to teachers in Christian schools whose self-centered pride hides Jesus from the view of their students, and to ministers and church leaders who repeat Peter's denial of Christ. It's an "either/or" judgment we all face: self must be humbled eventually. Either by our own voluntary choice to take up the cross on which self is crucified, or to go on making self the center of our heart's devotion. DDB2 116 7 The former calls for tears of melted-heart repentance now; the latter points to "powder" being blown away like dust in a windstorm, an eternal record of nothingness. Herod, Caiaphas, and Pilate have given us an expensive object lesson. ------------------------Chapter 117--Can National or State Governments Exercise the Principle of Agape? DDB2 117 1 Can we humans learn to treat each other as God treats us? Jesus told a parable of a man to whom the king forgave a debt of "ten thousand talents" and then went out and grabbed a poor fellow servant by the throat who owed him a mere hundred denarii, and ordered him, "Pay me!" (Matt. 18:23-35). DDB2 117 2 Jesus taught that we must forgive others as God has forgiven us. But that of course is impossible unless we understand corporate guilt--that we of ourselves have no righteousness, it is all imputed to us from Christ, its only source. DDB2 117 3 Enlightened by the Holy Spirit to understand and appreciate what Christ has done for us, we immediately look upon others in a new light. We reason from cause to effect; we sense that if our circumstances from birth had been the same, we might have turned out no better than this person we are tempted to hate. It's not a matter of superficial, transient emotion; it's a principle--the sin of someone else would be our sin but for the grace of Christ! This is not excusing the responsibility of sinners, or abolishing morality; it is redemptive human relations. It is "letting the mind of Christ be in" us. DDB2 117 4 Despised by the world in personal or international relationships, this heavenly principle of agapetranscends all religions and cultures. It costs far less than even one stealth bomber, and it works miracles in saving individuals and nations from ruinous violence. DDB2 117 5 This principle is based on the gospel truth of what Christ accomplished for the world. The Bible speaks of Him as "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42), and "the Savior of all men" (1 Tim. 4:10). The rock-solid foundation of the gospel saves all who believe it from fanaticism or self-destructive naiveté. DDB2 117 6 Can national or state governments exercise the principle of agape? No, for they are secular institutions; but those who administer these governments can personally exercise that principle. Without any union of church and state, they can, like Daniel of old, seek wisdom from God at every step (see Dan. 9:1-5, for example). "Righteousness exalts a nation" (Prov. 14:34). All nations need it! ------------------------Chapter 118--Christ’s Ministry as the World’s High Priest DDB2 118 1 The ancient Israelite sanctuary was a revelation to our dull human senses of the reality of Christ's ministry as the world's High Priest in His heavenly sanctuary. The purpose of building Him a sanctuary was not to bottle Him up inside it, but to make it possible for Him to "dwell among them" (Ex. 25:8). The Lord Jesus loved His people; and love always wants to be near you. DDB2 118 2 The earthly high priest was everybody's "grandfather," someone sympathetic to each one's need. Jesus is not a heavenly policeman trying to catch you doing something wrong, but a heavenly Attorney seeking to defend you at court. DDB2 118 3 His closing words to His followers were: "'Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen" (Matt. 28:19, 20). The "amen" means, "Yes! It is true! You can believe this!" In order for us to realize that He is "with" us we must "let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5-8). Our "minds" must be surrendered to the infilling of the Holy Spirit. DDB2 118 4 This is an exercise for our souls--to expel our worldly thoughts and cares. "Enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret" (Matt. 6:6, King James Version). Remember, you are not taking the initiative to "find" the Lord; you are letting Him take the initiative to find you. DDB2 118 5 The two of you are together in that prayer--the Father and you. He cares about you; for He is lonely without you. Jesus and the Father are "one" and Jesus now belongs to us--forever. Delight in that thought of truth. ------------------------Chapter 119--The Best King Israel Ever Had (Next to King David) DDB2 119 1 He was the best king Israel ever had, next to King David. He did everything right. He followed the Law of Moses minutely. And he was not a legalist--his heart was in it. The grace of the Lord was with him. DDB2 119 2 King Hezekiah inspired the people of both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms of the divided nation. He engineered the finest celebration of Passover the nation had ever known. But at the height of his glory as the most devout of all Israel's kings, comes this startling detail: "God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that he might know all that was in his heart" (2 Chron. 32:31; didn't the Lord already know it all? This must be for us somehow!). DDB2 119 3 Then we are directed to Isaiah to get the story. The king had just enjoyed the most glorious defense the Lord gave him against the Assyrian invaders; then the prophet Isaiah told him, the time has come for you to die. But he turned his face to the wall, and sobbed like a child, Not fair! DDB2 119 4 The dear Lord granted him 15 years more wherein he made a fool of himself and sired the most terrible king Israel ever had--Manasseh (Isa. 38, 39). Hezekiah didn't know what was buried unseen within his heart; unknown sin did him in. DDB2 119 5 Now fast forward to our day: our great High Priest in His cleansing the heavenly sanctuary will not only enable us to overcome known sin, but do a deeper work also: overcome unknown sin. His much more abounding grace (cf. Rom. 5:20) is sufficient. His Holy Spirit is cooperating with Christ; now let us learn from Hezekiah how to let Him direct our steps. DDB2 119 6 Instead of dying physically, now we can experience the blessed crucifixion of self "with Christ" (cf. Gal. 2:20). We are not kings, but we have an important part in bringing to a close the Great Controversy between Christ and Satan. Let's join in! ------------------------Chapter 120--Habakkuk's Question--Eternal in Its Significance DDB2 120 1 Habakkuk is a tiny little book tucked away in an obscure spot in the Old Testament where few people ever see it. The prophet had a very serious question that he asked the Lord: Why do You protect and prosper the wicked (chapter 1, verses 1-4)? DDB2 120 2 The Lord did not answer him all at once--good lesson for us! The prophet said, "I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me" (2:1). DDB2 120 3 The prophet's question was eternal in its significance; it is just as up-to-date now as ever. The Lord welcomes our questions that trouble us. Ask those questions of Him seriously; don't be like a child who asks for something today and then forgets tomorrow that he asked. Bring your serious questions regarding how the Lord has treated you in your life, why this or that disappointment may have come to you, why He permitted it; pour out your heart before Him, hold nothing back. DDB2 120 4 Habakkuk 2, verse 1: Note, he waited for an answer. He was not impatient with the Lord. See how often the Psalmist brings his "complaint" before the Lord (55:2; 102, title: "The Lord's Eternal Love"; 142:2.) Be honest and straightforward with the Lord (after all, isn't He your "heavenly Father"?). DDB2 120 5 Habakkuk 2, verse 2: "Then the Lord answered me ..." He will "answer" you, too. It may be by a "still, small voice," but He will not despise your sincere prayer! Remember David's lesson he learned in deep repentance: "A broken and a contrite heart--these, O God, You will not despise" (Psalm 51:17). So, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16). DDB2 120 6 "Boldly"? Even though you have sinned? DDB2 120 7 Yes, for His forgiveness is great, as is His love (agape). ------------------------Chapter 121--An Example of How the New Covenant Is a Blessing to Youth DDB2 121 1 Joseph, the younger son of Jacob and his beloved Rachel, is an example of how the New Covenant is a blessing to youth. When his ten older brothers cruelly rejected him and sold him to be a slave to the Midianites, who then sold him to the Ishmaelites, who took him as a slave to Egypt, Joseph's New Covenant faith kept him from utter despair. Of course, the young lad cried and cried as he saw in the distance his father's home disappear; but also his heart thrilled through and through with a resolve to dedicate himself totally to the God of his fathers. DDB2 121 2 No youth could make such a resolve unless New Covenant faith was his; it wasn't some superior virtue that Joseph had--it was his faith that "worked." It was through that New Covenant faith that God was able to hold his hand and keep him from falling into the pit of despair that so many disappointed people fall in to. DDB2 121 3 The New Covenant does not consist of a "bargain" that God makes in agreement with His people; it consists of the Lord's out-and-out promises to bless them. Of course, they respond, but their response is not "works," it is faith--believing and appreciating His promises, being moved by them. DDB2 121 4 When Joseph was later tempted so alluringly by Potiphar's wife, again it was his New Covenant faith that preserved him from falling. God held him by the hand; it's not that Joseph did nothing and just let the Lord save him; he did something very important--he believed those promises. His heart was moved with a deep appreciation for the love of his Savior. DDB2 121 5 Although he lived in Old Testament times, he was experiencing the New Testament vision of being moved by the love (agape) of Christ. Joseph was in tune with Paul's idea of the agape of Christ moving his heart to the point where he dedicated all he had to the One who so loved him that He went to the cross and died there his (Joseph's) second death. DDB2 121 6 The Lord loves us no less than He loved Joseph. ------------------------Chapter 122--Daniel and Revelation--"Light" Focused From Heaven DDB2 122 1 Daniel is the one Old Testament book that Jesus specifically singles out as urgently requiring our attention (Matt. 24:15); and Revelation is the one New Testament book that Jesus likewise singles out (Rev. 1:1-3). We can't understand what's going on in the world around us without this "light" focused from heaven in these two special books! DDB2 122 2 The two are complementary, each explains the other. It's amazing how hundreds of millions of Christians blithely disregard both! But both are easy to understand--user-friendly, so much so that youth can understand with only a little careful thinking. DDB2 122 3 Both describe in detail how a great "falling away" (apostasy) would seek to hijack the world Christian church with an enormous counterfeit religious organization that "opposes and exalts [itself] above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. ... The mystery of lawlessness ... with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who ... did not receive the love of the truth, ... strong delusion, that they should believe the lie" (2 Thess. 2:3-12). It's the core issue of the great cosmic controversy. DDB2 122 4 The identity of this massive deception is not cloaked in foggy uncertainty: the Holy Spirit is clear and unequivocal in pinpointing this church power in history as the grand religious successor of the paganism of the ancient Roman Empire (Dan. 7:7, 8, 20-25)--the Papacy. Revelation 18 pictures its coming total exposé. "Come out of [Babylon], My people" (vs. 4). Be alert. ------------------------Chapter 123--Ask the Lord How You Can Bring Some Truth to Someone DDB2 123 1 You may have dreamed of doing some great work for the Lord. He has put that vision in your heart. If you have had success, thank Him in humility. It was all due to His blessing. DDB2 123 2 But if you feel that you have accomplished little of what you had hoped to do, please do not wound your Lord by doubting His love and faithfulness for you. He has heard your prayers, and there is still opportunity for Him to bless the meager offering you have to give Him. DDB2 123 3 The little boy in the big crowd of more than 5,000 men, women, and children had only his two fish and five barley buns his mother had baked for his lunch--but in love and boyish faith he gave them all to the disciples to give to Jesus (Matt. 14:15-19; John 6:9-11; did you know that John is the only one of the four Gospel writers to give the "lad" credit for his loving offering?) You know how the Lord Jesus blessed that humble gift! DDB2 123 4 Now ask the dear Lord to show you what little thing you can do to bring some truth or blessing in another way, to someone. The angels keep the record books; never think about a reward for yourself. But pray that the Lord will bless your little offering; and trust Him that He will for the good of someone, somewhere. There will come a time when that person will walk up to you and thank you for what you gave or what you did today. ------------------------Chapter 124--What Does It Mean in These Last Days to Follow Christ? DDB2 124 1 What does it mean in these last days to follow the Lord Jesus Christ? DDB2 124 2 (1) You believe God is, and that He rewards your devotion and hears your prayers; that He is your heavenly Father, that He loves you so much He gave His dearest treasure to become your Savior--His only Son; and that He stays with you forever through the on-going gift of the Holy Spirit. DDB2 124 3 (2) You have begun an eternity-filled and growing heart-appreciation of the love that led Jesus Christ to die your second death on His cross; that love has begun to "constrain" you to live "henceforth" unto Him and not for "self" (2 Cor. 5:14, 15, King James Version). DDB2 124 4 (3) Your baptism is a sign to the world that you turn away from its ways and sinful pleasures; a declaration to the world that you are now "crucified with Christ" and you are risen with Him to a new life (Gal. 2:20). DDB2 124 5 (4) You believe that the One who died for you was resurrected and now lives forever as your personal High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary, your Attorney on your side, defending you from the attacks of Satan (Heb. 2:17, 18). DDB2 124 6 (5) You have begun to love the Bible as God's personal word to you; and you ask Him to deepen that love and confidence from now on forever. DDB2 124 7 (6) You have begun to love God's law, His Ten Commandments as ten promises of victory over temptation Satan may bring against you; you love obedience to the fourth, keeping holy His blessed seventh-day Sabbath as a precious gift from Him (Ex. 20:1-17). DDB2 124 8 (7) The "blessed hope" (Titus 2:13) you cherish is the imminent personal, literal, visible second coming of Jesus and you want to help others also to get ready. DDB2 124 9 (8) You thank the Lord for the "gifts" He has given to His "body" on earth, the church--one of which is the living gift of prophecy, evidence of His on-going love (1 Cor. 13:2, 2 Peter 1:19-21). DDB2 124 10 (9) Since His church is His "body" on earth, you want to remain forever one of its loyal members, supporting it with tithes and offerings returned to the Lord. DDB2 124 11 (10) You believe that your physical body is the "temple" the Holy Spirit dwells in; you choose to keep it in health and purity, for it was purchased by the sacrifice of Christ (1 Cor. 6:19). DDB2 124 12 (11) You seek fellowship in that "church" that Revelation singles out as "the remnant" which "keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Rev. 12:17, King James Version). DDB2 124 13 (12) You are happy forever "in Christ" living under His new covenant of grace. ------------------------Chapter 125--Do You Know How to Tell if You're a Child of God? DDB2 125 1 Do you know how to tell if you are indeed a child of God and not a child of what John says is "the wicked one" (1 John 2:13, 14)? The right answer will spell either great happiness or despair. DDB2 125 2 The apostle Paul gives us a simple litmus test whereby we can tell. It's in Romans 8:15, 16: "You received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God." That word "abba" is the Hebrew for "father," the simplest syllable a baby of any language utters, "ba-ba." You may never have uttered a formal prayer, but if in the depths of your heart your soul cries out in your distress or agony, "Father ... , Father ... please help me!" then you have the witness of the Holy Spirit that you are a child of God. DDB2 125 3 But you say, "How can that be? I'm a sinner! I have guilt!" Well, don't forget that the scribes and Pharisees accused Christ, "This man receives sinners!" (Luke 15:2). In fact, sinners are the only people that Jesus does "receive." DDB2 125 4 You may not yet be a perfect "child of God," but if your heart cries out "Father!" then this Heavenly Father simply cannot turn away from such a cry. "What man [father] is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ... If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him?" (Matt. 7:9, 11). Did your father starve you if you didn't behave? DDB2 125 5 You may object, "Yes, my earthly father was mean, and I hate the word!" Never mind; dig down a little deeper and you will discover that when you were a baby, a child, your heart yearned for "abba, Father!" even if you did not realize the pleasure of fulfillment then. DDB2 125 6 Your heart is the same today. That's your deepest longing. Your heart is bursting to let those words come out. Let them come! Say them! Believe the Good News even if you don't feel like it. Choose to believe! There is the difference between happiness and despair. You will "overcome the wicked one." ------------------------Chapter 126--Climb Up on That Cross and Be Close to Him DDB2 126 1 There are people who suffer so much pain, have endured so many disappointments, been crushed so often, offered so many apparently unanswered prayers, that they are seriously tempted to conclude that God has forsaken them.People who have never suffered pain seem unable to comfort them. One wonders if even angels can comfort them-what pain have they endured? Even God Himself--what can He say to them? Has He endured the pain that His created beings have been forced to feel? DDB2 126 2 When pain becomes terribly severe, someone far wiser than I am says, "Don't try to think; rest in the love of God." DDB2 126 3 But what does it mean to do that? God has said something that we must grasp: He has promised that He will not permit any pain to become so bad that it blots out the possibility of our choosing to believe His love. In other words, no matter how dark the night, God will not permit the darkness to be so dark as to blot out the last candle flicker of light! On the cross, His Son felt to the full what it really means to be "forsaken of God," for He cried out, "My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46). Christ went through that for a great reason: no human soul need ever taste the fullness of that horror! DDB2 126 4 But where has God promised never to let us feel pain or suffering so bad that it becomes impossible for us to believe in His love? Here it is: "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able" (1 Cor. 10:13). What does the word "tempt" mean? It means to suffer trial; and that includes the suffering of pain. DDB2 126 5 The Father did not exempt Himself from feeling our human pain. When Christ suffered the exquisite fullness of human pain, the Father fully suffered with Him. The Father and the Son were One; and the Son was "in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15, King James Version). That is, He would not give in to the tremendous urge to "curse God and die" as Job's wife urged him to do. On His cross, Christ struggled through the prayer of Psalm 22, and ended up choosing to believe that although absolutely everything told Him that God had forsaken Him, and suppose He has, He will not forsake His faith in the Father! DDB2 126 6 Before you pray for deliverance from the pain itself, pray for fellowship with Christ in His sufferings (cf. Phil. 3:10). Yes, climb up on that cross and be close to Him. ------------------------Chapter 127--A Prayer Jesus Prayed That We Can Pray DDB2 127 1 There's a prayer that Jesus prayed that we can pray, and we'll be happier for praying it. It was just before He worked the greatest miracle of His ministry--when He raised the dead Lazarus to life again. He wanted to be sure that the Father would hear Him, for everything depended on this prayer being heard and answered. "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me" (John 11:41, 42). We can know this, too. DDB2 127 2 No "voice from heaven" came this time to reassure Him; the heavens were as silent as before. He staked His entire ministry on His publicly expressed confidence that the Heavenly Father would honor Him before the people and before the world by granting His request. He poured out His soul in that loud voice when He commanded the dead man inside the tomb: "Lazarus, come forth!" (vs. 43). And you know what happened: Lazarus did. DDB2 127 3 Whether Jesus in His human nature needed the personal encouragement that an answered prayer could bring Him we do not know; but you and I need the assurance that when we pray, the Father hears us. When He commanded the dead man to "come forth," He spoke as our Representative. "Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. ... Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full" (John 16:23, 24). DDB2 127 4 He is not making empty promises; obviously He intends that we know what He means when He says to "ask in My name." All egocentric motivation has become outgrown so that we are caught up in His motivation, not ours; we are "in Him." We have "overcome" our childish prayers for a crown and now are concerned that the Lamb receive His reward. We want "the Lamb's wife" to "make herself ready" so that "the marriage of the Lamb" may be no longer delayed century after century (cf. Rev. 19:7, 8). DDB2 127 5 What we now live for is to have a tiny part in crowning Him "King of kings and Lord of lords." Thus our "joy" becomes "full." ------------------------Chapter 128--God's Receptionist Says, "Come In!" DDB2 128 1 Important people like executives, doctors, and lawyers, have "receptionists" outside their office doors to keep you out, to administer non-reception. But there are two passages in the Bible that represent God as having His office door open to you all the time with a Receptionist or Secretary saying "Come in!" One is Christ's model prayer that instructs us to call God "our Father." You are invited; you are adopted; you are "family." Sinful and unworthy though you be? Yes! When the Father welcomed the wet, dripping Jesus as He came out of the water from John's baptism, He said of you, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17; Eph. 1:6). The other passage is Psalm 23. DDB2 128 2 There is no fine print that warns the reader, "Beware! This psalm is only for good people who do everything right; only they can say that 'the Lord is [their] Shepherd.'" The last page of the Bible says "'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' And let him who thirsts come" (Rev. 22:17). DDB2 128 3 There is nothing you have to doin order to make Christ become your Shepherd; He already is. You'll be a thousand times happier when you believe what is already truth. DDB2 128 4 You "shall not want" because "my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19). Rightly translated Psalm 23:1 says, "Your Shepherd is your Social Security." DDB2 128 5 The "still waters" that refresh your soul even now come from the water of life (Rev. 22:17). DDB2 128 6 David probably wrote "He restores my soul" in his teenage years not knowing that he would some day pray with agonizing tears, "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation" (Psalm 51:12) after his quadruple sin of adultery with Bathsheba and cover-up murder. It's present tense for you; the "restoration" goes on, otherwise you'd be dead. DDB2 128 7 The Shepherd "leads [you] in the paths of righteousness" because "your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way, walk ye in it,' whenever you turn to the right hand, or whenever you turn to the left" (Isa. 30:21). Unerring guidance! DDB2 128 8 By God's grace, there will be a tomorrow for another glimpse of Christ as "my Shepherd." ------------------------Chapter 129--How Could Jesus Pray the Same Words That David Prayed? DDB2 129 1 So fully has the Son of God identified Himself with our fallen humanity, that it's difficult to take a scalpel and separate the heart cries of Jesus in the Psalms from the heart cries of king David. For example, in Psalm 22:1 David cries out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" But then we discover that Jesus cries the same dereliction as He hangs on His cross (Matt. 27:46). Then as we read further in Psalm 22, lo and behold, we find that the entire psalm records the heart cries of Jesus up to the moment of His death when He cried out, "It is finished" (asah, the last word in the Hebrew, which means "it's done!"). DDB2 129 2 But how could Jesus Christ, the sinless One, pray the same words that the guilty, bloodstained sinner David prayed? Wasn't Jesus "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners" (Heb. 7:26)? He should be as far away from feeling like the despicable sinner, David, as day is from night! DDB2 129 3 But wait a moment: isn't His "name Immanuel, which is translated, 'God with us'" (Matt. 1:23)? Isn't it "unto us" that this "Child is born, unto us a Son is given" (Isa. 9:6)? Didn't the Father "so love the world that He gave" Him to us forever? Don't we "see Jesus ... made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death" (Heb. 2:9)? How could He "suffer death" unless He came inside our skin, as it were? He is "not ashamed to call [us] brethren" (vs. 11)! He had to be "[made] perfect through sufferings" (vs. 10). But wasn't He "perfect" all along? In holiness, yes; but He had to go through a process of education for 33 years in order to qualify to cry out sincerely from a broken human heart every word of Psalm 22! DDB2 129 4 That word "made" has enormous meaning: "In all things He had to be made like His brethren. ... In that He Himself has suffered being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted" (Heb. 2:17, 18). He was "made of a woman, made under the law" (Gal. 4:4, King James Version). He was "made in the likeness of men" (Phil 2:7, KJV), He became truly a man "in the [same] likeness of sinful flesh" (Rom. 8:3), "made... to be sin for us," who "knew no sin" (2 Cor. 5:21). DDB2 129 5 What does this all add up to? DDB2 129 6 Jesus Christ is the Son of God who became "the Son of man," your Savior "in the flesh." He knows 100 percent empathy with you. Here's a double negative that makes a powerful positive: "We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15). Don't turn your back on Him even for a day! ------------------------Chapter 130--What Does the Name of "Jesus" Mean, and Not Mean? DDB2 130 1 What does the name of "Jesus" mean? We are told in Acts 4:12 that there is salvation in no other name; Philippians 2:10 says that at last "every knee" shall bow to that name; Acts 3:6 says that name caused the man born lame to walk. Says the poet, "The name of Jesus is so sweet, I love its music to repeat." But isn't it time that we should learn what the name means? It's more than mere emotion or tradition. There is dynamite locked in the very Hebrew name itself. DDB2 130 2 First, what does it not mean? It does not mean "Jesus would like to save," or "perhaps He will save," and it does not mean "He offers to save." The simple Hebrew meaning within the word is "Jehovah saves." Here's what He is, not what He would like to be: He is a Savior. His proper title was recognized by the believing Samaritans (they got there before the Jews did!): "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42). He gives, not merely offers, His flesh "for the life of the world" (6:51). DDB2 130 3 Furthermore, He is not a co-Savior, sharing the job with any one else, least of all us. You and I can't share the honor! He "is able to save to the uttermost," that is, not part way and then leaving us to finish the job (Heb. 7:25). DDB2 130 4 This makes some people nervous; they're afraid that if we say He saves completely that we're going to get lazy and not do "good works." But they don't realize that when one appreciates what it cost the Savior to save us, when the dimensions of His sacrifice are realized, the human heart is so moved, so "constrained" (2 Cor. 5:14, 15), that the result is total dedication to the One "who died for [us] and rose again." There is no end to the "good works" that His agape love will forever "constrain" us to do. DDB2 130 5 While Jesus saves, we have something to do, but it's better to say we have something to believe. John 3:16 does not mention a part we have to play in effecting our salvation other than to believe, which means "with the heart one believes to righteousness" (Rom 10:10). We let Him save us; we stop resisting Him. You are drowning in the ocean and the lifeguard saves you completely, at the risk of his life. Do you cooperate with him? Yes, otherwise you drown. Do you help save yourself? No. You don't give him a dollar tip and walk off proud of yourself; you thank him for the rest of your life, and you walk humbly ever after. DDB2 130 6 Not one person eternally saved will talk about his own accomplishment. There is a song the redeemed will sing that we can begin to sing now (Rev. 5:11-13). ------------------------Chapter 131--Does Evil Need to Flourish in the World? DDB2 131 1 Has God made the world in such a way that evil has to flourish in it? Many Christian people have all but resigned themselves to believe that the devil just has to have his way in this sinful earth. Wars have to come, and all we can do is pick up the pieces by massive humanitarian relief efforts. DDB2 131 2 But maybe this fatalistic idea is not biblical. In Genesis 12, 13, and 15, God made promises to Abraham that in his descendants, that is, in Israel, "all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Gen. 12:3). And the New Testament makes clear that Abraham's true descendants are those who believe in the Messiah, in Christ, the church (Gal. 3:29). And in the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses makes equally clear that God's plan for Israel was that they be the greatest nation on earth, "the head and not the tail" (Deut. 28:13). DDB2 131 3 There was to be no need in God's plan for the rise of such cruel world empires as Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia, and Rome, no need for World Wars. The influence emanating from God's people through the Holy Spirit would restrain the evil that is in the world. "The remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, in the midst of many peoples, ... like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass," Micah said, and even Israel would be a disciplinary force among the nations--not because of political or military superiority but because of a genuine, highly respected moral authority (see Micah 5:7-9). To some extent this vision was realized in the time of Kings David and Solomon, and even afterward occasionally in the reign of Hezekiah or Josiah. DDB2 131 4 Let's not give in to the terrible conclusion that Heaven is content for all this massive human suffering to continue! Revelation 7:1-4 indicates that if God's people were to awaken and humble their hearts and proclaim the sealing message, "four angels" could restrain these evil passions let loose in the "four winds." ------------------------Chapter 132--Is the Devil Asleep? What Will Wake Him Up? DDB2 132 1 Some times it seems hard to believe in God when you think of all the wrong that's going on. There seem to be so few good people. How could anyone doubt that there is a personal devil when you think of all the evil in the world. DDB2 132 2 I would like to ask you a question. Is the devil asleep? You may say, "How could you ask that question when you see so much of his activity everywhere?" But I ask again, is the devil asleep? Or at least partly so? DDB2 132 3 Things could be so much worse than they are; for example, take the matter of liberty. Here in the U.S. we have the freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our conscience. It could be much worse--in fact, the Bible says that the time is coming when the beast will enforce the worship of his mark, and all who will not receive the mark must be killed. DDB2 132 4 And take the matter of food--most of us seem to get enough to eat; but still, there are many people all over the world who are starving. But things could be much worse than they are now. Compared to what the devil is yet to do according to Bible prophecy, he is asleep today--comparatively speaking. DDB2 132 5 What will wake him up? Revelation 12:17 tells us that "the dragon [devil] was wroth with the woman [church] and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." What will wake the devil up will be a deep and true revival in the church of Christ, so that every member becomes on fire for God and His truth. When Christian people are filled with the Spirit, Satan will become enraged; and then will come the final events that will happen just before the coming of the Lord. DDB2 132 6 "Well," someone may say, "why not just let him sleep--why stir him up?" We are living in a kind of twilight zone, enchanted land, just now; but we dare not compromise with evil in order to make peace with the devil. All who love the Lord Jesus and appreciate what He has done for them, will want to proclaim His Good News of the gospel, regardless of how it may annoy Satan. ------------------------Chapter 133--Being "Justified by Faith" Is Something That Nearly Staggers One's Mind DDB2 133 1 It's so easy for us naive humans to conceive of the Lord as drawing a circle that shuts out bad people. But He draws a bigger circle to include them--at least until they shut Him out by never-ending resistance. DDB2 133 2 The Lord looks upon lost people not as wolves to be shot down as soon as possible, but as sheep who have wandered away--as potential heirs to His estate. His grace persists in seeking some way to intrude. What a pity that so many church people don't yet understand this concept and consequently treat "unsaved" people as if they were wolves! The church has hardly begun to love as God loves! That idea of agapeis slow to grasp, it seems. DDB2 133 3 Being "justified by faith" is something that nearly staggers one's mind just to realize how wonderful it is. It makes you want to get up on the housetop and shout the news to everybody. Christ's death on the cross is for every sinner--it's a sacrifice for his or her salvation. God has no chip on His shoulder against anyone. And this "gift" is "out of all proportion" to sin, which is "vastly exceeded by the grace of God" (Rom. 5:15, New English Bible). Thus there is no reason why "everyone" should not be saved except that they refuse Christ's grace and spurn the "gift" of salvation. DDB2 133 4 In his same letter Paul goes a step further and says that "God has dealt to each one a measure of faith" (Rom. 12:3). So, (a) God has brought justification for "everyone" by the sacrifice of His Son, and (b) He has given "each one a measure of faith" to appropriate that justification. Would that everyone said Yes and exercised the faith already given him! DDB2 133 5 It all adds up to the conclusion that, if anyone is lost at last, it will be because of his or her own persistent rejection of what God has already done to save him. And if anyone is saved, it will be because he stopped resisting God's initiative in saving him! ------------------------Chapter 134--God's New Covenant Promises DDB2 134 1 When Jesus cried out on His cross, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46), had the Father truly forsaken Him? It seemed so to Him. All His feelings told Him so. Everything was against Him; His "church," His nation, had turned totally against Him. The supposed guardian of civil justice, the government of Rome through Pilate had abandoned Him to mob injustice. Little things that He had said, like, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19), were being misquoted, distorted, and used against Him, condemning Him as both a fool and a blasphemer. DDB2 134 2 His entire lifework and career were a monumental failure, it seemed to Him now. He was suffering the quintessence of an experience many Christians have come to know personally as "the Great Disappointment." The very bottom falls out of your "Christian experience" and you start descending into a bottomless pit of darkness and despair. The rent rocks in the earthquake that accompanied the darkness of Calvary were a fit emblem of the state of the mind of the incarnate Son of God--Psalm 22 tells us that He was on the verge of a final collapse of soul, a nervous breakdown (vss. 11-19). DDB2 134 3 Worse yet, Jesus felt to the core of His being the pain of being forsaken by His own intimate circle. He had called them "My friends" (Luke 12:4). The lovable Peter had cursed and denied Him, and then they all had left Him--alone. Even His faithful mother was suffering her "Great Disappointment" when that giant sword had pierced her soul as Simeon had predicted (Luke 2:34, 35). She was in the greatest shock any woman has ever had to endure. Her whole life was in ruin--the very foundations of her faith in God were shattered; it seemed that she had been deluded from the beginning. DDB2 134 4 Then on His cross Jesus remembered that He was "a child of Abraham," and He chose to cling to His faith in the New Covenant promises God had made to Him as Abraham's "Seed" (Gal. 3:16). Now, thank God, you can, too. ------------------------Chapter 135--The Story of "Pleasant" Turned "Bitter" DDB2 135 1 Let's pay a visit to Naomi (whose name means "Pleasant"), who repented in sorrow for her husband's Old Covenant unbelief. Elimelech was fortunate to be born an Israelite, which meant he was heir to all the promises God had made to their father Abraham. Best of all, his inheritance was in the most favored spot of all the twelve tribes--Bethlehem, "the House of Bread." Elimelech should have remembered how Abraham's faith was tested during a temporary famine in the "land that [God said] I will show you" (Gen. 12:1). Surely, Abraham's God would not permit Elimelech's family to suffer if they hung on by faith in Bethlehem until the economic recession was over! DDB2 135 2 But no, Elimelech heard there was prosperity in the heathen land of Moab. Let's provide for our children better than we've had for ourselves, he told Naomi; and the dear, sweet "pleasant" lady went along with his plans. Taking their two young sons, Mahlon and Chilion, they packed up and moved. She probably cheerfully told everybody goodbye; no more hard times for us! They would never give up the message, etc., etc., you know. DDB2 135 3 Well, Naomi's dear husband died, which was a terrible blow to her faith. But she still had her two fine young Israelite sons. And then the inevitable: growing up in worldly schools, they fell in love with worldly girls, and married Orpah and Ruth, pagan girls. Oh yes, they were good upright girls, but "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel" (Eph. 2:12). The boys had "married out of the truth." DDB2 135 4 And then they both took sick, and--horror of horrors--they died! Naomi was devastated. All the wealth they had accumulated was now a painful burden to her. She gave herself a new name--Mara, "Bitter." "The Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty. ... The Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me" (Ruth 1:20, 21). DDB2 135 5 But the dear Lord is not harsh. "Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord" says another man (Jeremiah) who repented bitterly for his people's Old Covenant unbelief (Lam. 3:40). God had simply been forced to leave Elimelech to have what he had chosen--a pagan culture, and Naomi, one with him, had to suffer. DDB2 135 6 But read the story in the Book of Ruth to the end, and behold the goodness of the Lord. She "came back to the church," and did the Lord ever receive her! ------------------------Chapter 136--How Long Will It Be Until Jesus Keeps His Promise to "Come Again"? DDB2 136 1 The question, How old is the earth?, is a fascinating study. And how long will it be until Jesus keeps His promise, "I will come again" (John 14:3)? DDB2 136 2 What the Bible says is squarely against the theory of macro-evolution: by adding up the life-spans of the antediluvian patriarchs (from Adam to Noah), and the subsequent Bible history so there is a total picture from Creation to the first coming of Christ, the sum comes to 4000 years--plus or minus a little according to interpretations of minor details by various scholars. This has been the view of most Bible students for several hundred years. Adding the years since Anno Domini, the birth of Christ, the Savior of the world, the total is about 2000, in fact, a bit more, making roughly a grand total of 6000 years since the Bible story of Creation. DDB2 136 3 Yes, scientists laugh; but there are the stark realities--either you believe the Bible or you believe the theory of evolution. There are competent scientists in all the fields of natural science who do believe the Bible record of God's creation in a literal six days and its subsequent history; add to this the fact that Jesus believed it as well as His apostles; then add the fact that millions of kind-hearted, unselfish, loving people believe the Bible and cherish "the blessed hope" of Jesus' second coming just like the Bible says. Add all this together and you have plenty of evidence on which to base a reasonable faith. The alternative: a despairing worldview. DDB2 136 4 One highly respected Christian writer, Ellen G. White, has written 40 or more times that the second coming of Christ will come within this period of 6000 years, implying that the "millennium" of Revelation 20 will be a "sabbath" of "rest" for a weary and worn-out planet before the joyous re-creation of a "new heaven and a new earth" of Revelation 21, 22. But the 6000 years are already up! Are we living in the biblical "millennium" now, or will we be when the next New Year rolls around? DDB2 136 5 Obviously, no. The best answer to such questions is: (1) God's word predicts a trial of faith known as a "tarrying time" (Hab. 2:3; Matt. 25:5 (King James Version); Heb. 10:37). Be patient! (2) Remember that whenever Jesus comes and "the door [for saving more people] is shut," you and I will wish we had done more to give people the Good News (Matt. 25:10). (3) Be thankful you have one more day in which to prepare, and to share with somebody somewhere a morsel of the Bread of Life. May this tidbit be a blessing to someone! ------------------------Chapter 137--Living in the Time of the Cleansing of the Heavenly Sanctuary DDB2 137 1 In Matthew 24, Jesus speaks extensively about the end of the world and of His second coming (see, for example, verses 12-15, 24, 29-31). Of all the books of the Bible, He selected one which He urged us to "read" and "understand"--Daniel. Yet seldom do pastors or teachers study this book. People go to church for years and hear no sermon explaining it. DDB2 137 2 Daniel's key prophecy says: "Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed" (8:14). In Bible prophecy, a day is a year. In the early 19th century Bible-loving Christians awakened as from a centuries-long sleep to realize that those 2300 years would end in 1844, on October 22. The Holy Spirit impressed many with this stupendous conviction; to this day, millions around the world recognize how history and Bible prophecy converge to render that point of time significant in God's plan for salvation. DDB2 137 3 We are living in the time of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary; in simple language that means we are living in the time when Christ as our great High Priest is preparing a people to be ready for His second coming--a greater work than preparing His people to die and come up in the first resurrection, wonderful as that work has been. It means that His people must live on earth during the cataclysmic last days when they will meet head-on the last temptations of Satan, but will overcome "even as [Christ] also overcame" (Rev. 3:21, King James Version). They will honor Him, and share with Him His throne. They will demonstrate His righteousness. DDB2 137 4 But Revelation also discloses that Christ's last great struggle is with the blindness and lukewarmness of His own people who can't seem to grasp the seriousness of the time in which they live (3:15-19). Urgent as never before He says, "Watch therefore" (Matt. 24:42). ------------------------Chapter 138--The Book of Daniel Will Reward You With Eternal Starlit Glory DDB2 138 1 Studying the book of Daniel is an opportunity, for Jesus Christ promised that those who "read" that particular book will be given "understanding." That's something precious! The exact wording of His promise is, "Whoever reads, let him understand" (Matt. 24:15). The word "let" implies that the Holy Spirit will release the "reader" from the deadly grip of his love of ignorance of holy truth that is so common to all humanity--"the darkness of this age" (Eph. 6:12). DDB2 138 2 In other words, the lethal spell of neglecting Bible study will be broken; the captivity to worldly pleasure will be released. "Reading" the book of Daniel will be the key that sets the soul free from the prison of this world's spiritual slavery. DDB2 138 3 The special blessing comes in a corporate sense--when people together hunger for this understanding, it becomes greater than when one in lonely solitude prays. DDB2 138 4 The word that Jesus used for "read" is itself a little stick of mental dynamite. It means much more than glancing at the news headlines. It is ana-ginoskoin the original language, which means "again and again" seeking to know, repeated pondering, continued efforts to satisfy mental and spiritual hunger and thirst. DDB2 138 5 The idea in that word is a cherishing of written truth which comes from "hungering and thirsting for righteousness" (Matt. 5:6). That is wisdom! Such attention to the book of Daniel will reward you with eternal starlit glory: "Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, ... like the stars forever and ever" (Dan. 12:3). That "shine" begins now, in this present life, and it will never end. ------------------------Chapter 139--Two of the Most Profound Chapters in the Bible DDB2 139 1 The resurrected Christ commands us, "Go into all the world and proclaim the Glad Tidings to everyone!" (see Matt. 28:19, 20; Mark 16:15). It was a joyous ministry for the apostles as they fanned out over their known world, because the foundations of ancient paganism collapsed before their proclamation of Christ the Son of God and Savior of the world. People everywhere welcomed the precious message. This same joyous work is our ministry that we have today, two millennia afterwards. DDB2 139 2 But there are great non-Christian religions resistant to the Christian gospel, such as Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and of course, Judaism. They teach non-Christian doctrines, and they seem to have an enormous control over their peoples' prejudiced thinking. Is this the will of the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ? Is the gospel of Christ comparatively impotent as it confronts non-Christian religions? Must the great masses of world population always remain resistant? DDB2 139 3 Daniel 8 and 9 are two of the most profound chapters in the Christian Bible (and Jewish Old Testament). A personal devil is at war with a personal Christ; the enemy learned that bloody persecution could not destroy Christ's church--the gospel was too strong in capturing human hearts. Therefore, the enemy devised a massive apostasy or "falling away" from the original purity of the gospel (cf. 2 Thess. 2:3-7 where Daniel 8 and 9 are explained). DDB2 139 4 A distorted, confused "caricature" of Christianity took over the church, misrepresenting the love of Christ. In Daniel, this deception is seen as a "little horn" at war with the God of heaven. It alienated the masses from Christ and His plan of salvation, creating this constant resistance to the gospel. DDB2 139 5 Revelation 18 describes how this process must and will be reversed before the end so that again a church in full possession of the original pure, true gospel proclaims the "fall of Babylon." Once more and at last, the honest in heart all over the world will respond. ------------------------Chapter 140--The "Little Horn" Story Must Be Understood DDB2 140 1 Billions of people on earth are deeply prejudiced against Jesus and His faith. That prejudice has been there in their culture going back for hundreds of years. Yet Jesus assured “us,” “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (see Matt. 28:20). If His presence has been “with” us these 2000 years, why are such huge portions of the human family alienated from Him, opposed to His gospel? DDB2 140 2 For example: in Japan the masses are Buddhist, innately opposed. In India where the masses are Hindu, they are also deeply resistant. And the billion plus people who are Muslim, whose contempt for Christianity is so well known today. Why? Why could God permit this to happen? DDB2 140 3 The answer is in Daniel chapters 7, 8, and 9 where we read of “the little horn,” the apostate power that would arise out of the ruins of the ancient pagan Roman empire. This “little horn” would be “granted” to “make war with the saints and to overcome them” (Rev. 13:7). This power has pretended to be Christian while in reality alienating multitudes from Christ through gross misrepresentation of His truth. DDB2 140 4 The Jesuits are an organization that has taken the name of Jesus, yet has so misrepresented Him that they have been expelled from nation after nation for centuries, creating behind them abhorrence for anything having to do with “Jesus.” They were expelled from Japan in 1587, thus cementing in Buddhism this abhorrence of Christianity. They were expelled from Japan again in 1613, from India and China in 1623, from Abyssinia in 1632. DDB2 140 5 In England’s imperialist rule over India, Christianity (this time Protestant) was likewise in the minds of the people a representation of the religion of “Jesus,” and there were many good missionaries. Yet Mahatma Gandhi had a real point when he said that all India would bow at the feet of Jesus if His professed people were like Him. DDB2 140 6 Jesus said of the book of Daniel: “Whoever reads, let him understand” (Matt. 24:15). We can’t understand the world in which we live unless we do. This “little horn” story must be understood! ------------------------Chapter 141--The Holy Spirit is a Person Who Keeps Convicting Us of "Sin, …”; Be Careful: Don't Drown Out His Voice DDB2 141 1 How does the Good Shepherd who is seeking and finding His lost sheep translate into practical day-by-day living? If the Savior gives us a good faith-relationship with Himself, shouldn't it be fair for us now to "maintain" that "relationship" by (1) Bible study, (2) prayer, and (3) witnessing? If the Lord gives you a new car, isn't it fair that you "maintain" it by changing the oil, renewing the brake pads, paying the insurance, etc.? DDB2 141 2 Yes, it's fair, but a lot of cars fall into disrepair by not being "maintained." The new car thrill wears off; as also many people lose their "relationship with the Lord" by neglect and forgetfulness. So we have "revival" campaigns at various intervals. And of course, all that is good. DDB2 141 3 It sounds like reasonable good sense that millions know no other way to be Christians. But when you think it through, isn't this the essence of the "by faith plus by works" idea? We're afraid of any Good News that's better than that, because making the Good News too good might lull us to sleep and we'll forget to keep the law. The "faith plus works" idea becomes immensely popular because it seems to be the only way people can stay "faithful." DDB2 141 4 If the Good Shepherd has risked His own life to save the lost sheep, doesn't it make sense that He require the sheep to walk its way home? Yes, that's fair; but that's not what the parable says: "When He has found it, He lays it on His shoulders, rejoicing" (Luke 15:5). Paul says in Philippians: "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until [it is finished on] the Day of Jesus Christ" (1:6). DDB2 141 5 What does that mean? Lazy, do-nothing religion? No; it means that through the Holy Spirit the Good Shepherd who initiated this good "relationship" now seeks to maintain it. His love is not only a finding love, it's also a keeping love. The Holy Spirit is a Person who keeps convicting us of "sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8). Be careful: don't drown out His voice. That's where our problem starts. DDB2 141 6 Even Jesus, when he was with us in the flesh, needed His Father to wake Him up "morning by morning ... to hear as the learned." (Does the Father love you less? It seems fair to say No, He loves His Son more; but the amazing truth is He loves us just as much!) But Jesus did not resist His Father's awakening calls--as we do so often: "I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away" (Isa. 50:4, 5). DDB2 141 7 You can't save yourself even one percent. But you can let Christ save you, you can "let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus," you can "let the word of Christ dwell in you richly," etc. (Phil. 2:5; Col. 3:16). You can stop resisting Him. ------------------------Chapter 142--How Precious to a Teenager Is the Bible Truth of the New Covenant? DDB2 142 1 Have you ever thought how precious to a teenager is the Bible truth of the New Covenant? In accepting baptism, he begins to realize that he is a child of Abraham--provided of course that he has been correctly instructed about the New Covenant promises God made to "our father Abraham." DDB2 142 2 Teenagers generally are the most worried segment of humanity. They are just becoming aware that life stretches out before them; what to do, what to be, perplexes them. They often agonize about which way to go. It's impossible to overestimate the encouragement that a conscious awareness of God's New Covenant promises can give to them. First, of course, the youth must clearly see himself as the "heir" to all the promises God has made to Abraham and his "seed" (Gen. 12:2, 3; Rom. 4:13-16), which are: DDB2 142 3 (1) "I will make you a great nation." In other words: I will make you to be a very important person. (Says the teen, "Wow!") DDB2 142 4 (2) "I will bless you," which means, I will make you to be a happy person all your life. (Girls, if you're thinking of marriage, grab that one, and hold on to it. Keep yourself until you know for sure that God, not selfish desire, has led you. Believing the New Covenant will save you from untold agony.) DDB2 142 5 (3) "And make your name great." In other words, you will not merely be somebody great but you'll always be known as such (in the way you really want to be). DDB2 142 6 (4) "And you shall be a blessing." Every healthy teen wants to become someone useful to society; not to live only for self. Here's the Good News about it; believe it and you've got purpose from now on. DDB2 142 7 (5) "I will bless those who bless you." You'll be surrounded by people who love and trust you, and they will realize that their happiness is bound up with yours. DDB2 142 8 (6) "I will curse him who curses you." The New Covenant-educated teen will fear no enemies. (That's a direct parallel to Psalm 23, "You prepare a [banquet] table before me in the presence of my enemies.") You walk through life as a prince or princess, head held high (and yet always gifted with appropriate common-sense humility; Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Oxford, Cambridge, can never give you that sense of poise). DDB2 142 9 (7) "In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Not that you will be as famous as Abraham, "the father of the faithful," but when you come to the end of life you will know that wherever your steps have taken you, you have left behind a trail of happiness for people you've touched. In other words, "your cup runs over." DDB2 142 10 Warning: The Old Covenant can do none of this for you. ------------------------Chapter 143--Great Theologians May Wrangle Over What the Prophet Daniel Meant by the "Increase of Knowledge" DDB2 143 1 The great theologians may wrangle over what the prophet Daniel meant, but an ordinary person is impressed with the literal fulfillment of one of his prophecies: "[In] the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase" (12:4). DDB2 143 2 Merge into traffic on any city freeway, or visit any electronics store, and consider the intense explosions of travel and scientific "knowledge." Or "visit" the Internet! All the angels in heaven couldn't drum it into your consciousness more vividly: we are living in the closing hours of "the time of the end." DDB2 143 3 With all this "increase of knowledge" is it reasonable that we should understand more clearly what happened on the cross when the Son of God died for the world? Should the Holy Spirit impart a greater appreciation of what it means to say, "God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world"? Would we be less inclined to think someone a fanatic if he is "determined not to know anything among [his congregation] except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (Gal. 6:14; 1 Cor. 2:2)? DDB2 143 4 Luther, Calvin, Arminius, and the Wesleys were great in their day; God was with them. But this "time of the end" is the "hour of [God's] judgment," the world's grand cosmic Day of Atonement. What is due now is not a proud triumphalism to "glory in the cross," but a self-humbling appreciation for the agapelove seen there. Now is the time to "comprehend" what Christ accomplished on His cross (Rev. 14:6, 7; Eph. 3:14-21). ------------------------Chapter 144--This World Will Become Very Wicked in the Last Days DDB2 144 1 The Bible says that this world will become very wicked in the last days just before the second coming of Jesus. He Himself asks, "When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8), implying that it will be very rare. DDB2 144 2 Paul says, "In the last days perilous times will come." Then he lists many evil things that people will do, even those who profess to worship God. "For men will be ... unthankful, unholy, ... From such people turn away!" (2 Tim. 3:1-5). DDB2 144 3 But if you are willing to turn from the Old Covenant and welcome the New, you will see that God has not yet withdrawn completely the Holy Spirit from the world. He is still "the true Light which gives light to every man who comes into the world" (John 1:9). DDB2 144 4 The Bible is clear as sunlight on two realities of human life: (1) "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, [and (2) all are] being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:23, 24). DDB2 144 5 You may be discouraged by the evil that is in the world. We hear tragic stories of the hatred of people who give their hearts and minds to Satan; but the Bible is equally clear that "where sin abounded, grace abounded much more" (Rom. 5:20). That means that whatever evil Satan has invented, the Lord Jesus Christ is the Source of even greater love and compassion manifested in grace. DDB2 144 6 That's because He drained the exceedingly bitter cup as He hung on His cross in the darkness and cried out to His Father, "My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46). The Lord Jesus actually went to hell in order to save the human race. There was no evil that He did not taste, for our sake: "we see Jesus, ... that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone" (Heb. 2:9), that is "the second death" (see Rev. 2:11; 20:14). These eternal facts of truth underlie life on this planet, which Jesus came to save; He saved us although it cost Him the last drop in total consecration of His all. DDB2 144 7 The entire world is gathered at His cross: many will curse Him as did the leaders of the true church of that day. The Jews did; but there will be those who like the pagan Roman centurion will permit their worldly hearts to melt in repentance. Don't forget, it was he who gave the order to his soldiers to "Crucify Him" and it was he who confessed, "Truly this Man was the Son of God!" (Mark 15:39). ------------------------Chapter 145--Come Into the Sunshine of the New Covenant DDB2 145 1 The essence of that "most precious message" which "the Lord in His great mercy sent" to us long ago was the New Covenant. The idea which the "messengers" had was that the New Covenant is the promises that God makes in transforming the Ten Commandments from stern commands and prohibitions written in stone into most precious promises of righteousness in Christ. Conversely, the Old Covenant is the promises that we make to God to keep those Ten Commandments, which promises we break. DDB2 145 2 The New Covenant makes life to be a joyous walking on air; "delight yourself also in the Lord [believe His promises!]; and He shall give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4, for example). Overnight? You know how that may not be reality because you see that Abraham is "[your] father" in believing the New Covenant, and how long did he wait before the Lord's promise to him of Isaac, the child of promise, was fulfilled? Yes, many years--but the apparently impossible fulfillment came! DDB2 145 3 The Lord gave Abraham "the desires of [his] heart"! And the long wait was worth it because of the immensity of the promise--he became "the father of the faithful" (Rom. 4:11, 12) of all generations! Everyone who at last will walk through the gates of the New Jerusalem will do so as a "child of Abraham." DDB2 145 4 God's timing will be just right for you as it was just right for Abraham. It may be a dream from your youth; the holy desire of your heart is His desire for you! "Grow up" "into Christ." Come into the sunshine of the New Covenant. ------------------------Chapter 146--Is It a Sin to Be Afraid? DDB2 146 1 Is it a sin to be afraid? You say No. Okay. Let me ask another question: Can fear deprive you of the protection God would like to give you? DDB2 146 2 Two men delivered the same God-given message to wicked King Jehoiakim and his court. God protected one man from the death the princes threatened; but He did not intervene to protect the other prophet from being slain by Jehoiakim's sword. Why the difference? Was God showing partiality? DDB2 146 3 "Urijah the son of Shemaiah" proclaimed the same message faithfully "in the name of the Lord." "When Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death." Then Urijah did what you and I would feel like doing. "He was afraid and fled, and went to Egypt." Surely God would have wanted to protect him from that murderous hatred; but something made it impossible: Urijah "was afraid" (Jer. 26:20, 21). DDB2 146 4 In contrast, when Jeremiah proclaimed the same message and the "priests and the prophets [and] princes" threatened to kill him (mind you, these are all God's people, members of His true church!), Jeremiah stood his ground boldly. "The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city with all the words that you have heard. ... Know for certain that if you put me to death, you will surely bring innocent blood on yourselves, on this city, and on its inhabitants" (vss. 10-15). DDB2 146 5 Jeremiah's holy boldness made it possible for God to impress the "princes and all the people" to protect Jeremiah (vss. 16-19). Agapeis the kind of "love divine, all loves excelling" that casts out fear. The Holy Spirit wants to "pour it out in our hearts" (Rom. 5:5; 1 John 4:18). Let Him do so! ------------------------Chapter 147--A Spiritual Disease of the Last Days' Church DDB2 147 1 The lukewarmness Jesus describes in His letter to the angel (leadership) of the church of Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22) is halfway between being cold in devotion to Christ and being hot. It is a spiritual disease in the last days' church that is the most difficult problem God has ever had to deal with. It makes Christ nauseated, because He knows what it cost Him to save us. As the last-days' church is positioned on the very verge of the final crisis in the controversy with Satan, for us to be unenthusiastic in our response to Him is like someone being an adult with the mind of a child. It's like a bride coming to the wedding when her heart is divided about her love for the prospective bridegroom, and says "yes" half-heartedly. DDB2 147 2 If the heavenly Bridegroom were to go on with "the marriage of the Lamb" with only that half-hearted "I do" from His people, that would be keen embarrassment for Him for eternity! So, what can He do? DDB2 147 3 Whip them into shape? That won't work any more than for a bridegroom to force his bride to say "I do." Increase His offers of great reward? That would be like marrying a man for his money; Jesus won't stoop to encourage that. Fear of hell or hope of reward in heaven--these two motivations have failed. DDB2 147 4 There is only one possible solution: win the heart-felt love of His people that will forever deliver them from lukewarmness. Appreciating His agape-love at His cross, realizing what it cost Him to save us--this alone can heal this terrible disease. Satan will try to prevent such a revelation of agapeas long as possible; but Zechariah 12:10-13:1 tells us that the revelation will come. DDB2 147 5 The latter rain of the Holy Spirit, so long anticipated and prayed for, will be a repentance deeper than any other in history. Heaven will "pour upon the house of David ["the angel of the church of the Laodiceans"] and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem [the people], the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced" at the cross, and they shall experience the repentance that heals lukewarmness forever. Good News! ------------------------Chapter 148--When the Father Embraced Jesus, He Embraced Us Too DDB2 148 1 In His incarnation, the Son of God met and wrestled with the same kind of problems that we have to deal with. He "was in all points tempted like as we are" (Heb. 4:15, King James Version), not the least of which was to be sure of His own identity. Can you resonate with Him in that problem? Doubtless He wrestled with it all His earthly life (even on His cross!), but it was most severe in the weeks following His baptism when He had to make a fateful decision that determined the success or failure of His life mission. DDB2 148 2 He had just heard the Voice from heaven that said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17). Actually, the message was not new to Him, for He had already read it in Isaiah 42:1 and Psalm 2:7. DDB2 148 3 But the enemy of our souls came at Him in the wilderness with the insinuating, sneering question: "Who are You? You are nothing! If You were the Son of God, do You think God would leave His 'only begotten Son' out here alone in this forlorn wilderness with wild animals, hungry, uncared for? If You are the Son of God, prove it; put Your convictions to the test. It's only reasonable--command that these stones become loaves of freshly baked, delicious bread. Surely, if You are the Son of God, He doesn't want You to die of starvation!" DDB2 148 4 Jesus couldn't argue with the devil; it was a fact--He was emaciated, hungry, lonely, apparently forsaken. Everything seemed to be against Him, and in Satan's favor. Jesus must now decide: Shall I trust the Word of God? Or shall I trust My feelings? Who am I? DDB2 148 5 "It was the word [alone] that declared His connection with heaven," says one wise writer. In that fearful temptation that called forth every ounce of His spiritual energy, the fate of His mission was settled: He would trust the Word of God to resolve the question of His identity. The struggle was so exhausting that He almost died then and there; but He had won the victory. DDB2 148 6 So must we win--that same Voice that spoke at His baptism speaks to us, for when the Father embraced Jesus, He embraced us too, "in Him" (Eph. 1:6). ------------------------Chapter 149--A Nut With a Sweet Kernel Inside DDB2 149 1 On the surface it appears to be bad news when the Bible text says: "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). It sounds like a contradiction of what Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30: "Come to Me, ... and I will give you rest. ... My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Why take up a cross of self-denial in order to follow Jesus if you have to endure "many tribulations"? DDB2 149 2 This apparently difficult statement of Paul does not contradict that of Jesus. If you decline to share with Him His cross of self-denial, you can also have "many tribulations," even more. Jesus didn't come from heaven to this earth to excuse us fallen children of Adam from all troubles; He came to share our troubles and give us the comfort of His presence with us. DDB2 149 3 But those troubles, which are the lot of all humanity, will be infinitely more difficult to endure if we deprive ourselves of "the fellowship" of Christ in "His sufferings" (Phil. 3:10). Good people and bad people alike suffer accidents, have heart attacks, strokes, break their hips, and yes, die. But the person who responds to Christ's invitation and "takes up his cross daily, and follows [Him]" (Luke 9:23) enjoys a most precious uplift. He has a conscious fellowship with the one and only Jesus, the Son of God, who endured the horror of our second death on His cross (which we will never have to endure!). DDB2 149 4 This text of apparently bad news is like a nut that has a sweet kernel inside that awaits our patience in cracking its hard shell. ------------------------Chapter 150--Does the World Even Care What Jesus Is Doing Now? DDB2 150 1 Does the world even care what Jesus is doing now? Many Christians don't seem to. But nothing in heaven or earth is more important! And whatever He isdoing requires the understanding and cooperation of those who believe in Him. DDB2 150 2 The common idea is that He is a Construction Contractor, building palaces or "mansions" for those who arrive in heaven (an immature reading of John 14:2). "Preparing a place for you" is a far bigger idea than celestial construction. DDB2 150 3 Hebrews 9 and 10 describe His High Priestly ministry as cleansing the hearts of His people, "putting away sin," "purging the conscience," preparing a people to "receive the promise of eternal inheritance," "purifying" hearts and minds and lips, to "make the comers thereunto perfect," to render obsolete any "conscience" or "remembrance of sins," to "take away sins," to "perfect forever them that are sanctified," to write His "laws into their hearts ... [which are] sprinkled from an evil conscience," to "provoke [motivate] unto love and good works," to "believe to the saving of the soul." Big job! DDB2 150 4 First, He naturally wants His people to understand why what He is doing is so incomparably important, and second, He would appreciate our cooperation because He can accomplish nothing without it. Not that you in any sense become your co-savior, but cooperation means you stop interposing a rebellious will to counteract what He is seeking constantly to do for you! DDB2 150 5 In other words, through the Holy Spirit, Christ as High Priest is constantly pressing upon His people the conviction of sin buried deeper than they had imagined it to be; and when the conviction is welcomed and the sin is gladly surrendered and put away, the heart is more closely reconciled to Him. This process is called "atonement," or becoming at-one-with God. In Romans 5:11 it is "receiving the atonement" or "reconciliation." Thus the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary is a "final atonement." ------------------------Chapter 151--Because of the Sacrifice of Christ He Treats Us as Though We Were Innocent! DDB2 151 1 There is a strange expression in Psalm 90:7: "We have been consumed by Your anger, and by Your wrath we are terrified." If God is "angry" with us, and His "wrath" hangs over us, we are indeed terrified and can't help being so. (It can be a deep, slow anxiety based on terror.) DDB2 151 2 We long for love, for good will, for someone important to us to be pleased with us. You long for some person you love to smile upon you, to know he or she truly loves you. Such love is the "sweet mystery of life." Disappointment in love is painful, sometimes lifelong, an entire life shadowed; deep dark secrets of pain are cherished. DDB2 151 3 David knew that the most wonderful woman in the world could never bring him the happiness that a glimpse of the smiling face of God could give him: "There are many who say, 'Who will show us any good?' Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us. You have put gladness in my heart" (Psalm 4:6, 7). DDB2 151 4 A false or distorted gospel clouds that otherwise smiling face of God. For example, millions believe that a cloud of condemnation hangs over the head of every person in the world who has not chosen to "accept Christ." No wonder they live sad lives. But the Bible teaches that the "condemnation" that came upon "all men" "in Adam" was reversed by the second Adam for the same "all men" (Rom. 5:15-18). DDB2 151 5 Galatians 3:13 tells us that the "curse" (same as the "condemnation"!) that was due to come upon us came upon Christ instead, for He "was made to be a curse for us." That "curse" or "condemnation" was the sentence of death, not mere "sleep," but the real thing. If you feel that God is holding that over your head, you can't help but feel miserable! But Hebrews 2:9 says that Christ died that "death" for "every man." 2 Corinthians 5:19 says quite clearly that "God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them." DDB2 151 6 Your job is to believe the simple word of God; He is not imputing your trespasses to you! He imputed them to Christ instead; He bore them, He has already set you free from them. That's why He can send His rain on both the just and the unjust! Yes, the truth is that you and I are by nature sinners; but because of the sacrifice of Christ He treats us as though we were innocent! This is not effervescent emotion; it is solid truth. ------------------------Chapter 152--Is This What It Means to Follow Christ? DDB2 152 1 Do you like to fight battles? Or do you like to run away from them? I've met many wonderful Christian people, members of the church, who want peace so much that they refuse to get down in the arena where battles for the Lord must be fought. To tell the truth, they'd rather watch TV than study for themselves to know the truth about the issues in the great controversy between Christ and Satan. DDB2 152 2 Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:12, "Fight the good fight of faith," and Jude says (vss. 3, 4) that we should "contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints," for there are "certain men [who] have crept in unnoticed" who seek to corrupt that faith. And Jesus tells us quite clearly, "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.' And 'a man's foes will be those of his own household'" (Matt. 10:34-36). DDB2 152 3 Is this what it means to follow Christ? DDB2 152 4 "But," says someone, "surely this doesn't apply to conflicts within the church! The world is full of controversy; I go to church so I can find a place of rest and peace!" Well, Revelation 12:17 says that the dragon, the devil, in these last days, is "enraged" with the true church, and has gone to make war with the remnant church, where his most fearful strategy is to make war within the church against the pure, true gospel of Jesus. If Satan can corrupt that, he hopes yet to win the war against Christ. DDB2 152 5 So Peter's advice is exactly what we need today: "Be sober, be vigilant. ... Resist him, steadfast in the faith" (1 Peter 5:8, 9). But please be sure that you have your wits about you; that word "sober" means to think carefully lest you end up "resisting" the true work of the Holy Spirit! If you do that, you've crossed that line beyond which repentance is impossible. DDB2 152 6 The stakes in the great controversy are high; the only place where you can avoid the battle is the grave. And please don't choose to go there! Get on your knees; study; learn; stay awake; "watch"; and stand "for the right though the heavens fall," says one wise writer. ------------------------Chapter 153--Is It a Sin to Live Under the Old Covenant? DDB2 153 1 Is it a sin to live under the Old Covenant? Whether we can say yes or no to that question, we know the Old Covenant led the ancient people of Israel to crucify their Lord and Savior, and for sure that was a sin! DDB2 153 2 The Lord gave His New Covenant promises to Abraham, and he "believed" (cf. Gen. 12:2, 3; 15:4-7). He walked in the light for a time, at least until his wife Sarah persuaded him to abandon the Lord's promise to give him an heir through her getting pregnant and bearing him a son. Sarah was down on herself and on God; she was Old Covenant in her unbelief. She blamed God: "The Lord has kept me from having children" (16:2, Good News Bible). DDB2 153 3 We can all recall our multitudinous variations of Old Covenant thinking and experience. It was when we walked in "bondage," for it produces "bondage" (Gal. 4:24). We make mistakes in unbelief and then we blame God for the resultant unhappiness, just as Sarah did. DDB2 153 4 It's not fair to say that Abraham would have lived happily had it not been for Sarah dragging him back into unbelief, because when she suggested that he take a second wife, Hagar, he readily agreed. He choseto go back into Old Covenant unbelief! DDB2 153 5 Yet God had promised that he should be "the father" of "many nations," and forever be known as "the father of the faithful" (Rom. 4:17, 16). By taking Hagar who bore him Ishmael, Abraham had taken upon himself dark unbelief that he must overcome before he can be worthy to have that glorious title, "father of the faithful." DDB2 153 6 Now, unless you are ready for translation, you and I have the same unbelief to overcome before we can acquire that glorious title of being "the faithful" in these last days. DDB2 153 7 Welcome to our universal battle with unbelief! Not one of us was born with a sinless nature, naturally believing; even the Virgin Mary inherited from our common fallen father Adam the DNA of our fallen, sinful nature; but she chose to believe God's promise (Luke 1:45), and so can we choose. DDB2 153 8 All around the world there are people just now choosing to "overcome, even as [Christ] overcame" (Rev. 3:21), and thus to become part of the 144,000 who will glorify Christ by following "the Lamb wherever He goes" (14:4, 5). Let's make those choices today! ------------------------Chapter 154--Is It Difficult to Tell the Difference Between Christ and Satan? DDB2 154 1 It sounds like a stupid question to ask, but here it is: is it difficult to tell the difference between Christ and Satan? DDB2 154 2 Conventional Wisdom says No; it's like distinguishing between night and day, or plus and minus, or between love and hatred. But Conventional Wisdom is dead wrong here; being fooled is easy. DDB2 154 3 Another question: How can you distinguish between the genuine Holy Spirit, the true Vicar of the true Christ of the Bible, and the counterfeit "holy spirit" developed by "the great dragon, ... that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world"? Be careful, for "he performs great signs" (cf. Rev. 12:9; 13:13). DDB2 154 4 Conventional Wisdom is blind when it assumes that all that is called "the holy spirit" is a spirit from heaven. As we come closer to the end, the masses will call light darkness and vice versa. The Enemy has nearly perfected the art of deception "to deceive, if possible, even the elect" of God. "False christs ... will arise," says Jesus (Matt. 24:24). DDB2 154 5 If clever deceivers can make a counterfeit Rolex that fools you, can Christ's Enemy create a false "holy spirit," "so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men" (Rev. 13:13)? A counterfeit Rolex probably keeps time fairly well, and a counterfeit "holy spirit" revival will say and do some nice things so we can shout "Hallelujah," but if the second coming of Jesus catches us being fooled by Satan, we will be mortally embarrassed--literally. DDB2 154 6 It's a phenomenon of history that God's true people, ancient Israel, were deceived by the clever counterfeit of Baal worship. They had actually come sincerely to believe that the one who had brought them out of Egypt was Baal! Only a handful saw the truth (1 Kings 18). ------------------------Chapter 155--"God IS Agape"! DDB2 155 1 The Bible does not say that agapeis one aspect of the character of God: it says that "God IS agape" (1 John 4:8). DDB2 155 2 How happy He is when He sees that agapebecomes the character of His children on earth! There are 144,000 of them scattered around the earth in every language and culture and nation--not a literal number (I hope!) but a symbolic number of people who have chosen to "follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (Rev. 14:1-5). DDB2 155 3 They listen for His "voice" to tell them what to do and where to go and what to say. That listening takes time, more than the minute or two that many of us spend "in prayer" after which we jump up and go forth to do our own bidding. These people all around the world do more than tell the Lord "I love You!" They are inspired by His love, to love their neighbor as themselves, with agape. They keep themselves conscious of that agapeof Christ: DDB2 155 4 When He died for us on His cross, it wasn't a mere going to sleep for a weekend. (Any human who suffers the physical agony of crucifixion would love to go to sleep for a weekend! Doubtless that's what the two thieves crucified with Him did.) DDB2 155 5 No, the divine Son of God suffered the hiding of His Father's face so that He truly felt in His deepest soul that the Father had "forsaken" Him. There is no pain or horror in the universe as great as that! DDB2 155 6 Such love (agape) never goes without a response from the ones who are so loved; either (1) they despise it and thus crucify Christ "afresh" (Heb. 6:6), or (2) they let that agapemotivate them, propel them, move them, "constrain" them to live "henceforth" only "unto Him which died for them" (2 Cor. 5:14, 15, King James Version). ------------------------Chapter 156--Seeing With Eyes of Faith DDB2 156 1 When the New Testament speaks of "the flesh," it's the sinful nature we all have--the source of our temptations. It's not the world outside of us that tempts us--it's the world inside of us. If you live like a hermit in the desert, the "flesh" within still tempts. DDB2 156 2 Paul explains the only way it can be handled: "Those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" (Gal. 5:24). Millions want to know how they can do that. It's not some "work" to do. And to pray, "God, please crucify my flesh!" is not the way, like pushing a computer button. The way is simple, but the believing (faith) does take time. DDB2 156 3 Paul prays for us in Ephesians 3:14-21, not that we might dosome wonderful work, but that we might seesomething wonderful: "that you ... may be able to comprehend ... what is the width and length and depth and height--to know the love (agape) of Christ," which of course is displayed only at His cross. If an angel had videoed the crucifixion, it might fill the theaters, but that would not help; we "see" it, "comprehend" it, with the eyes of faith. It takes "a thoughtful hour." On your knees, alone with your heavenly Father. With the Bible open before you. DDB2 156 4 "See" the cross therein. Psalm 22 was put there for this purpose; also Psalm 69. Yes, David wrote them both, but it's Jesus Himself talking from His cross! Read them in several translations, if you can. Read them slowly, no hurried impatience. God inspired both so that you might identify with your Savior, and begin to sense those grand dimensions of a love that no preacher can adequately portray. DDB2 156 5 "Comprehend" what happened there, "see" it, and Galatians 6:14 will come alive for you: "God forbid that I should glory execpt in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I [am crucified] to the world." DDB2 156 6 How does it work? "I am crucified with Christ ..." (2:20; "self"). "The world" will have no more impact on you now than it had on the repentant thief who also was crucified with Him. And you will share what he had--he was the happiest man who has ever lived, for he heard those words, "You will be with Me in Paradise." DDB2 156 7 "In Christ," you rule the flesh; you are its boss. Like Him, you "condemn sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8:3, 4). Take charge; choose. Welcome to joy! ------------------------Chapter 157--Can We Be Sure That Jesus Is Coming Again? DDB2 157 1 How can we know for sure that Jesus Christ is coming again, in person, literally? Someone says, "The Bible says so!" But different people interpret the Bible in different ways. Many say that the second coming of Christ has been happening all through history in the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and thereafter. DDB2 157 2 The Bible is a reasonable Book that can be understood using reasonable common sense. Jesus promised, "I will come again" (John 14:3). He promised to come literally and visibly (Matt. 24:23-27). The doctrine of His second coming is taught throughout the New Testament, in harmony and consistency. DDB2 157 3 Peter says that we are re-living the days that were before the Flood of Noah (2 Peter 3:3-14). The people in Noah's day said that it had never rained as yet, so a flood was impossible, and Noah was a foolish man to build a boat on dry land. What evidence did the Holy Spirit give the people that his message was true during those 120 years of his ministry? There were no physical signs like premature scattered rain showers to convince the unbelieving people; the sky was dry until the final storm came. DDB2 157 4 But there was one deeply convincing evidence that Noah was sent by God: the Holy Spirit gave him an understanding of "righteousness by faith" which he preached (see Heb. 11:7). It was "by faith" that Noah "prepared an ark to the saving of his household" and "condemned the world." God did not condescend to give that "world" any proof other than the gospel message, which Noah was permitted to understand and preach. DDB2 157 5 We are tempted to look for miraculous physical evidence of the certainty of Christ's return, but none of the unbelieving scientists or evolutionists can account for the miracle of agape-love, the biblical revelation of the character of God in genuine righteousness by faith. God will not "blast" people out of their self-complacency; you hear His "still small voice" speaking in the message of "the everlasting gospel" which the three angels (and a fourth!) proclaim (Rev. 14:6-15; 18:1-4). The clarity and power of this message are beyond doubt! ------------------------Chapter 158--What Are the "Exceedingly Great and Precious Promises"? DDB2 158 1 It's all very good to believe what Peter says about receiving and believing the "exceedingly great and precious promises" (2 Peter 1:4), but what are the "promises" themselves? They must be understood and received into the heart; then they go to work and deliver the most sinful, polluted, selfish worldly heart so that we become actual "partakers of the divine nature." DDB2 158 2 Well, let's start with John 3:16: Believe, appreciate, comprehend, the love of the Father when He gave Christ to us forever. "Whoever believes in Him" will not commit spiritual and material suicide (that word "perish" is in the middle voice of the Greek verb!). New Covenant! DDB2 158 3 Then look at the seven grand promises God made to Abraham under the New Covenant (Gen. 12:2, 3). You are His child by faith (Gal. 3:9). Therefore they are all promises God makes to you.Believethem. (Someone will tell you that you must work hard in order for them to come true; let subtle Old Covenant thinking become New Covenant: the love [agape] of Christ will "constrain" you to work hard with no thought of reaping your reward [2 Cor. 5:14].) DDB2 158 4 Then take a look at the Lord's Prayer (Matt. 6:9-13). Jesus invites anyone in the world, even the most terrible sinner, to pray that prayer. The New Covenant goes to work because the one who will "cry out, Abba, Father!" receives "the Spirit of adoption" (Rom. 8:15). You can't pray "our Father" without your heart being melted! DDB2 158 5 Then read the 23rd Psalm. Anybody in the world, even the most hardened sinner, can pray sincerely, "The Lord is my Shepherd," and his stony heart will be broken in contrition. The New Covenant Psalm "works." The word itself has power (Rom. 1:16). ------------------------Chapter 159--Christ Loves Sinners, for He Gave Himself for the Whole World DDB2 159 1 The Bible seems clear: Christ the eternal Son of God became the "last Adam," the new Head of the human race (1 Cor. 15:45-47). Being of the human race, Christ loves a bride-to-be and wants to be married to "her" (Rev. 19:7, 8). That "bride" is the corporate body of His people who respond to His wooing love, it's the church (2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:23-27, 32). Christ's corporate body of believers who respond to His nuptial love seem to be the population of the "New Jerusalem" (Rev. 21:9, 10). DDB2 159 2 Christ loves sinners, for He gave Himself for the world; but there must be something special about His love for His bride-to-be--a nuptial love. They must be a people who have grown up "to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:12, 13) in order to stand at His side as a "bride" stands by her husband. DDB2 159 3 The Holy Spirit is "the Spirit of truth, [and] He will guide [His church] into all truth" (John 16:13). Any church that is not totally devoted to "the truth [as] in Jesus," "the truth of the gospel," "rightly dividing the word of truth," which is not itself "the pillar and ground of the truth," that does not hold "the truth in Christ"--such cannot be the "bride" whom the Savior loves with that nuptial love (Eph. 4:21; Col. 1:5; 2 Tim. 2:15; 1 Tim. 3:15, 2:7). The true Holy Spirit specializes in convictions of truth, and truth brings the true church into blessed internal harmony and unity. DDB2 159 4 The "wife" mentioned in Revelation 19:7, 8 corresponds to the "woman" of 12:17, the last-days "remnant ... who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (King James Version). A bridegroom has no eyes for millions of other women: there is his one and only. Christ must turn from churches of "Babylon," although He fervently loves true individuals who are still in "Babylon" who wait to hear that "Voice from heaven" calling them to "come out of her, My people" (18:4). Obviously they take their part at last as individual members of that "remnant" church. DDB2 159 5 Let's stay awake. Something is going on. ------------------------Chapter 160--The Fascinating Time Prophecy Set in the "Sixth Trumpet" DDB2 160 1 That fascinating time prophecy set in the "sixth trumpet" of Revelation 9 constitutes the nearly unseen foundation on which the faith of millions in one church rests. But most have no idea of what that one-verse time prophecy means or of its historical importance in the existence of a world church that remains virtually the only Protestant church still "protesting" the claims of the Papacy. DDB2 160 2 It's verse 15: "The four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men" (King James Version). The setting is Islam and its burgeoning explosion toward its goal of world domination. It has arisen as the scourge of apostate Christianity; the book of Revelation makes clear how that is the only reason why God permits its existence. DDB2 160 3 It's the point in world history where the Ottoman Turks are putting an end to the last gasps of the Eastern Roman Empire; the world rule of millennia is nearly at an end. Constantinople with its massive stone walls still stands wherein the teetering Emperor still sits on his crumbling throne. "The seven trumpets" portray world history in relation to the work of God on earth. The Saracens have introduced the world to gunpowder and massive cannon that smash the walls of Constantinople. A time prophecy of 391 years and fifteen literal days has begun and it will end on August 11, 1840 with the collapse of the independence of the Sultan of Turkey. DDB2 160 4 "Insignificant past history, forget it!" No! This prophetic drama on the stage of world history established for all the world to see that the biblical prophecies of Daniel and Revelation are true, because they can be understood even by a child. Children will begin preaching them. This prophecy establishes the year-for-a-day principle, which is the divinely inspired key to reading them, and human life makes sense in the context of the great controversy between Christ and Satan. DDB2 160 5 A world movement of present day Christians who believe the second coming of Christ is imminent was strengthened by this remarkable prophecy of August 11, 1840. Even atheists were converted when they saw the clear evidence of the inspiration of the Bible. Now let us renew our faith likewise. ------------------------Chapter 161--The Old Covenant Virus DDB2 161 1 You are praying for someone, a loved one; your heart is drawn to that person. You find yourself willing to be "accursed from Christ" for the sake of that person (cf. Rom. 9:3). That's the genuine article that the Bible says is agape. DDB2 161 2 Moses had that kind of love, for he begged the Lord to remove his name from the Book of Life if He could not save rebellious Israel (Ex. 32:31-33). DDB2 161 3 The very intensity of your agape praying for your loved one is evidence that the Lord hears your prayers; He will not deceive you! And now you have something in common with the Lord Jesus, for He loves that person more than you have ever loved him or her. Now you two are working together! DDB2 161 4 Very likely your beloved has somewhere become alienated from "the commonwealth of Israel" (Eph. 2:12) because he or she has been inoculated with the virus of the Old Covenant, possibly in a "Christian" school or church. The Old Covenant "gendereth to bondage" (Gal. 4:24,King James Version). There are probably millions around the world in various stages of spiritual bondage because of the machinations of Old Covenant thinking. DDB2 161 5 Do not give in to despair; you may be part of the problem and not realize it, but now that you realize it you have something in common with the Lord Jesus--you are on the way to recovery. If the agape of Christ leads you to experience the love that the apostle Paul or Moses had for Israel, that means that you have begun to sense that the great controversy between Christ and Satan is an issue of greater importance than your own personal salvation. You are "growing up into Christ" (Eph. 4:15). DDB2 161 6 Now your supreme concern is not for your own salvation, but the salvation of someone else, and the honor, the vindication, the reward that the Lord Jesus deserves for His great sacrifice of dying the world's second death (Rev. 20:14). This is a "big idea"! ------------------------Chapter 162--The Momentous Issue of Believing or Disbelieving DDB2 162 1 The Bible itself is a better source of information about Moses than any movie, and more interesting, too. If the Bible is read with unbelief, it becomes boring, because doubt short-circuits practically every statement and paralyzes the understanding. But if it is read with heart-felt belief, it grips the attention. The Holy Spirit re-creates the happenings described there and you see it all in three-dimensional realism, a vividness that can never be forgotten, as a movie can be. DDB2 162 2 The tenth plague, the slaying of the firstborn, was the final judgment on Pharaoh and the unbelieving Egyptians. When the "destroying angel" passed through the land at midnight of Passover Eve, there were two classes of people in the land: those who believed the word of God, and those who did not believe. No one was in between. DDB2 162 3 Momentous was the issue of believing or disbelieving! So today, everything depends on believing or disbelieving the truth of God. Someone may say, No, everything depends on obeying or disobeying the word of God. But outward conformity to rules (based on fear) that camouflages an unreconciled heart is not true obedience. Both the Hebrew and Greek Bible words for "obey" convey the basic idea of bending the ear down low to listen carefully. Believing the truth produces obedience, and disbelief produces disobedience. The Israelites were told to kill an innocent lamb "without blemish" and splash its blood on the doorposts and the lintel. Their doing so was an evidence that they believed what God had said. DDB2 162 4 What saved them in the Passover was their faith which worked. God had said, "When He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses" (Ex. 12:23). Not when He sees the obedience, but "when He sees the blood," the obedience being the evidence of faith in the blood of the Lamb of God. DDB2 162 5 The world today is "Egypt," and again there will be re-enacted the events of the ancient Passover and the Exodus. Let's be ready. ------------------------Chapter 163--The Good News in the Third Angel's Message DDB2 163 1 Where is there any Good News in the terrible message of the third angel of Revelation 14:9-11? DDB2 163 2 The "third angel follows" the first who tells "the everlasting gospel" to the world (vss. 6, 7). Obviously then the third alsohas Good News, even if we may be too blind to see it. DDB2 163 3 The reason for the unprecedented wrath of God is seen in the preceding chapter: for the first time in 6000 years the world unites in a decree to slay God's true people (13:13-15). Any father worth his salt gets furious if someone tries to kill his helpless children. The mark of the beast is still future; and so is this "wrath." God will not be on a temper tantrum; His wrath will be 100 percent righteous, and under full control. DDB2 163 4 Chapter 7 has detailed the proclamation of the seal-of-God message which has gone to all the world with the first and second angels' messages (and the message of His much more abounding grace will have lightened the earth; Rev. 18:1-4). This last message of grace has been despised and rejected by the world, beforethis terrible wrath can burst forth. The "beast" who plans to enforce the death decree will marshal the world to repeat the sin of crucifying Christ--this time in the person of His saints. What a response to His much more abounding grace! The Father forgave the world for crucifying His Son the first time; the second? Don't play games with Him. DDB2 163 5 This message is Good News because it tells the world there's no need for even one person to get ensnared in Satan's clever counterfeit of the gospel--the mark of the beast. For the first time in world history, "all men" will be fully cognizant of the issues in the great controversy. And therein is the Good News--salvation from that wrath. DDB2 163 6 The Greek of the expression "in the presence of" (14:10) means that those who worship the beast will have to look into the eyes of the Lamb. There is no fire hot enough to equal the anguish of those who look into the eyes of the Son of God and know at last that He died their second death, and whose love they have cruelly despised. No, Christ and the angels will not enjoy their anguish. He wants you to know all about it now. ------------------------Chapter 164--The Song of Solomon and the Laodicean Message DDB2 164 1 In His last-days' message to the shepherds of His flock in Laodicea, Jesus says something strange in Revelation 3:20. It grips our attention--"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock." He is quoting the Old Testament, but not the Hebrew text. He decides to use its Greek translation instead. And therein lies a profound revelation. DDB2 164 2 Jesus has quoted His Old Testament Bible from the Song of Solomon, chapter 5, verse 2. The ancient Greek translation (known as the Septuagint, LXX) has three little words that are not in the Hebrew version--"at the door" (epi ten thuran, if you want the Greek). And why this miniscule but tectonic choice on the part of this divine Author? Why does He quote the Greek version? Jesus reveals Himself here as the disappointed Lover who has just come from His safari to His Beloved. It's night; it's cold; it's raining; He is hungry; He is lonely; He wants her. But she doesn't want Him, apparently. He is hurt. DDB2 164 3 Standing outside in the cold, He says He goes on knocking, knocking "at the door." The object of His love has just gone to bed, is in that twilight zone between waking and sleeping. Then she hears Him. (You can't understand this unless you've lived in a mud hut with a cow-dung floor!). She is annoyed; why does He bother her at this hour? She doesn't want to get her feet soiled on that floor--she's comfy in bed. Finally, however, she stops thinking of her own selfish laziness, and thinks of Him outside. Belatedly she gets up to go to the door to let Him in. And, lo, He is gone. He got tired of waiting, waiting. (Yes, there is evidence that Jesus and the angels do get tired waiting.) DDB2 164 4 Hundreds of years ago a few thoughtful scholars in Europe discerned that the Laodicean message is tied to the Song of Solomon. Has it somehow eluded us? This is a love story! It brings us to Revelation chapter 19:7-9 where the long-disappointed Bridegroom is perplexed about what to do with His dilatory Bride-to-be. He can't force her to marry Him. The next move is hers. ------------------------Chapter 165--Rock-Bottom Truths That a Child Can See DDB2 165 1 Some teachings of the Bible are so simple and clear that they are beyond theologians' "interpretation." They are rock-bottom truths that even an innocent child can see, for example: God is love. DDB2 165 2 He so loves that He has given and He gives His only Son to save us from an eternal hell; He teaches us to love others with the same love wherewith He loves us. A clear and powerful proclamation of that love is what Jesus means by "this gospel of the kingdom" (Matt. 24:14). It will be proclaimed so clearly that it is yet to "lighten the earth with glory" (Rev. 18:1-4). DDB2 165 3 God has true people who as yet don't understand the message, "other sheep ... which are not of this fold," for whom He is also their "Good Shepherd" as He is ours (John 10:11-16). These people are in "Babylon," that is, scattered in the confusion of conflicting religions around the world (Rev. 14:8; 18:3). They will hear His voice in the proclamation of that final Good News message (John 10:4). DDB2 165 4 The love of Christ will bind them all in "one body" of believers (Eph. 4:4-7) who will have "come out of great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Rev. 7:1-4, 14). God so loves these people that He wants to "abide" with them forever, hence the resurrection and translation at the second coming of Jesus. DDB2 165 5 Muslims as yet don't understand this, but there are some among them who will become interested when they hear it, and will "come out of Babylon" when the message is proclaimed clearly. They will leave the legalism of Islam and will embrace "the truth of the gospel," "as the truth is in Jesus" (Gal. 2:5, 14; Eph. 4:21). DDB2 165 6 Take care of your health. Live until Jesus comes. There is great history before us! ------------------------Chapter 166--The Book of Hebrews May Take Us Into the Theological Stratosphere DDB2 166 1 The New Testament Book of Hebrews may take us into the theological stratosphere in the knowledge of God, but it is also written for the little child to learn to know the Lord who saved us on His cross. DDB2 166 2 Paul says, "We see Jesus"! (Heb. 2:9). That's what we want above all else! Not big heavy books that no one can understand, but something we can grasp. DDB2 166 3 John the Baptist said, "Behold! The Lamb of God" (John 1:29). That's the same as Hebrews says, "we seeJesus." DDB2 166 4 How do we see Him there? DDB2 166 5 "[He] was made a little lower than the angels" (Heb. 2:9), madeto be what He was not by nature. DDB2 166 6 But because He bore that cross on which He died our terrible second death, Jesus is forever "crowned with glory and honor" (2:9). DDB2 166 7 Jesus was born for that very purpose; our children grow up expecting to live; but this Boy grew up expecting to die--and not our ordinary death, but the death which lasts forever in hell. DDB2 166 8 Hebrews tells us here that Jesus "took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham" (2:16, King James Version). Thus, specifically, Hebrews tells us that the nature which Jesus "took" in His incarnation was our fallen, sinful nature. DDB2 166 9 But the glory of it all is that in that fallen, sinful nature like we all have, Jesus lived a perfectly sinless life. "We have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (4:15, KJV). DDB2 166 10 If you can think of any temptation that is alluring to you, that you think it's impossible to say "No!" to, read again. "In all points like" as we are. Our salvation is not our work, it's His work. DDB2 166 11 It's great Good News: He will have 144, 000 (maybe a figurative number) at His second coming who will welcome Him in joy, "without fault before the throne of God" (Rev. 14:1-5). DDB2 166 12 It's not a legalism contest; it's the "much more abounding grace" of Jesus. ------------------------Chapter 167--What Paul Saw "By Faith" DDB2 167 1 The Apostle Paul was not a better person than we are, nor more heroic. He simply saw something that made all his sacrifices easy: DDB2 167 2 • He saw that he would be in a hopeless grave if that "One" had not died in his place. DDB2 167 3 • He saw that even his next breath he owed to Christ's sacrifice on the cross. DDB2 167 4 • He saw himself a slave bought by love, responding to the blood shed there. DDB2 167 5 • He saw that nothing he possessed he could count as really his. DDB2 167 6 He could have sung Isaac Watts' hymn: DDB2 167 7 When I survey the wondrous cross, DDB2 167 8 On which the Prince of glory died, DDB2 167 9 My richest gain I count but loss, DDB2 167 10 And pour contempt on all my pride. DDB2 167 11 Were the whole realm of nature mine, DDB2 167 12 That were a tribute far too small; DDB2 167 13 Love so amazing, so divine, DDB2 167 14 Demands my life, my soul, my all. DDB2 167 15 As easily as the believing Israelites were healed of their fatal snakebites, so easily does the new birth occur in the heart of anyone who "sees" the cross like Paul saw it. DDB2 167 16 Of course, he did not see it literally--he was not one of the original Twelve. He saw it by faith, and his experience is therefore an encouragement to us who also have never seen it literally. What he saw by faith seems to have made a more profound impression on him than the actual event made on those apostles who did see it. None of them seems to have caught its meaning as vividly as Paul did. DDB2 167 17 That means something special for us who never saw the physical happening as did the Eleven (a thousand movies can't portray it!). We are especially fortunate because that same faith-inspired devotion can be ours. Because of faith, Paul has to be better news than the other apostles! Faith has far sharper discernment than our physical eyes. ------------------------Chapter 168--Why Did God Deliver the Ten Commandments at Sinai With Thunder. Lightning, an Earthquake … ? DDB2 168 1 Why did God deliver the Ten Commandments at Sinai with fear-inducing thunder, lightning, an earthquake, fire, an ominous trumpet blast, and a death boundary around the mountain (Ex. 19:16-19)? DDB2 168 2 Did He frighten Abraham when He delivered to him the New Covenant? We read that He melted Abraham's heart with the revelation of His love and wrote the Ten Commandments upon his believing heart (Gen. 12:2, 3; 15:1-7; Gal. 3:8). Why this awesome display at Sinai? DDB2 168 3 Before Israel left Egypt He gave them the same Good News He had given Abraham 430 years earlier, but the people didn't listen (Ex. 6:2-9). Then at Sinai He renewed the promise He had made to Abraham (19:4-6). But the people in unbelief invented for themselves the Old Covenant idea of disregarding God's promise to them and substituting their own to Him (vss. 7, 8). DDB2 168 4 Paul in his Letter to the Galatians appears as the first Israelite to discern the meaning of Israel's history: "the law ... was added [or emphasized or underlined] because of [their] transgressions, till the Seed [Christ] should come to whom the promise was made" (Gal. 3:19). They thought they were able to do everything the Lord said to do, so now He had to impress on their minds their helplessness to obey and their need of His much more abounding grace. DDB2 168 5 In Paul's words, "the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came [in everybody's personal experience], we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the [Ten Commandment] law was our tutor ["schoolmaster," King James Version) to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith" as Abraham was (vss. 22-24). DDB2 168 6 Thus "the law" led Israel on that long detour of ups and downs in their history after Sinai. Finally, instead of believing as Abraham did, they crucified their Messiah; but now we have the opportunity to believe! DDB2 168 7 We don't need another long detour; let's "believe" today as God intends we shall! ------------------------Chapter 169--Heaven's Secret Service Agents DDB2 169 1 What are "guardian angels"? Does everybody have one? Do they protect some people and not others, and if so, why? It's good for us to ask those questions. We need to know about those angels sent forth to serve us. They are more efficient than armed bodyguards or Secret Service agents. Please note: DDB2 169 2 We live in Enemy-controlled territory, his majesty the devil being "the ruler of this world" (John 14:30). DDB2 169 3 It is coming increasingly under his control, "defiled under its inhabitants; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the curse has devoured the earth," not merely in a physical sense but also morally (Isa. 24:5, 6). When "the rulers of this age" expelled Christ from the world (1 Cor. 2:8) they chose a murderer in His place, and crucified Him (Acts 3:14, 15). Jesus is therefore persona non grata in this wicked world (cf. 1 John 5:19). DDB2 169 4 But although He is in exile from this earth, He has sent His vicar, the Holy Spirit, to be with those who believe in Him (John 14:16, 17; 16:7-13). His presence with God's people is equivalent to Jesus personally being with them (14:18). For centuries, the Holy Spirit has not only "comforted" Christ's loyal believers, He has also exercised a restraining power on the evil in the world (Rev. 7:1-4). DDB2 169 5 Guardian angels are to be "ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation"--Heaven's Secret Service agents sent to protect "royalty," who by faith have become members of the "family of God" (Heb. 1:14; Eph. 3:15; 1 Peter 2:9). DDB2 169 6 Common sense sees that those thus protected must be people whose lives are dedicated to "the King's business," to Jesus. DDB2 169 7 We cannot hazard a guess about others, why they apparently didn't have angelic protection; good sense would tell us that when we pray "in the name of Jesus" we must sincerely be living for Him. DDB2 169 8 Ask for an angel guard; that is, "pray without ceasing," as families. Then--let us not fear but believe that "the angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear [reverence] Him, and delivers them" (Psalm 34:7). DDB2 169 9 If you can read this, that means you have their protection thus far! ------------------------Chapter 170--The Greatest Struggle That Has Ever Been Waged in the Universe DDB2 170 1 When we wake up each new morning, we face bewilderment and confusion all over the earth. We humans seem to cover the earth like little ants running to and fro, and yet we are the family of God. We are created in His image; the glorious Creator of the vast universe left His high and holy place and became one of us. But we are not "ants," we are sons and daughters of God "in Him." We are fellow-saints with Him engaged in the greatest struggle that has ever been waged in the universe--the controversy between Christ and Satan. We are not spectators at the arena; we are players on the field. DDB2 170 2 What's happening around us is the closing scene of this titanic war between two "spirits"--the One designated in the Bible as "Holy," and "the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience" who is inspired by "the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world" (Eph. 2:2; Rev. 12:9). DDB2 170 3 How can "the whole world" be deceived? Jesus says that so terrible will be the deception that it will come "on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth" like "a snare" (Luke 21:35). It's happening now. But thank God, not everyone will be deceived. DDB2 170 4 Think what it was like when Jesus was born; the masses knew the inspired prophecies of the Old Testament or at least had ready access to them if they didn't want to be deceived, yet how many recognized the Messiah when He came as a humble Baby in Bethlehem? Some did, but only a few. DDB2 170 5 So today; there is for sure "a remnant" (Rom. 9:27), "few who are saved" (Luke 13:23), who have learned the lesson of Bethlehem, who walk "softly" (1 Kings 21:27, King James Version), who respond to the "still small voice" (1 Kings 19:12) that calls them in God's word, who choose to believe every truth that the Holy Spirit teaches as "He guides [you] into all truth" (John 16:13), who "follow the Lamb [the crucified Christ] wherever He goes" (Rev. 14:4-6), who are "with Him" as He takes His final stand in the struggle of the nations of earth (Rev. 17:14), who identify with "the Lamb" so closely that they pervade His thinking and His feelings as a bride identifies with her husband's deepest yearnings. DDB2 170 6 Amid earth's clash of arms and the din of its endless traffic, listen! ------------------------Chapter 171--There Is No Pain That Any of Us on Earth Feel That He Does Not Share With Us DDB2 171 1 We can never forget that the Lord Jesus is one of us; He is the divine Son of God, with all the attributes of divinity; but at the same time He is the Son of man, one with us for eternity. He "took" on His unfallen, divine nature our fallen, sinful nature. He loves us dearly, as His own. DDB2 171 2 Now, does the Lord Jesus, being divine, have a sense of time as we humans have? Is one of our days like a thousand years to Him, or vice versa? So, could it be that He doesn't care how much longer time goes on? DDB2 171 3 Well, He says clearly that there will be an "endof the world"! When His disciples asked Him, "What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" (Matt. 24:3), He answered their question directly, thereby making the statement that time will not go on ad infinitum. DDB2 171 4 And being one of us, forever human with us as well as divine forever, Jesus shares with us our weariness with the on-and-on passage of sinful, painful time with all the suffering there is in the world. Isaiah 63 describes His feelings: "In all their affliction He was [is] afflicted" (vs. 9). There is no pain that any of us on earth feel that He does not share with us. DDB2 171 5 Yes! A thousand times over, Jesus wants this reign of sin and suffering to end in the glad establishment of His everlasting kingdom on the earth made new. DDB2 171 6 And there is another reason why He wants the end to come soon: the end of sin and suffering will usher in the glorious "marriage of the Lamb." As a Bridegroom, He longs for His wedding to come. DDB2 171 7 The reason? He is in love with the church as a man loves a woman; no one person could be the Bride of the infinite Son of God; but when He left His throne and His status as the infinite Son of God to come down here to save this fallen race of humans, His love for us was more than your love for your pets; when you love your dog, you have not become a dog. But He became one of us whom He loved; He joined our family. DDB2 171 8 And the reason why we want Him to come soon is not because we are hungry for our "reward" and we have these acquisitive feelings for the joys of heaven; we want the divine Son of God to receive His reward! DDB2 171 9 Why this special love for Him? DDB2 171 10 Why does this desire for Him to receive His reward transcend our desire for our own reward? There has to be a special reason why we, so naturally egocentric as we are, will be able to realize this unusually non-egocentric desire for Him. We have come to understand that when He "poured out His soul unto death" for us (Isa. 53:12), it was the second, not the first that He experienced. It was saying "Goodbye!" to life forever--the embracing of the darkness of hell in His love for us. DDB2 171 11 There are not enough words to tell it. ------------------------Chapter 172--Jesus Is Concerned for Busy People DDB2 172 1 The Bible has placed a crown of honor on the heads of a certain group of people, a crown that will glisten through all eternity to come: "These [in Berea] were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11). Are there "fair-minded" ones today? Are you among them? DDB2 172 2 Just to make payments on the house and the car, and provide for the bills and other expenses, keeps us working almost night and day. The children must have better opportunities than we had when we were kids; there just doesn't seem to be time to "search the scriptures daily" to see if anything is really true. We are just busy doing our duty! DDB2 172 3 We don't read that Jesus condemns busy people, but for sure, He feels for them, He is concerned, for they are in danger. As kindly as He can find words to express His concern He says: "Be careful not to let yourselves become occupied ... with the worries of this life, or that Day may suddenly catch you like a trap. ... Be on watch and pray always that you will have the strength to go safely through all those things ..." (Luke 21:34-36, Good News Bible). DDB2 172 4 Over a hundred years ago a wise writer penned some serious words: "True love for Jesus will lead to the most close and earnest inquiry as to what is truth. ... He who is too indolent to make anxious, prayerful search for truth, will be left to receive errors which shall prove the ruin of his soul." There is no need to be caught in that "trap." Jesus was busier than you or I have ever been, but the Father woke Him up early each morning to study and to pray (Isa. 50:4, 5). DDB2 172 5 The important difference between Him and us is that He did not "rebel." Remember, He takes the initiative in maintaining fellowship with you, as the Father did with Jesus. You too can respond to His initiative. Study and learn, "daily." Don't "rebel." ------------------------Chapter 173--Follow Christ, or Follow the World? DDB2 173 1 "Conventional wisdom" says that if you follow Christ, your path is difficult; and if you follow the world, your path is easy. But the Lord Jesus Himself says, "My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matt. 11:30). And for those who think they have a hard time trying to follow Jesus or had to suffer opposition and persecution, He adds, "I will put on you no other burden" (Rev. 2:24). He doesn't want us to suffer torture! DDB2 173 2 Granted, He doesn't force anyone to "take up his cross daily, and follow [Him]" (cf. Luke 9:23), but He invites us to chooseto follow Him into eternal life in the kingdom of God. He knows that we have inherited from Adam a sinful nature and how sin is contagious and habit forming; He knows that when His Father says that He "so loved the world that He gave" Him to be our Savior that we have an inward battle in learning to "believe in Him" (John 3:16). Unbelief (or dis-belief) is natural for us; we were born that way. But we can learn to believe. DDB2 173 3 The distraught father of the possessed boy in Mark 9 gives us a lesson. When Jesus told him frankly, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes," he broke down in tears and said, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (vss. 23, 24). Steeped in your natural unbelief, you can choose to believe. Then you will learn. DDB2 173 4 A new birth is needed every step of our way, but the Good News is that He loves us so much that He actually makes the path to eternal ruin a "hard" one. This again is contrary to "conventional wisdom" that says it's easy to just slide down hill into hell. An example of truth is what the Lord Jesus said to Saul of Tarsus as he was indulging his natural hatred of righteousness in persecuting the church. In love for his soul, the Lord confronted him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads" (Acts 26:14). It was a miserable life Saul was leading! DDB2 173 5 The Old Testament also teaches that God loves us so much that He has put obstacles in the downward path to ruin: "Behold, I will hedge up your way with thorns" (Hosea 2:6), "He has fenced up my way so that I cannot pass" (Job 19:8), "A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps" (Prov. 16:9), "He has blocked my ways with hewn stone" (Lam. 3:9). DDB2 173 6 None of these Good News texts says that the Lord forces anyone to be saved against his will; but taken together they assure us that He continually tries His best to direct us into the path of life. Let's believe Him! ------------------------Chapter 174--If Someone Gave You a Precious Gift … DDB2 174 1 If someone gave you a precious gift, your most natural response would be to say a fervent Thank you! And, further, according to the value of the gift, your most natural response would be a desire to demonstrate your gratitude to the friend for what he did. This capacity for glad, thankful response is built into your human nature, a part of the package that is you. It is almost instinctive. Dozens of times a day we will catch ourselves saying Thank you for kindnesses done, and as often will we find ourselves watching for opportunities to respond. DDB2 174 2 This simple, unaffected, uncomplicated response of our humanity is all that God has ever asked from anyone. Christ gaveHimself for us on the cross. If we don't see it, or can't sense how there was any real gift or sacrifice involved, there will naturally be no response of loving sacrifice on our part, only the self-centered desire for our own personal security, which leaves fear still intact. Such a half-hearted, lukewarm response is inevitable from anyone's heart when Satan succeeds in obscuring the reality of what Christ gave for us. DDB2 174 3 But when we see what happened at Calvary, something begins to move us. "Through death [the second death]" Christ destroyed "him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and" thus released "those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Heb. 2:14, 15). Truly, DDB2 174 4 None of the ransomed ever knew DDB2 174 5 How deep were the waters crossed, DDB2 174 6 Nor how dark was the night that the Lord passed through DDB2 174 7 Ere He found His sheep that was lost. DDB2 174 8 But we do know a little something about it! Our search is begun. As Satan seeks more and more to ensnare us in the allurements of self-seeking, sensual or material, we shall find something wonderful happening. As "sin abounds," the stronger grace of Christ will "much more abound." As we remember the cross, Satan will be defeated continually. Many people all around the world will respond exactly as Paul did: DDB2 174 9 "We are ruled bythe love of Christ, now that we recognize that one Man died for everyone, which means that they all share in His death. He died for all, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but only for Him who died and was raised to life for their sake" (2 Cor. 5:14, 15, Good News Bible). DDB2 174 10 Now we can see what Paul meant when he said, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." And now that we, too, have had a glimpse of what he saw in his day, our hearts cry out with all our being, "Yes, Paul, we're with you! We kneel, too, at the feet of the Crucified One and confess Him Lord of our lives, King of our love, eternal Sovereign of our hearts." ------------------------Chapter 175--Romans 3:23, 24--What does It Say? Or Mean? DDB2 175 1 There is something that the Bible says that is so clear it seems impossible that anyone could misread it: "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:23, 24, King James Version). Says the New International Version: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Says The New English Bible: "All alike have sinned, and are deprived of the divine splendour, and all are justified by God's free grace alone, through His act of liberation in the person of Christ Jesus." What does it say? Or mean? DDB2 175 2 The Good News therein is clear: DDB2 175 3 (1) The same "all" who have sinned (that has to be absolutely everybody, with the sole exception of Jesus), that same "all" who have sinned have also been "justified freely by His grace." Note: It does notsay all are "justified by faith"! The only ones who experience justification by faith are those who believe the Good News. DDB2 175 4 (2) But "grace" is never merited; it is always "free." No way can we limit that "grace" to certain people and exclude others. Therefore all are "justified freely." DDB2 175 5 (3) This work of justifying "all" has been done "through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." "We have redemption through His blood" (Eph. 1:7). The blood was shed for all, not just for some. "Our ... Savior Jesus Christ ... gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed" (Titus 2:13, 14). We cannot limit "the redemption ... in Christ" to some and not allow it for "all." Paul often says that "all are justified freely." DDB2 175 6 (4) We are "justified by His blood" (Rom. 5:9). The blood was shed for all, for "all we like sheep have gone astray, ... and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6). As "He bore the sin of many" [all] so He is said to "justify many" (vss. 12, 11). DDB2 175 7 Then will everybody automatically be saved eternally in heaven? No, for some (sadly, many!) resist and reject what Christ has already given them, just like Esau had the birthright but he rejected it, sold it, despised it (Gen. 25:34; Heb. 12:16, 17). ------------------------Chapter 176--Is There Such a Thing as Absolute Truth? DDB2 176 1 Is there such a thing as absolute truth? Pilate voiced the hard-hearted attitude of a cold-hearted world that was willing to crucify Christ when he asked in disdain, "What is truth?" (John 18:38). What he meant was, "There is no such thing as truth!" DDB2 176 2 The Bible is crystal clear that there is indeed something that is genuine truth, and God's eternal kingdom will be made up of people who reverence truth. And further, the Bible teaches genuine truth, which commends itself to every reasonable-minded, honest person. The final issue that the Book of Revelation says will catalyze humanity will be that of truth versus falsehood--the seal of God versus the mark of the beast. Today, every issue we face is related to that final one: are we searching for, accepting, welcoming, truth? DDB2 176 3 For example, those who argue for Sunday sacredness are employing cleverly stated reasons and logic (illogic?) to support the idea that Sunday is the true Sabbath of God. They reason that the seventh day was the Sabbath of the "Old Covenant," and Sunday is the Sabbath of the "New Covenant." Thus the Bible doctrine of the two covenants is now seen to be integral to the final issue of the mark of the beast versus the seal of God. DDB2 176 4 What has been thought to be a minor theological squabble turns out to be an issue of tremendous importance. The two covenants are not matters of time or dispensation; they are timeless. There were some people in Old Testament times who were living under the true New Covenant; there are people living today who are still living in slavery to the Old Covenant. DDB2 176 5 Where you stand depends on your understanding and your belief of "the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:5, 14), or your willingness to believe non-truth, that is, the falsehood of a counterfeit, or what Paul said was "a different gospel" (Gal. 1:6, 7). Serious business! One will lead to the seal of God, the other to the mark of the beast. ------------------------Chapter 177--A Golden Thread Throughout the Old and New Testaments DDB2 177 1 It seems like a fantastic idea, but it's like a golden thread throughout both Old and New Testaments of the Bible: proud, sinful, selfish, lustful, wicked human hearts (ours!) are changed by simply believing what the apostle Peter says are "exceedingly great and precious promises" (2 Peter 1:4)! DDB2 177 2 And they're not man's "promises." They are the Lord's. Can it really be true that there is power in something as simple as believing God's promises (that appear to be so wild and extravagant)? God virtually promised Abraham the sky. And the old man is "the father of us all." DDB2 177 3 For instance, in the Old Testament we read that He picked up the only monotheist He could find in the ancient world, called him into exile to "a land that [He] would show him," and promised it to him "for an everlasting possession." Paul got the idea: it was almost infinitely more than that tiny little strip of land known as Canaan; it meant the whole earth! (Rom 4:13). DDB2 177 4 And no way could the "possession" be "everlasting" for Abraham unless this "exceedingly great and precious promise" included the gift of eternal life, which Abraham couldn't enjoy as a genetic inheritance for he was born a sinner under condemnation like all of us. And further, no way could he be "the heir of the world”unless it became the "new earth." And again, no way could he be "the heir" of such a new earth unless he was given the gift of "righteousness," for Peter insists that only "righteousness dwells" there (2 Peter 3:13). DDB2 177 5 So, it all ends up full circle: God's "exceeding great and precious promises" mean the out-and-out gift of "righteousness by faith." And that was the meaning of those seven promises the Lord made to Abraham in Genesis 12:2, 3, and then later swore to in chapter 15--staking His very existence and His eternal throne on His keeping them. DDB2 177 6 Now, we return to our question: Does it make sense that we, sinful selfish people by nature can be changed, converted, purified, transformed, even "sanctified," by believing those "promises"? Believe it or not, that is Peter's idea: "His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, ... exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter 1:3, 4). DDB2 177 7 "Escape" is what we desperately need, for we face the second death without it. The "corruption" of lust surrounds us and would permeate us. But it's true: our "escape" is only in believing those "promises." Let's join the father whose son was healed, in our own heart-felt prayer: "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:23, 24). We can never perish if we pray that prayer. ------------------------Chapter 178--Can We Make the Lord Happy--Or Unhappy? DDB2 178 1 Can we lowly, unworthy mortals do anything that can have an effect on the Lord, the Ruler of the universe, to make Him happy or unhappy? DDB2 178 2 We read that when King David, the anointed ruler of God's people Israel, had committed a double crime of adultery and then murder to cover it up, but "the thing that David had done displeased the Lord" (2 Sam. 11:27). When we read the entire story we see how the displeasure of the Lord was realized in the terrible disasters that befell David's house; not that God did them all directly, but He was forced to withdraw His former blessings on David. But the fact that God was "displeased" with David did not mean that now God hated him or cursed him forever. David had plenty of troubles thereafter, but the Lord still loved the poor sinner. DDB2 178 3 David's two penitential psalms make clear that he knew that he had come within a tiny fraction of losing his soul forever: "Do not take Your Holy Spirit from me," David pleads with anguished tears (Psalm 51:11). Also, David's Psalm 32 is the prayer that every one of us sinners can pray over and over again when we remember that a wise writer has said that the books of heaven record the sins that we would commit if we had had the opportunity. DDB2 178 4 That means that it is our privilege to pray the Lord to forgive that long, long list of sins that we would have committed if we had had the opportunity! That is "corporate repentance," repenting of sins that we may not have actually done in the flesh but which we would have done if the Lord had not held us by the hand and kept us from diving into that deep, bottomless hole (cf. Prov. 22:14). DDB2 178 5 No matter how you or any of us looks back onto his life, we can humbly thank the Savior that He has held us by the hand in times of peril. For myself, I look back to my teenage years and just humbly thank the Lord for saving me from utter ruin. I could never have become a minister of the gospel if He had not saved me. I think over and over of Isaiah 54:17: "This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me, Says the Lord." Yes! Whatever "righteousness" there ever was at any time, it was "of the Lord"! Just the mercy and much more abounding grace of the Lord Jesus (cf. Rom. 5:20). DDB2 178 6 Eternity will not be long enough for me to praise Him! ------------------------Chapter 179--The Foundation for Genuine Happiness DDB2 179 1 When Jesus said that those who mourn are happy people (Matt. 5:4), He shocked everybody. As Luke reports the statement, he has Jesus saying, "Happy are you who weep now; you will laugh!" (Luke 6:21, Good News Bible). DDB2 179 2 It may not appear on the surface to be true, but like many things that Jesus says, there is a profound reality involved. When you shed tears in mourning, if you believe the gospel, you are in fact realizing a point of intimate contact with Christ, the Son of God. DDB2 179 3 The secret is revealed in 1 Peter 4:13 which says, "Rejoice to the extent that you partaker of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy." That is something to rejoice over! That's a dividend that will continue to pay you throughout eternity! It makes you a prince or princess in the realm of the kingdom of God, for Paul says in Colossians 1:24 that you can rejoice for you "fill up ... what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ." Think of it--intimate fellowship with the Son of God! DDB2 179 4 But the second reason why Jesus said those who mourn and weep are "happy" is that when you realize your sinfulness apart from Him, then you can appreciate the gift of His righteousness. When David sinned in unfaithfulness and murder, he knew bitter tears of deep repentance (see Psalms 32 and 51). But at last he knew who he was--a sinner; he had discovered reality; his feet were on solid rock at last; and that became the foundation for genuine happiness. DDB2 179 5 As long as we are self-deceived into imagining our goodness, which is not reality, we can never be truly happy. When Jesus said "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32) He meant two great truths: the truth about ourselves, how unworthy we are, and the greater truth about Him, our Savior 100 percent. When that truth dawns upon your consciousness, you can't help but be happy--forever. ------------------------Chapter 180--Don't Let Satan Overwhelm You With Discouragement DDB2 180 1 Why is it not a sin to feel that you are forsaken by God, but if you say that you are it becomes a sin? The answer is the difference between temptation and sin. A thousand temptations do not equal one sin; the sin comes in yielding to the temptation, choosing to disbelieve. When you are tempted to feel forsaken by God, you are being tested and tried (probably everyone has been so tempted at some time). But when you say, "I am forsaken by God!" you have sinned because you have denied and contradicted the word of God: "He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you'" (Heb. 13:5). DDB2 180 2 Jesus conquered temptation by quoting Scripture to Satan, "It is written." You do the same! When you are tempted to feel forsaken by God, quote that precious text, over and over again. And because you have overcome that temptation, you will be able to encourage others who are so tempted. You will actually win souls; for there are many people who need the testimony of someone who has been tempted as they are tempted, but who has overcome by faith. DDB2 180 3 You may ask, "But maybe I have committed the unpardonable sin! If so, has God forsaken me?" The unpardonable sin is not God forsaking the sinner, but the sinner forsaking God. He still loves the person who has committed that sin (if he has!), but the sinner has burnt out his antenna and cannot receive the forgiveness "signal" from God. DDB2 180 4 If you can catch even the faintest signal from the Holy Spirit assuring you of God's faithful love, cherish it; don't let Satan overwhelm you with discouragement because you know you have sinned. It's sinners that Christ has come to save. We rob Him what is His due if we withhold ourselves from Him. Don't accept Satan's judgment; appeal over his head to the Supreme Court of heaven--Christ Himself. DDB2 180 5 I have visited patients in rehab hospitals and nursing homes who take exercises, learning over again how to walk. They have been in an accident, or had a stroke. They exercise those weak muscles, and they overcome. So can you "exercise" your faith; choose to believe that promise, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee!" DDB2 180 6 Perhaps someone out there is elderly; if so, cherish this prayer: "Now also when I am old and grey-headed, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation," that is, told them the Good News of the gospel (Psalm 71:18). ------------------------Chapter 181--It's Impossible to Believe in Jesus and Not Believe in Miracles DDB2 181 1 Have you ever walked on water? I am sure not. In all the history of the world, only two people have ever walked on water--set their foot on it and walked on water as though it were concrete. Those two were Jesus Christ, and His disciple, Simon Peter. DDB2 181 2 But Peter didn't succeed very long--only long enough to show that it could be done. Probably his success was something like that of Orville Wright when he managed to fly his airplane for a few seconds at Kitty Hawk. Orville conquered gravity by flying in the air for a few seconds; Peter succeeded in walking on water for a few seconds (you can read his story in Matthew 14:22-33). DDB2 181 3 Jesus came walking on the surface of the Sea of Galilee to the disciples who were in a storm-tossed boat late in the night. They had listened to Judas Iscariot who planted seeds of doubt and resentment in their hearts, and now the storm had made them wish that Jesus were with them. When they saw Him walking on the water, they thought He was a ghost. Peter recognized Him, and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." Foolish request! But Jesus said, "OK, come." And Peter climbed out of the boat and actually walked toward Jesus. DDB2 181 4 Then Peter saw that the wind was "boisterous" and his faith gave way and down he started to go like a stone. Terrified, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" And Jesus grabbed him by the hand and pulled him up and took him to the boat. DDB2 181 5 It was a miracle. But you know something--it's impossible to believe in Jesus and not believe in miracles! You may think the problems in your life are so discouraging that to solve them would be like walking on water. Keep Jesus in your sight, and believe Him. ------------------------Chapter 182--Have We Neglected to Receive the Beginning of a Gift Already Given? DDB2 182 1 Two thousand years have gone by since Paul proclaimed to the Jews that their Messiah had come in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Most stubbornly resisted and rejected the message, according to Luke in Acts. DDB2 182 2 If Paul was anything like we are in nature, he would have expected that the Jews most likely to listen favorably would be the "devout women," the ladies of the congregation who were always helping people with works of mercy. But imagine his surprise and disappointment when he found that among the members of the congregations most bitterly opposed to the Good News about their Messiah having already come were those same "devout and prominent women" (Acts 13:50). DDB2 182 3 There was no need any longer for those agonizing, all night prayer meetings where the people would cry out to the God of Abraham, "Please fulfill the promise made to our fathers, send us our Messiah!" Prayer for the coming of the Messiah had now become obsolete. Now it was time to thank God for already sending Him! In fact, such prayer now became a form of blasphemy because it expressed the sin of unbelief, the refusal to recognize that God had already performed what He had promised. DDB2 182 4 Today we may pray earnestly for God to send us the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the latter rain. Sometimes churches have held all night prayer meetings for that blessed gift. Could it be that, like the ancient Jews, we have neglected to receive the beginning of that same gift already given, and it went over our heads as the truth went over the heads of the ancient Jews? ------------------------Chapter 183--How Does One Get to Know Jesus Christ? DDB2 183 1 Is it possible that the difference between eternal life and eternal death can be boiled down to a simple matter of knowing something? Jesus says, Yes! It's in John 17:3: "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." DDB2 183 2 How does one get to know Him? DDB2 183 3 First, one must learn how to distinguish the true God from false gods; and that also requires distinguishing the true Christ from "false christs." Jesus warns us that in these last days, "false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect" (Matt. 24:24). DDB2 183 4 The "false christ" is the "Antichrist" that John speaks of in 1 John 4:1-3: "Every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. ... this is the spirit of the Antichrist." Hebrews makes clear that "as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He [Christ] likewise shared in the same, ... Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren" (2:14, 17). DDB2 183 5 Paul makes clear what it means for the true Christ to "come in the flesh": "God [sent] His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8:3). The word "likeness" in the Greek is homoióma, from which we derive a number of English words that mean "sameness," "identical." DDB2 183 6 Therefore, to "know Jesus Christ" is to know the reality of His taking upon His sinless nature our sinful nature, that He might "in all points [be] tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15). In His human nature He had to deny self, to deny His own will, that He might "not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me" (John 5:30). This self-denial extended throughout His life on earth right up to His cross. DDB2 183 7 Would you like to follow Him? "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me," He says (Luke 9:23). Yes, you will know Him intimately! ------------------------Chapter 184--Get Acquainted With Your "Father" Abraham! DDB2 184 1 Have you ever thought of Abraham as a lonely man? You remember, he is "the father of all those who believe" (Rom. 4:11), and therefore your "father" in the faith. If Abraham was a lonely man, and yet God was with him, there is encouragement that the Lord can be with you even if you serve Him as a lonely person. DDB2 184 2 In Isaiah 51:2 the Lord says, "I called [Abraham] alone," or as the Hebrew says, "I called him when he was but one, and blessed him, and increased him." Thus it appears that Abram (his name at first) was the only person in the world who worshipped the true God when God called him. DDB2 184 3 We know that his father Terah worshipped idols (Joshua 24:2) while living in a community that worshipped the moon (Ur of the Chaldeans). Maybe we should revise that, and say that Abram was the only person of his generation who worshipped the true God, because Shem was still living, somewhere. But being hundreds of years old, maybe Shem was no longer able to do the kind of witnessing work that God was calling Abram (later named Abraham) to do. DDB2 184 4 Evidently from a very early age, Abram knew that it was wrong to worship the moon, and probably tried to persuade his brother Haran and his father Terah to recognize the one true God who created the moon (with some success it seems, for Terah's family always had some knowledge of the truth). DDB2 184 5 But how do you remain faithful to God when you are all alone? And how do you worship an invisible God when everybody around you wants some idol or heavenly body to be His presence, to represent Him? Get acquainted with your "father" Abraham! DDB2 184 6 Today, you may be alone (or as the Hebrew says, "but one") in your family or your village, or your school, or (God forbid!) even in your church (if that's true, your church needs you as a witness for Him!). Well, God specifically says, "Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you" (Isa. 51:2). Let your faith demonstrate that you are indeed a child of Abraham. He "believed in the Lord" (Gen. 15:6). Now, you do the same. Then you won't remain alone ("but one") for Isaiah says that "[God] increased him." DDB2 184 7 Evidently it's impossible to remain alone. ------------------------Chapter 185--Living in "The Shaking Time" DDB2 185 1 Not only are we living in what we have always said is "the shaking time," but more than that: we are living in the time when everything possible is being shaken furiously. Is there an absolutely necessary truth that must be held onto, even at the cost of life? DDB2 185 2 The Bible says, Yes! Clearly so, in 1 Corinthians 13: "Though I [or anyone] speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not [the love which is] agape, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal" (vs. 1). A brilliant mind and ready speech may cover a lack of essential truth. This brilliant mind may explain the prophecies: "And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, ... but have not [the love which is agape], I am nothing" (vs. 2). DDB2 185 3 We have come to the time when 1 Corinthians 13 itself has become a prophecy! Almost overwhelming in its power of deception is the moving of mountains "by [supposed] faith," where there is an alarming lack of faith (vs. 2). And we can "bestow all [our] goods to feed the poor, ... but have not love [agape]" (vs. 3); it's only pride. This agape is deeper than giving "goods." Or even giving physical life. DDB2 185 4 The apostle John agrees with Paul when he says that "God islove [agape]" (1 John 4:8), and "[anyone] who does not love [with agape] does not know God." DDB2 185 5 Is there confusion? No, not a trace: this is the solid building block of Bible truth. It's what Paul meant when he told the Corinthians, "I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2). In other words, agape. DDB2 185 6 Obedience to the law is included, for only "agape is the fulfillment of the law" (Rom. 13:10). So it's not sentimental emotionalism; love is being crucified with Christ, with joy and gratitude for the privilege of fellowship with Him. ------------------------Chapter 186--"Justification" or "Righteousness" by Faith? DDB2 186 1 There need be no confusion about the meaning of justification by faith. It's a simple matter to go to the original language the apostle Paul used when writing his soul-stirring words in Romans: "justification" is the same word he used for "righteousness." DDB2 186 2 That opens up a world of understanding. When Paul speaks of justification by faith he means righteousness by faith--in other words, right living by faith. Justification by faith is worlds beyond a verbal, legal pronouncement of acquittal from guilt, which makes no change in a person's heart and character. DDB2 186 3 The legal pronouncement was made when Christ cried out at His crucifixion, "It is finished!" He had completed the work the Father had given Him to do (John 17:4). He had earned His title, "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42); "The Lord [had] laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6). He had now proven His role to be the new Head of the human race, the second Adam. He had died the second death "for everyone" (Heb. 2:9), and paid the final penalty for every sin of humanity. DDB2 186 4 That is why Christ in a purely legal sense pronounces the "judicial ... verdict of acquittal" on "all" (Rom. 5:15-18, The Revised English Bible). But justification by faith is conversion, a change of heart, an experience of reconciliation to God. And since no one can be reconciled to God unless he is also reconciled to God's holy law, justification by faith means a new life of obedience to God's law, not motivated by fear but by love (agape). DDB2 186 5 Love is the most severe taskmaster in the universe, but in the light of the cross of Christ, the most reasonable because it leads to self being crucified with Christ. ------------------------Chapter 187--Being Sober Doesn't Mean Being Sad or Gloomy ... DDB2 187 1 The American nation was slow to enter the war against Hitler on the side of Britain and the "Free French." Until Pearl Harbor the people weren't sure. At that time apparently nobody knew what would happen in the Holocaust. "Kristallnacht" seemed far away, almost impossible. The horror of World War II seems murky to the minds of the generations who have lived subsequent to those days. And the Memorial Day weekend is a grand holiday. Most of us have little or no sense of reality as to what this freedom and pleasure cost others in suffering and blood. Occasionally a voice is raised pleading for sobriety and adequate gratitude. DDB2 187 2 Does the world--do any of us--sense an adequate gratitude for what our present life on this planet cost the Son of God? Do we realize what it means to say that "the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23)? Not that God arbitrarily inflicts death on sinners, but that sin itself is self-destructive in nature, that life as we know it would have ceased on this planet except that there was a "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8)? The "Lamb" had to be the One whose name is "Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us," our second or "last Adam," who truly died the real thing, the second death. DDB2 187 3 Horrible as death was for the millions who died in World War II, none truly died the second death. Let us be sober and realize at least something of what the Free World owes to those brave soldiers who suffered in World War II; but let us as Christians plead for God's mercy to enable us to realize honestly the constraint that agape imposes. It means simply that self is crucified with Christ. Being sober doesn't mean being sad or gloomy; it means being conscious, thoughtful, aware of truth. DDB2 187 4 People with extremely shallow understanding are childishly, apparently happy, but it's as thin as a coat of varnish. When self is crucified with the Redeemer, the happiness is deep, "that your joy may be full" (John 16:24), the idea being, "in depth." It's the awareness of what an eternal grave in hell could mean, from which we are redeemed. For all time there's a tear glistening in our smiles of joy. ------------------------Chapter 188--An Overlooked Precious Morsel of Truth DDB2 188 1 There is a precious morsel of truth often overlooked in Isaiah 61 where we read that "the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor" (vs. 1). DDB2 188 2 Those good tidings include the blessed truth that God's time for vengeance is much shorter than His time for blessing: vengeance lasts for only a "day," whereas His blessings are immeasurably longer. "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me," says Jesus; "because the Lord has anointed Me ... to proclaim the acceptable yearof the Lord, [but only] thedayof vengeance of our God" (vss. 1, 2). DDB2 188 3 The time of God's "vengeance" is only 1/365th of the time of His blessing! Can you imagine such a fraction? Yes, there is a time when God must take "vengeance," and it is a frightful time for those who are not reconciled to Him; but the character of God is such that His "acceptance" is far greater than His "vengeance." DDB2 188 4 "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy" (Psalm 103:8). "The Lord is gracious and full of compassion" (111:4). His glorious character is beautifully unveiled in Jesus in His incarnation. Did He go around cursing people? No, Everywhere He went, He was only a blessing. He tells us, "That's what My Father is like!" DDB2 188 5 Finally, when wicked people could not stand His presence on earth and they crucified Him, in the midst of His physical and spiritual anguish He prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (cf. Luke 23:34). DDB2 188 6 Let your alienated, worldly human heart be melted by beholding the Lamb of God! ------------------------Chapter 189--The Key in Understanding an Apparent Contradiction in Jesus' Prayers DDB2 189 1 Psalm 22 tells us of Christ's agony of soul as He hung on the cross--not just the physical pain (that was awful enough!), but the soul agony of bearing "the curse of God," enduring hell on our account. Psalm 69 also describes His enduring hatred throughout His life (vss. 7-12), and on the cross (vss. 17-21), but now there's a different element added: He cries for vengeance on those who have abused Him. "When I was hungry, they gave Me poison; when I was thirsty, they offered Me vinegar. ... Strike them with blindness! ... Pour out Your anger on them; ... May their camps be left deserted; may no one be left alive in their tents. ... Keep a record of all their sins; don't let them have any part in your salvation. May their names be erased from the book of the living; ... " (vss. 21-28, Good News Bible). DDB2 189 2 Now, here's a problem: how can you reconcile those dreadful imprecations with the prayer of Jesus at His cross: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do!" (Luke. 23:34)? Both that prayer and those imprecations are the words of Jesus! And both prayers were answered by the Father! He forgave them then, but forgiveness is more than blinking the divine Eye and saying, "I don't care what you do, murder My Son, that's OK with Me!" DDB2 189 3 God's forgiveness includes the actual removal of the sin from the heart, which is through accepting His enormous gift of repentance. And some who crucified Christ did repent--apparently the Roman centurion, for one. But those who did not accept repentance on the Day of Pentecost but hardened their hearts, suffered every iota of those divine imprecations. The human urge for redress, for justice, is not evil; it is inspired by the Holy Spirit. God is greatly concerned for justice! "To crush under His feet all the prisoners of the earth, to turn aside the justice due a man [or woman] before the face of the Most High, or subvert a man in his cause--the Lord does not approve" (Lam. 3:34-36). DDB2 189 4 But what's the key in understanding this apparent contradiction in Jesus' prayers? (1) It is right to protest injustice, for Jesus did (John 18:23; Matt. 26:55). (2) We are not to exact our own redress or vengeance, because our inborn love of self will cause us to act unjustly. "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls" (Prov. 24:17). (3) Leave the revenge to the Lord to work it out. "Do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord" (Rom. 12:19). (4) Trust Him to take care of it; He did for Jesus--all too thoroughly. Consider the later history of His murderers. Let's trust Him, too. ------------------------Chapter 190--Why the Gospel Was So Successful for the Apostles DDB2 190 1 The Book of Acts tells why the gospel was so successful at the time of the apostles. A consistent theme seems to emerge: they told the world that they had rejected and crucified the Son of God. This realization resulted in an enormous sense of guilt: what sin or crime could be worse than that? DDB2 190 2 For example, at Pentecost, Peter said: "God has made this Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36). Immediately came the heart-broken cry, "What shall we do?" (vs. 37). Then when Peter and John healed the paralytic, Peter again said, "You denied the Holy One and the Just, ... and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead" (3:14, 15). You couldn't yawn and sit on the fence when you heard a charge like that! Then Peter and John told the rulers and leaders of the nation, "You crucified Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom God raised from the dead" (4:10). DDB2 190 3 Then when the apostles were again arrested by the police and brought to trial, they boldly charged, "You murdered by hanging on a tree [the] ... Prince and Savior" (5:30, 31). This was extreme confrontation! And the Holy Spirit was given both to those who proclaimed the truth and to those who believed it. Philip won the heart of a high-placed government official by preaching the cross from Isaiah 53 (8:32, 33). A sudden glimpse of the significance of the cross converted Saul of Tarsus (9:5, 6; 26:13-15), and empowered him to proclaim the truth more powerfully than any of the Eleven who had witnessed the actual event. DDB2 190 4 One exception to apostolic success is Paul's ministry in Athens (Acts 17). Few of his hearers responded positively. But reading through the Acts 17 story of his sermon we find not a mention of the cross! Paul at Athens was much like we are, working for "the higher classes." But from Athens Paul went to Corinth, where he determined "not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Cor 2:1, 2). A lesson for us? ------------------------Chapter 191--The Most Earth-shaking Letter Ever Written DDB2 191 1 Probably the most earth-shaking letter ever written in history was dashed off by hand by a man with poor eyesight--God's apostle Paul. The impassioned epistle was sent to the Galatians to correct a fatal error threatening to poison the young church that Christ and His apostles had just raised up. The subtle deception came from the then-headquarters of the church in Jerusalem. The idea was that the gospel of Christ is a revival of Old Covenant "righteousness," supposedly by faith, but in reality by a counterfeit of it. The problem has plagued Christianity ever since. DDB2 191 2 The principal idea Paul made was that "God ... preached the gospel to Abraham" (Gal. 3:8). Still today a suspect doctrine! The usual concept is that the gospel came later than Abraham--430 years later at Mount Sinai. DDB2 191 3 Paul's idea is that Abraham's unusual response to God's New Covenant promises (Gen. 12:2, 3) was genuine faith--the kind that appropriates the much more abounding grace that saves us (Gen. 15:6; Eph. 2:8, 9). Abraham's faith therefore was like turning on a switch that allows the electricity to flow through the house. It's a simple idea: faith doesn't save us, but it opens the circuit so that God's grace is free to flow through us and save us. That idea has created theological explosions all through history. DDB2 191 4 Abraham's descendants at Sinai were the first of countless generations to brush off the gospel truth. They wanted the Old Covenant as their belief: "All that the Lord has spoken we will do" (Ex. 19:8), they promised vainly. DDB2 191 5 The great Day of Atonement is now--when it's time for God's people to overcome every trace of Old Covenant confusion and recover the pure love for the gospel that Abraham knew when he "believed in the Lord, and He accounted it [his faith] to him for righteousness" (Gen. 15:6). DDB2 191 6 True obedience to God's law is possible only through the New Covenant. Thank God He has given you a "hunger and thirst" to understand it. ------------------------Chapter 192--God's True Last-days' Message of the Cross DDB2 192 1 Paul, God's faithful servant, suffered a humiliating rebuke in his evangelism crusade in the great city of Athens. He made the mistake of trying to match philosophy with philosophy, trying to meet the Athenian scholars on their own ground. The result: near failure in soul-winning, although a few did respond. DDB2 192 2 When he came to the immoral city of Corinth, he says he "determined not to know anything among [them] except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2). The book of Revelation is also a presentation of the cross of Christ. In code language, "a Lamb as though it had been slain" (5:6) is the same message as Paul's theme in Corinth. More than twenty-five times we find that word "Lamb" in Revelation--the book is the most cross-centered book in the Bible! It's the same as Paul's message of "Christ and Him crucified." Without discerning this truth, the fanatics or enthusiasts find Revelation to be their playground. DDB2 192 3 As we near the end of time, their confusion will become more and more painful to endure. Each will proclaim that he knows the secret of "finishing God's work," "listen to me!" But he "multiplies words. ... The labor of fools wearies [everyone], for they do not even know how to go to the city!" (Eccl. 10:12-15). Are you bewildered by the multiplicity of voices crying, "'See here!' or, 'See there!'" (Luke 17:21)? DDB2 192 4 Psalm 46 was written for this time of cataclysmic confusion when "the waters roar and [are] troubled" and "mountains [are] carried into the midst of the sea" (vss. 2, 3). The counsel is, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" (vs. 10). The language is that of Revelation 18:1-4. DDB2 192 5 Be wise and patient; spend time in prayer alone with God so that you are ready to discern that true last-days' message of the cross. ------------------------Chapter 193--Thank God, We Can Learn From Moses! DDB2 193 1 Have you ever prayed about a difficult situation, and the more you prayed and "obeyed" the worse it got? If your answer is No, then welcome to always-sunny skies. But some of us have met the storms that Moses met. For 40 years he had prayed for God to deliver his people Israel from slavery in Egypt, and nothing had happened. Finally the Lord met him at the burning bush and commissioned him to go back to Egypt and deliver them. "Face the king and demand emancipation for My people." The story is in Exodus 4 and 5. DDB2 193 2 So, what happens? A miracle? Pharaoh suddenly collapses in front of Moses and says, "Let them go!"? No, far from it; the more Moses demands freedom, the meaner Pharaoh becomes, and in a fit of anger he actually makes their slavery worse, doubling their workloads. DDB2 193 3 The irate Israelite "officers" meet Moses and chew him out: "The Lord will ... punish you for making the king and his officers hate us. You have given them an excuse to kill us" (5:21, Good News Bible). Sunny skies? Not for Moses! His own people resent him for doing exactly what God has told him to do. The more he prays and "obeys," the worse the situation becomes. DDB2 193 4 Moses has asked God for a piece of "bread," and it looks like the opposite of what Jesus promises: God has given him "a scorpion" or "a stone." DDB2 193 5 What about your prayers when things get worse? (1) Don't give up on the Lord. Moses did the right thing and so should you. The next verse says, "Then Moses turned to the Lord again" and laid the problem out before Him. "Ever since I went to the king to speak for You, he has treated them cruelly. And You [God] have done nothing to help them!" (vs. 23). (2) Next, listen to what God tells you then. "He that cometh to God must believe" (a) that "He is," and (b) that "He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" (Heb. 11:6). DDB2 193 6 Thank God, we can learn from Moses! ------------------------Chapter 194--Seeds of Bible Truth DDB2 194 1 Psalm 14:1 says that the fool has said in his heart there is no God. And Romans 1:19, 20 says that the invisible God has made Himself visible by the things that He has made so that we can understand His eternal power and Godhead. DDB2 194 2 There are people everywhere who feel like orphans--they wish they could know God but they have been taught either to doubt His existence or to doubt that He personally loves them and cares for them. DDB2 194 3 Looking at a simple acorn will help us understand something. Look at that little seed: there is a mighty oak tree wrapped up within it. You cannot see it, it is invisible, but your common sense tells you that it is there. Just plant it in the ground, give it some water, and wait 100 years and see the giant tree that has come from that tiny acorn. The evolutionist says all this evolved mysteriously over millions of years; the Bible says that God created that tree and the mysterious principle of life that makes it possible, and that He made it to be an oak and not an apple tree. DDB2 194 4 Now for the punch line: Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the words of the Bible are like a living, sprouting acorn, a seed that grows in the human heart and produces the miracle of a new character: "The word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." And Colossians 3:16 says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." In other words, don't stop it. Let it get planted in your heart. Don't uproot it. DDB2 194 5 An oak tree scatters its acorns everywhere, so the Lord, by His Holy Spirit is scattering these seeds of Bible truth. Welcome them, receive them, and they will grow in your heart to transform your character into the likeness of the Creator who is also our Savior, Christ Jesus. ------------------------Chapter 195--An Island of Refuge in a Stormy Sea DDB2 195 1 In His love and mercy, Jesus described for His followers what life would be like in the last days, where we live today: "And because lawlessness will abound, the love [agape] of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved" (Matt. 24:12, 13). DDB2 195 2 Thoughtful observers have noted that foul language is accepted and popular in the media. "Baby Boomers" and more recent generations (at least most of them) have never had the privilege of knowing there was something in the world known as agape, the once-sacred "sweet mystery of life." For them, love is a physical attraction. They have a "relationship," not agape love. DDB2 195 3 Parents and grandparents who know a little about agapeare appalled; children and youth are growing up in a world where "the agape of many [has] grown cold," where as one wise writer has often stated it, "The Holy Spirit is being withdrawn." Where formerly God's people looked forward to spending the biblical millennium in heaven, now they apparently face the bleak prospect of spending it on earth with the Holy Spirit withdrawn. Many even lament that they don't find that Spirit in church. DDB2 195 4 But there is some precious Good News: there are those who will "endure to the end." They will cherish agapein their hearts; they will love the Holy Spirit, not drive Him away. God has never withdrawn His Holy seventh-day Sabbath in which we can realize His presence. The Sabbath is an island of refuge in a stormy sea where we can still experience the calm of heaven and the refreshment that comes in communion with God. DDB2 195 5 The Holy Spirit may be withdrawn from the wicked world, but He will not withdraw Himself from even one humble soul who welcomes His presence. ------------------------Chapter 196--Let Your Soul Feast on the Psalms DDB2 196 1 As we face the tumultuous events of the last days of earth's history, our Savior feels for us. He says, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me" (John 14:1). Psalm 23:4 says, "I will fear no evil; for You are with me." What the Bible means is don't give your permission for your heart to "be troubled." Choose to trust Him by setting your will on His side; Satan cannot terrify you unless you give him your permission. Make your choice to believe! DDB2 196 2 "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" decides David in Psalm 27:1. We want practical, common sense counsel on how to control our emotions in time of trouble. "Come to Me," says the Savior (Matt. 11:28). Saturate your soul with the story of His cross. DDB2 196 3 Comedians tell us to laugh our fears away, but that's a lie; we're living in the great Day of Atonement when peace of heart comes through serious-minded fasting and prayer. But genuine faith always lifts up the heart with a joy that actually triumphs over your emotions. Your soul sings, "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living" (Psalm 27:13). Let your soul feast on the psalms that tell of Jesus' struggles with the temptation to be afraid and to doubt (Psalms 22, 40, 69--and many more). He overcame! DDB2 196 4 Immense Good News is yet to flood the world with light even though evil is everywhere, for "another angel" comes with "great authority, and the earth [is to be] illuminated with his glory" (Rev. 18:1). His message will be "Christ and Him crucified," for Jesus said that when He is "lifted up" (that is, on His cross), He "will draw all peoples to [Himself]" (John 12:32). Not all will let themselves be "drawn," but all will sense the drawing. You do, don't you? ------------------------Chapter 197--Can We Make the Good News Too Good? DDB2 197 1 Can we make the Good News of the gospel too good? When Jesus says, "My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matt. 11:30), can we be naïve and take Him too seriously? Do we need some special intelligence not to be misled? DDB2 197 2 To challenge us further, He tells Saul of Tarsus that it's "hard" to go on being lost (Acts 26:14). And yes, we must "strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able," which implies that it's not "easy" to be saved (Luke 13:24). And He warns anyone who may want to follow Him that he must "take up his cross daily, and follow Me" (9:23). Being crucified on a cross is just about the hardest thing any human can experience! DDB2 197 3 And yet Jesus seems to tantalize us with that word, "My yoke is easy and My burden is light"! And Paul adds that His grace abounds "much more" than all the sin the devil can invent (Rom. 5:20). If you believe anything in the Bible you must admit that grace is stronger than sin, and surely, you can't be a Christian unless you believe that Christ is stronger than Satan. Can you be intelligent unless you believe that light is stronger than darkness? And finally, you're out in the dark forever unless you believe that love [agape] is stronger than hatred. So what's the truth? DDB2 197 4 Here's the question: could it be that the Holy Spirit is stronger than our fallen, sinful flesh that is always alluring and tempting us? That's exactly what Paul says in Galatians 5:16-18! First, the Lord has promised in Isaiah 41:13 that He will hold us by our right hand; now--if you will go for a walk with the Holy Spirit and let Him hold your hand you'll find you can't "fulfill the lust of the flesh" or "do the [evil] things" that your sinful nature would prompt you to do (don't read it backwards!). DDB2 197 5 If you believe John 3:16, self is "crucified with Christ," and "he who has died [with Him] has been freed from sin" (Gal. 2:20; Rom. 6:6, 7). We can't be Christians and be content to go on giving in to sinful impulses! DDB2 197 6 This is the Day of Atonement; Christ is tired being "the minister of sin" (Gal. 2:17). Living now is serious business. ------------------------Chapter 198--Heaven's Final Call DDB2 198 1 The Bible is revered by both Muslims and Christians, the latter accepting it as the inspired Word of God. Its clear teaching is that for more than 170 years we have been living in the cosmic Day of Atonement, the grand original of which the ancient Israelite day of atonement was a type or symbol. This was the most solemn day of their year, the only one when the Lord commanded His people to fast. DDB2 198 2 The day of atonement was an object lesson of the final Day of Judgment; ordinary pursuits were to be laid aside; it was to be kept as a holy sabbath, a day of heart-searching, of repentance, a day on which at last the people as a corporate body or nation were to become fully "at-one" with God. In this way it was an object lesson of what it means for us today to become "at-one" with God in a heart-preparation for the second coming of Christ, not merely for death but for meeting Jesus in person-- translation (Heb. 11:5). DDB2 198 3 The "fast" that was required of Israel on that typical day of atonement symbolized the simple, self-denying Christian life appropriate for us today. Every meal we eat becomes "a sacrament." "Baruch the son of Neriah" lived when his world was falling apart, as ours is today. God asked him, "Do you seek great things for yourself?" The world around you is collapsing, "adversity" [evil] is coming "on all flesh." Be thankful I give you the simple gift of life as a "prize"--forget seeking "great things" more than Jesus had (Jeremiah 45). DDB2 198 4 In Isaiah 22:12-14 the Lord is disappointed when His people disregard His call to humble repentance: "the Lord God of hosts called for weeping and for mourning," but the response of His people was partying and entertainment-seeking, as though He had never spoken. Then He said: "Surely for this iniquity there will be no atonement for you, even to your death." The Day of Atonement brings Heaven's final call; to disregard it becomes the unforgivable sin against the Holy Spirit that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 12:31, 32. DDB2 198 5 Why is this so serious? Because Jesus, the world's Good Shepherd, feels the agony of the millions who suffer today. To refuse to live in sympathy with Him in His concern for them is to refuse to be "at-one" with Him. The Day of Atonement is what has been lacking in the kind of "Christianity" that Muslims have known. There is light yet to "lighten the earth with glory" (Rev. 18:1-4). It will illuminate Day of Atonement truths now neglected. Many will respond. ------------------------Chapter 199--Allow Christ to Join You in Your "Walk" DDB2 199 1 Behold the compassion of the resurrected Jesus! One might think that in the enthusiasm of His newly resurrected life He is eager to be off on His new assignment in the heavenly sanctuary, but His heart is with His disappointed, discouraged ones here. His name is still "Immanuel, which is translated, 'God with us'" (Matt. 1:23). DDB2 199 2 Two men who believed He was the true Messiah are on their walk to Emmaus that afternoon of the "first day of the week" of the resurrection. Never have they known such crushing heart pain. It goes deeper than any human can fathom, for it is the pain of defeat in the great controversy with Satan; the death of Christ means the ultimate victory for Satan. DDB2 199 3 These two men feel they must conclude this: they are not mourning the loss of their own personal salvation so much as they mourn the grand defeat of God. The world (yes, the universe) is now to be plunged into hopeless despair! "We were hoping that [Jesus of Nazareth] was going to redeem Israel" (Luke 24:21)--and to them "Israel" was the only hope of the world. DDB2 199 4 The heart of the resurrected Jesus is with them as they trudge disconsolately toward Emmaus. He now teaches us that His heart is with all disappointed people all over the world, in all time. He joins these two men incognito and gently encourages them with Bible truth: "Beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself" (vs. 27). DDB2 199 5 He is already doing His work as our High Priest! And so He ministers to you today--if you will allow Him to join you in your "walk." ------------------------Chapter 200--One of the Strangest Anomalies of History DDB2 200 1 One of the strangest anomalies of history is the fate of Israel held in Egyptian slavery. That was something that was not supposed to be! How could it ever have happened? DDB2 200 2 The Lord told Abraham that his descendants "will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. ... [And] afterward they shall come out with great possessions" (Gen. 15:13, 14). Yes, they were to be slaves all that time! But was it the Lord's will for them? DDB2 200 3 The Lord had made those seven glorious New Covenant promises to Abraham (Gen. 12:2, 3), which applied not only to him, but to his descendants after him: "Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. ... The law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect" (Gal. 3:16, 17). God's promise is always firm and solid! DDB2 200 4 Why then should Israel be slaves in Egypt? Jeremiah was shown that it should never have been: "Is Israel a servant? Is he a homeborn slave? Why is he plundered?" (Jer. 2:14; the Good News Biblerenders it, "Israel is not a slave, he was not born into slavery"!). DDB2 200 5 There can be only one answer: Abraham's descendants forgot the New Covenant promises that God had made to their father Abraham. Even the patriarch had trouble believing how good the Good News is when he agreed to take that second wife, Hagar, and thus to doubt and disbelieve the Lord's promises that "in Isaac your seed shall be called"! (Gen. 21:12). DDB2 200 6 Have you forgotten those promises? Then confess that you are in that distraught father's place when he begged Jesus, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24). That should have been Israel's prayer all during those 430 years! Let it be ours now. ------------------------Chapter 201--The Greatest Temptation Jesus Had to Face DDB2 201 1 What do you suppose was the greatest temptation Jesus had to face? You know of course He was tempted--the Bible says "in all points like as we are" (Heb. 4:15; King James Version). His temptations were real--they bored in to His inmost soul. Well, the greatest temptation He had to face was the temptation to doubt who He was. And if the truth were known, that's the greatest temptation you have to face also--to doubt who you are. DDB2 201 2 For example, think back to Jesus' temptation in the wilderness after His baptism. Three times the wily old enemy, Satan, zeroed in on Him at the deepest core of His being--"If You are the Son of God," command these stones to be bread; "If You are the Son of God," do a hang-glide from the top of the temple tower; "If You are the Son of God," claim the empires of the world as Yours and I'll give them to You, for they are mine, the devil said; just play ball with me, be reasonable, let's cooperate (Matt. 4:2-10). DDB2 201 3 Do you think that was a temptation? "If You are who You think You are"--You have delusions of grandeur like a mental patient who thinks he is Napoleon. Yes, Jesus gained a victory then, but remember that the enemy came back again and again on this point of doubting His real identity as the Son of God. DDB2 201 4 Finally at the very end, something happened that helped to crystallize it all in Jesus' mind and heart when Mary washed His feet with tears (Luke 7:37, 38). He realized that He was the only person in all of world history to be so honored; no one, not even Alexander the Great, had ever had his feet washed with human tears. Yes, Jesus realized, He was the King of kings and Lord of lords. Now He was ready for John 13. DDB2 201 5 At that last supper, He got up, stretched Himself to His full height, laid aside His robe, and knowing fully that He had come from God and went to God, He humbled Himself to wash His disciples' feet. He could not have done that until He had known for sure, and felt for sure, who He was. He could never have faced the cross until He had that assurance; and even on the cross that last temptation was flung at Him--"Save Yourself and come down from the cross!" (Mark 15:30). DDB2 201 6 Who are you? Do you know? You cannot be truly humble until you realize your true identity in Christ, redeemed by His blood. ------------------------Chapter 202--A Soul-winning Ministry Going on That We Don't Know About DDB2 202 1 As the sun rises for another day, it looks down upon billions of people, each created in the image of God, each redeemed by the blood of the Son of God, but so few who understand His great sacrifice. The world is dark with misapprehension of God. And the statistics tell us that the percentage of Christians to world population is steadily shrinking. People wonder how the gospel can ever be effectively proclaimed to these billions. DDB2 202 2 But as surely as the sun rises upon the earth this morning, so does "the Sun of righteousness ... arise with healing in His wings," says Malachi (4:2). That is, to those who "fear [His] name," and they are many. Christ is "the light [that] shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it [does not overcome it]" (John 1:5). He is "the true Light which gives light to every person who comes into the world" (vs. 9). DDB2 202 3 We feel a burden for these billions who misapprehend God, but how much more did the apostle Paul feel the same burden. "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?" (Rom. 10:14,15). DDB2 202 4 Great questions! But Paul says there is a soul-winning ministry going on that we don't know about: "Have they not heard? Yes indeed" (vs. 18). Then Paul quotes Psalm 19:4 where David directly compares the sunrise with the light of the gospel that shines--no, that's not the word--"reflected" is better (vs. 6). Everyone who will look, who "fears His name," can find today some evidence of the love of God for lost souls. DDB2 202 5 We are not headlights; but we can be like the reflectors on bicycles that glow in the dark when even a little light shines on them. And you, one of earth's billions, can light someone's path today with that reflected light from the Sun of righteousness. Then when evening comes you can be happy! ------------------------Chapter 203--The Day the Whole World Died DDB2 203 1 There was a day when the whole world died, and we need to understand how and why it happened. We usually don't see it that way: we think only One man died on that Friday. Here's the story: "We judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died" (2 Cor. 5:14). How could this be? DDB2 203 2 The Son of God became man, "Immanuel, ... 'God with us'" (Matt. 1:23). DDB2 203 3 He took upon Himself our humanity, became one with us, even to the point of being "not ashamed to call [us] brethren, ... My brethren" (Heb. 2:11, 12, King James Version). DDB2 203 4 Back up a bit: the former head of the human race was Adam; his name is our name; we were all "in him" for he is the common ancestor of every human being in the world (1 Cor. 15:22); no one of us was born on the planet Mars, or of a non-human race. Because Adam sinned, "all have sinned [past tense of the Greek verb] and fall short [present tense] of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). "There is none righteous, no, not one" (vs. 10). DDB2 203 5 When the Son of God became incarnate, He fired Adam from his job of being head of the human race, and took over as the new Head of the human race. Paul describes the transaction as "the first man Adam" being in contrast with "the last Adam, ... the first man was of the earth, made of dust: the second Man is the Lord from heaven" (1 Cor. 15:45-47). DDB2 203 6 Thus when Christ died on His cross, He died as the "last Adam," the second Adam. He died the same death that God had warned Adam he would die, "In the day that you eat of it [the wrong tree] you shall surely die" (Gen. 2:17). That was not merely the sleep we all know--it was the real death, "the second death" (see Rev. 2:11). Christ didn't go to sleep for our sins, He "died for our sins" (1 Cor. 15:3). DDB2 203 7 As by nature we are all "in Adam," so now because our second Adam became one of us and died our death, we are "in Him" by virtue of His identity with us. This is why Paul could say that when "One died," then "all died." DDB2 203 8 You and I don't even begin to "live" in the truest joyous sense until we realize, appreciate, sense the gratitude, of how "I [am] crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith [of] the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). DDB2 203 9 Don't ever forget "the day" when you "died," for it is also the day when you began to live "in Him." ------------------------Chapter 204--Does the Lord Need Our Help? DDB2 204 1 Does the Lord need humans to do things that He wants done "on earth as it is in heaven"? DDB2 204 2 When we pray the Lord's prayer, we are confessing that His will be done "on earth as it is in heaven"; but who is to accomplish that? Angels are His "ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation" (Heb. 1:14). But their ministry is not to do things that those "who will inherit salvation" should do themselves. The Father's will never will be done "in earth as it is in heaven" until His own people get busy and do it. DDB2 204 3 A prayer that will always be answered is this: "Father in heaven, what do You want me to do?" It may be a phone call that you have shied away from; to make the call will require laying self aside! It may be a letter that you have been impressed that it is your duty to write; that too will require a denial of self. It may be a personal visit likewise that you need to make. DDB2 204 4 Welcome to the joyous thrill that is yours when you know you have done what the heavenly Father wants you to do. That means you have become a fellow-laborer with Him! DDB2 204 5 Can you think of a higher honor you could have but that--as the holy angels all step aside in deep respect as you do what the Father has appointed you to do? ------------------------Chapter 205--Do You Have Jesus on Board in Your Life? DDB2 205 1 Perfect love, which is agapein the New Testament, works a miracle in every human heart where it finds residence--it casts out anxiety and fear. This is stated in 1 John 4:17, 18: "Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." DDB2 205 2 That statement is like a stick of dynamite, yes, like a nuclear bomb. It blows all kinds of dust and cobwebs and confusion out of our minds. If you and I will let that special kind of love get into our hearts, the fear and anxiety that have shadowed us all our lives will be driven out. DDB2 205 3 Jesus is an example of no fear. Remember when His disciples were trying to keep their boat afloat in the Sea of Galilee the night the terrible storm swept waves over them and threatened to drown them all? They were actually terrified, for they cried out, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" (Mark 4:38). DDB2 205 4 Jesus was calm, unafraid. We read that "He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, 'Peace, be still!' And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, 'Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?'" (vss. 39, 40). When you are facing death as you are about to be drowned, is it wrong to be "fearful"? Jesus told them, Yes. Why? Because He was on board with them; and it is a sin to be afraid when you have Jesus on board. DDB2 205 5 Do you have Jesus on board in your little ship--your life? He won't force Himself on board, but if you invite Him, He will join you. Even if you are sinful, and unworthy, He tells us He came to save sinners, not the righteous. Have confidence in Him. Learn the lesson. Let the fear go! ------------------------Chapter 206--Two Lifestyles--What's the Difference? DDB2 206 1 You take your temperature when you think you have a fever, but can you take a self-test to see if you are living under the Old Covenant, or under the New? At Mount Sinai, ancient Israel voluntarily enslaved themselves under Old Covenant darkness that shadowed their history thereafter until finally they destroyed their nation and crucified their Messiah, the world's Redeemer. DDB2 206 2 What's the difference between the two lifestyles today? DDB2 206 3 Old Covenant living is constantly trying to do everything right, motivated by fear of the judgment, concerned because Christ has not already done all of this for you but is waiting for you to do something first that would make it possible for Him to do all this for you. DDB2 206 4 New Covenant living is believing the promises of God, rejoicing in the salvation already achieved for you, saying Thank You to God for saving you from the second death by the sacrifice of Christ's blood. It's realizing consciously that the bread you ate today is stamped with the cross of Christ, that every breath you draw is a gift of His much more abounding grace, that you're infinitely and eternally in debt to Him. It's reading Ephesians 1 and believing that you have been adopted into the family of God, thanks to something the Savior already did and not what you have ever done. DDB2 206 5 It's joyously, willingly, happily, surrendering yourself to follow Him in service today, counting not your life dear unto yourself, but gladly consecrating yourself to listen obediently to everything the Holy Spirit says to you, to "comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height--to know the agape-love of Christ, which passes knowledge" (Eph. 3:18, 19), the love that drove Him as far as hell to save you from hell. Yes, it's total obedience motivated by His abounding grace. ------------------------Chapter 207--The Hardest Step We've Ever Had to Take DDB2 207 1 You'd think it would be the easiest thing in the world to do--just believe, "God loves me." Actually, it's hard to believe, maybe the hardest step we've ever had to take. DDB2 207 2 People much wiser than I am say so. Paul says, "The carnal [natural] mind is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7). And yes, everybody has the problem for he also says that the whole world is alienated from God for he begs everybody, "Be reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20). He adds, there is "none" of us who "understands," who is naturally "at one" with God; we've every one of us strayed out of the path (Rom. 3:11-12). The father in Mark 9 burst into tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief" (vs. 24). He is us. DDB2 207 3 We're afraid to pray, "Lord, take charge of my life," for we think He will lead us where we won't be happy. Don't kid yourself into thinking you're naturally better than all the rest of us; you and I need to be changed from the inside out so we can be "reconciled to God." Then and only then can we pray without being a hypocrite, "Lord, please take charge of my life." You won't be afraid to let Him hold you by your hand as He has promised, "I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not’" (Isa. 41:13). DDB2 207 4 A very wise writer once wrote that we hesitate to consecrate ourselves to Him because we fear the consequences of a total surrender to Him. Deep down inside, there lurks that inarticulate idea that our Savior is Mr. Kill-joy. Ever since we were born some people have unconsciously taught us that--they didn't mean to do it but they did. DDB2 207 5 What to do? Take a day off for prayer. But if you think you're too busy, you can't, then take an hour. Yes, give Him an hour--alone. An hour, not five minutes. Kneel. Read a Psalm of David. Ask, seek, find. An hour--alone. Wait for Him. ------------------------Chapter 208-- DDB2 208 1 DDB2 208 2 DDB2 208 3 DDB2 208 4 DDB2 208 5 DDB2 208 6 DDB2 208 7 DDB2 208 8 DDB2 208 9 DDB2 208 10 ------------------------Chapter 209-- DDB2 209 1 DDB2 209 2 DDB2 209 3 DDB2 209 4 DDB2 209 5 DDB2 209 6 DDB2 209 7 DDB2 209 8 DDB2 209 9 DDB2 209 10 ------------------------Chapter 210-- DDB2 210 1 DDB2 210 2 DDB2 210 3 DDB2 210 4 DDB2 210 5 DDB2 210 6 DDB2 210 7 DDB2 210 8 DDB2 210 9 DDB2 210 10 ------------------------Chapter 211-- DDB2 211 1 DDB2 211 2 DDB2 211 3 DDB2 211 4 DDB2 211 5 DDB2 211 6 DDB2 211 7 DDB2 211 8 DDB2 211 9 DDB2 211 10 ------------------------Chapter 212-- DDB2 212 1 DDB2 212 2 DDB2 212 3 DDB2 212 4 DDB2 212 5 DDB2 212 6 DDB2 212 7 DDB2 212 8 DDB2 212 9 DDB2 212 10 ------------------------Chapter 213-- DDB2 213 1 DDB2 213 2 DDB2 213 3 DDB2 213 4 DDB2 213 5 DDB2 213 6 DDB2 213 7 DDB2 213 8 DDB2 213 9 DDB2 213 10 ------------------------Chapter 214-- DDB2 214 1 DDB2 214 2 DDB2 214 3 DDB2 214 4 DDB2 214 5 DDB2 214 6 DDB2 214 7 DDB2 214 8 DDB2 214 9 DDB2 214 10 ------------------------Chapter 215-- DDB2 215 1 DDB2 215 2 DDB2 215 3 DDB2 215 4 DDB2 215 5 DDB2 215 6 DDB2 215 7 DDB2 215 8 DDB2 215 9 DDB2 215 10 ------------------------Chapter 216-- DDB2 216 1 DDB2 216 2 DDB2 216 3 DDB2 216 4 DDB2 216 5 DDB2 216 6 DDB2 216 7 DDB2 216 8 DDB2 216 9 DDB2 216 10 ------------------------Chapter 217-- DDB2 217 1 DDB2 217 2 DDB2 217 3 DDB2 217 4 DDB2 217 5 DDB2 217 6 DDB2 217 7 DDB2 217 8 DDB2 217 9 DDB2 217 10 ------------------------Chapter 218-- DDB2 218 1 DDB2 218 2 DDB2 218 3 DDB2 218 4 DDB2 218 5 DDB2 218 6 DDB2 218 7 DDB2 218 8 DDB2 218 9 DDB2 218 10 ------------------------Chapter 219-- DDB2 219 1 DDB2 219 2 DDB2 219 3 DDB2 219 4 DDB2 219 5 DDB2 219 6 DDB2 219 7 DDB2 219 8 DDB2 219 9 DDB2 219 10 ------------------------Chapter 220-- DDB2 220 1 DDB2 220 2 DDB2 220 3 DDB2 220 4 DDB2 220 5 DDB2 220 6 DDB2 220 7 DDB2 220 8 DDB2 220 9 DDB2 220 10 ------------------------Chapter 221-- DDB2 221 1 DDB2 221 2 DDB2 221 3 DDB2 221 4 DDB2 221 5 DDB2 221 6 DDB2 221 7 DDB2 221 8 DDB2 221 9 DDB2 221 10 ------------------------Chapter 222-- DDB2 222 1 DDB2 222 2 DDB2 222 3 DDB2 222 4 DDB2 222 5 DDB2 222 6 DDB2 222 7 DDB2 222 8 DDB2 222 9 DDB2 222 10 ------------------------Chapter 223-- DDB2 223 1 DDB2 223 2 DDB2 223 3 DDB2 223 4 DDB2 223 5 DDB2 223 6 DDB2 223 7 DDB2 223 8 DDB2 223 9 DDB2 223 10 ------------------------Chapter 224-- DDB2 224 1 DDB2 224 2 DDB2 224 3 DDB2 224 4 DDB2 224 5 DDB2 224 6 DDB2 224 7 DDB2 224 8 DDB2 224 9 DDB2 224 10 ------------------------Chapter 225-- DDB2 225 1 DDB2 225 2 DDB2 225 3 DDB2 225 4 DDB2 225 5 DDB2 225 6 DDB2 225 7 DDB2 225 8 DDB2 225 9 DDB2 225 10 ------------------------Chapter 226-- DDB2 226 1 DDB2 226 2 DDB2 226 3 DDB2 226 4 DDB2 226 5 DDB2 226 6 DDB2 226 7 DDB2 226 8 DDB2 226 9 DDB2 226 10 ------------------------Chapter 227-- DDB2 227 1 DDB2 227 2 DDB2 227 3 DDB2 227 4 DDB2 227 5 DDB2 227 6 DDB2 227 7 DDB2 227 8 DDB2 227 9 DDB2 227 10 ------------------------Chapter 228-- DDB2 228 1 DDB2 228 2 DDB2 228 3 DDB2 228 4 DDB2 228 5 DDB2 228 6 DDB2 228 7 DDB2 228 8 DDB2 228 9 DDB2 228 10 ------------------------Chapter 229-- DDB2 229 1 DDB2 229 2 DDB2 229 3 DDB2 229 4 DDB2 229 5 DDB2 229 6 DDB2 229 7 DDB2 229 8 DDB2 229 9 DDB2 229 10 ------------------------Chapter 230-- DDB2 230 1 DDB2 230 2 DDB2 230 3 DDB2 230 4 DDB2 230 5 DDB2 230 6 DDB2 230 7 DDB2 230 8 DDB2 230 9 DDB2 230 10 ------------------------Chapter 231-- DDB2 231 1 DDB2 231 2 DDB2 231 3 DDB2 231 4 DDB2 231 5 DDB2 231 6 DDB2 231 7 DDB2 231 8 DDB2 231 9 DDB2 231 10 ------------------------Chapter 232-- DDB2 232 1 DDB2 232 2 DDB2 232 3 DDB2 232 4 DDB2 232 5 DDB2 232 6 DDB2 232 7 DDB2 232 8 DDB2 232 9 DDB2 232 10 ------------------------Chapter 233-- DDB2 233 1 DDB2 233 2 DDB2 233 3 DDB2 233 4 DDB2 233 5 DDB2 233 6 DDB2 233 7 DDB2 233 8 DDB2 233 9 DDB2 233 10 ------------------------Chapter 234-- DDB2 234 1 DDB2 234 2 DDB2 234 3 DDB2 234 4 DDB2 234 5 DDB2 234 6 DDB2 234 7 DDB2 234 8 DDB2 234 9 DDB2 234 10 ------------------------Chapter 235-- DDB2 235 1 DDB2 235 2 DDB2 235 3 DDB2 235 4 DDB2 235 5 DDB2 235 6 DDB2 235 7 DDB2 235 8 DDB2 235 9 DDB2 235 10 ------------------------Chapter 236-- DDB2 236 1 DDB2 236 2 DDB2 236 3 DDB2 236 4 DDB2 236 5 DDB2 236 6 DDB2 236 7 DDB2 236 8 DDB2 236 9 DDB2 236 10 ------------------------Chapter 237-- DDB2 237 1 DDB2 237 2 DDB2 237 3 DDB2 237 4 DDB2 237 5 DDB2 237 6 DDB2 237 7 DDB2 237 8 DDB2 237 9 DDB2 237 10 ------------------------Chapter 238-- DDB2 238 1 DDB2 238 2 DDB2 238 3 DDB2 238 4 DDB2 238 5 DDB2 238 6 DDB2 238 7 DDB2 238 8 DDB2 238 9 DDB2 238 10 ------------------------Chapter 239-- DDB2 239 1 DDB2 239 2 DDB2 239 3 DDB2 239 4 DDB2 239 5 DDB2 239 6 DDB2 239 7 DDB2 239 8 DDB2 239 9 DDB2 239 10 ------------------------Chapter 240-- DDB2 240 1 DDB2 240 2 DDB2 240 3 DDB2 240 4 DDB2 240 5 DDB2 240 6 DDB2 240 7 DDB2 240 8 DDB2 240 9 DDB2 240 10 ------------------------Chapter 241-- DDB2 241 1 DDB2 241 2 DDB2 241 3 DDB2 241 4 DDB2 241 5 DDB2 241 6 DDB2 241 7 DDB2 241 8 DDB2 241 9 DDB2 241 10 ------------------------Chapter 242-- DDB2 242 1 DDB2 242 2 DDB2 242 3 DDB2 242 4 DDB2 242 5 DDB2 242 6 DDB2 242 7 DDB2 242 8 DDB2 242 9 DDB2 242 10 ------------------------Chapter 243-- DDB2 243 1 DDB2 243 2 DDB2 243 3 DDB2 243 4 DDB2 243 5 DDB2 243 6 DDB2 243 7 DDB2 243 8 DDB2 243 9 DDB2 243 10 ------------------------Chapter 244-- DDB2 244 1 DDB2 244 2 DDB2 244 3 DDB2 244 4 DDB2 244 5 DDB2 244 6 DDB2 244 7 DDB2 244 8 DDB2 244 9 DDB2 244 10 ------------------------Chapter 245-- DDB2 245 1 DDB2 245 2 DDB2 245 3 DDB2 245 4 DDB2 245 5 DDB2 245 6 DDB2 245 7 DDB2 245 8 DDB2 245 9 DDB2 245 10 ------------------------Chapter 246-- DDB2 246 1 DDB2 246 2 DDB2 246 3 DDB2 246 4 DDB2 246 5 DDB2 246 6 DDB2 246 7 DDB2 246 8 DDB2 246 9 DDB2 246 10 ------------------------Chapter 247-- DDB2 247 1 DDB2 247 2 DDB2 247 3 DDB2 247 4 DDB2 247 5 DDB2 247 6 DDB2 247 7 DDB2 247 8 DDB2 247 9 DDB2 247 10 ------------------------Chapter 248-- DDB2 248 1 DDB2 248 2 DDB2 248 3 DDB2 248 4 DDB2 248 5 DDB2 248 6 DDB2 248 7 DDB2 248 8 DDB2 248 9 DDB2 248 10 ------------------------Chapter 249-- DDB2 249 1 DDB2 249 2 DDB2 249 3 DDB2 249 4 DDB2 249 5 DDB2 249 6 DDB2 249 7 DDB2 249 8 DDB2 249 9 DDB2 249 10 ------------------------Chapter 250-- DDB2 250 1 DDB2 250 2 DDB2 250 3 DDB2 250 4 DDB2 250 5 DDB2 250 6 DDB2 250 7 DDB2 250 8 DDB2 250 9 DDB2 250 10 ------------------------Chapter 251-- DDB2 251 1 DDB2 251 2 DDB2 251 3 DDB2 251 4 DDB2 251 5 DDB2 251 6 DDB2 251 7 DDB2 251 8 DDB2 251 9 DDB2 251 10 ------------------------Chapter 252-- DDB2 252 1 DDB2 252 2 DDB2 252 3 DDB2 252 4 DDB2 252 5 DDB2 252 6 DDB2 252 7 DDB2 252 8 DDB2 252 9 DDB2 252 10 ------------------------Chapter 253-- DDB2 253 1 DDB2 253 2 DDB2 253 3 DDB2 253 4 DDB2 253 5 DDB2 253 6 DDB2 253 7 DDB2 253 8 DDB2 253 9 DDB2 253 10 ------------------------Chapter 254-- DDB2 254 1 DDB2 254 2 DDB2 254 3 DDB2 254 4 DDB2 254 5 DDB2 254 6 DDB2 254 7 DDB2 254 8 DDB2 254 9 DDB2 254 ------------------------Chapter 255-- DDB2 255 1 DDB2 255 2 DDB2 255 3 DDB2 255 4 DDB2 255 5 DDB2 255 6 DDB2 255 7 DDB2 255 8 DDB2 255 9 DDB2 255 10 ------------------------Chapter 256-- DDB2 256 1 DDB2 256 2 DDB2 256 3 DDB2 256 4 DDB2 256 5 DDB2 256 6 DDB2 256 7 DDB2 256 8 DDB2 256 9 DDB2 256 10 ------------------------Chapter 257-- DDB2 257 1 DDB2 257 2 DDB2 257 3 DDB2 257 4 DDB2 257 5 DDB2 257 6 DDB2 257 7 DDB2 257 8 DDB2 257 9 DDB2 257 10 ------------------------Chapter 258-- DDB2 258 1 DDB2 258 2 DDB2 258 3 DDB2 258 4 DDB2 258 5 DDB2 258 6 DDB2 258 7 DDB2 258 8 DDB2 258 9 DDB2 258 10 ------------------------Chapter 259-- DDB2 259 1 DDB2 259 2 DDB2 259 3 DDB2 259 4 DDB2 259 5 DDB2 259 6 DDB2 259 7 DDB2 259 8 DDB2 259 9 DDB2 259 10 ------------------------Chapter 260-- DDB2 260 1 DDB2 260 2 DDB2 260 3 DDB2 260 4 DDB2 260 5 DDB2 260 6 DDB2 260 7 DDB2 260 8 DDB2 260 9 DDB2 260 10 ------------------------Chapter 261-- DDB2 261 1 DDB2 261 2 DDB2 261 3 DDB2 261 4 DDB2 261 5 DDB2 261 6 DDB2 261 7 DDB2 261 8 DDB2 261 9 DDB2 261 10 ------------------------Chapter 262-- DDB2 262 1 DDB2 262 2 DDB2 262 3 DDB2 262 4 DDB2 262 5 DDB2 262 6 DDB2 262 7 DDB2 262 8 DDB2 262 9 DDB2 262 10 ------------------------Chapter 263-- DDB2 263 1 DDB2 263 2 DDB2 263 3 DDB2 263 4 DDB2 263 5 DDB2 263 6 DDB2 263 7 DDB2 263 8 DDB2 263 9 DDB2 263 10 ------------------------Chapter 264-- DDB2 264 1 DDB2 264 2 DDB2 264 3 DDB2 264 4 DDB2 264 5 DDB2 264 6 DDB2 264 7 DDB2 264 8 DDB2 264 9 DDB2 264 10 ------------------------Chapter 265-- DDB2 265 1 DDB2 265 2 DDB2 265 3 DDB2 265 4 DDB2 265 5 DDB2 265 6 DDB2 265 7 DDB2 265 8 DDB2 265 9 DDB2 265 10 ------------------------Chapter 266-- DDB2 266 1 DDB2 266 2 DDB2 266 3 DDB2 266 4 DDB2 266 5 DDB2 266 6 DDB2 266 7 DDB2 266 8 DDB2 266 9 DDB2 266 10 ------------------------Chapter 267-- DDB2 267 1 DDB2 267 2 DDB2 267 3 DDB2 267 4 DDB2 267 5 DDB2 267 6 DDB2 267 7 DDB2 267 8 DDB2 267 9 DDB2 267 10 ------------------------Chapter 268-- DDB2 268 1 DDB2 268 2 DDB2 268 3 DDB2 268 4 DDB2 268 5 DDB2 268 6 DDB2 268 7 DDB2 268 8 DDB2 268 9 DDB2 268 10 ------------------------Chapter 269-- DDB2 269 1 DDB2 269 2 DDB2 269 3 DDB2 269 4 DDB2 269 5 DDB2 269 6 DDB2 269 7 DDB2 269 8 DDB2 269 9 DDB2 269 10 ------------------------Chapter 270-- DDB2 270 1 DDB2 270 2 DDB2 270 3 DDB2 270 4 DDB2 270 5 DDB2 270 6 DDB2 270 7 DDB2 270 8 DDB2 270 9 DDB2 270 10 ------------------------Chapter 271-- DDB2 271 1 DDB2 271 2 DDB2 271 3 DDB2 271 4 DDB2 271 5 DDB2 271 6 DDB2 271 7 DDB2 271 8 DDB2 271 9 DDB2 271 10 ------------------------Chapter 272-- DDB2 272 1 DDB2 272 2 DDB2 272 3 DDB2 272 4 DDB2 272 5 DDB2 272 6 DDB2 272 7 DDB2 272 8 DDB2 272 9 DDB2 272 10 ------------------------Chapter 273-- DDB2 273 1 DDB2 273 2 DDB2 273 3 DDB2 273 4 DDB2 273 5 DDB2 273 6 DDB2 273 7 DDB2 273 8 DDB2 273 9 DDB2 273 10 ------------------------Chapter 274-- DDB2 274 1 DDB2 274 2 DDB2 274 3 DDB2 274 4 DDB2 274 5 DDB2 274 6 DDB2 274 7 DDB2 274 8 DDB2 274 9 DDB2 274 10 ------------------------Chapter 275-- DDB2 275 1 DDB2 275 2 DDB2 275 3 DDB2 275 4 DDB2 275 5 DDB2 275 6 DDB2 275 7 DDB2 275 8 DDB2 275 9 DDB2 275 10 ------------------------Chapter 276-- DDB2 276 1 DDB2 276 2 DDB2 276 3 DDB2 276 4 DDB2 276 5 DDB2 276 6 DDB2 276 7 DDB2 276 8 DDB2 276 9 DDB2 276 10 ------------------------Chapter 277-- DDB2 277 1 DDB2 277 2 DDB2 277 3 DDB2 277 4 DDB2 277 5 DDB2 277 6 DDB2 277 7 DDB2 277 8 DDB2 277 9 DDB2 277 10 ------------------------Chapter 278-- DDB2 278 1 DDB2 278 2 DDB2 278 3 DDB2 278 4 DDB2 278 5 DDB2 278 6 DDB2 278 7 DDB2 278 8 DDB2 278 9 DDB2 278 10 ------------------------Chapter 279-- DDB2 279 1 DDB2 279 2 DDB2 279 3 DDB2 279 4 DDB2 279 5 DDB2 279 6 DDB2 279 7 DDB2 279 8 DDB2 279 9 DDB2 279 10 ------------------------Chapter 280-- DDB2 280 1 DDB2 280 2 DDB2 280 3 DDB2 280 4 DDB2 280 5 DDB2 280 6 DDB2 280 7 DDB2 280 8 DDB2 280 9 DDB2 280 10 ------------------------Chapter 281-- DDB2 281 1 DDB2 281 2 DDB2 281 3 DDB2 281 4 DDB2 281 5 DDB2 281 6 DDB2 281 7 DDB2 281 8 DDB2 281 9 DDB2 281 10 ------------------------Chapter 282-- DDB2 282 1 DDB2 282 2 DDB2 282 3 DDB2 282 4 DDB2 282 5 DDB2 282 6 DDB2 282 7 DDB2 282 8 DDB2 282 9 DDB2 282 10 ------------------------Chapter 283-- DDB2 283 1 DDB2 283 2 DDB2 283 3 DDB2 283 4 DDB2 283 5 DDB2 283 6 DDB2 283 7 DDB2 283 8 DDB2 283 9 DDB2 283 10 ------------------------Chapter 284-- DDB2 284 1 DDB2 284 2 DDB2 284 3 DDB2 284 4 DDB2 284 5 DDB2 284 6 DDB2 284 7 DDB2 284 8 DDB2 284 9 DDB2 284 10 ------------------------Chapter 285-- DDB2 285 1 DDB2 285 2 DDB2 285 3 DDB2 285 4 DDB2 285 5 DDB2 285 6 DDB2 285 7 DDB2 285 8 DDB2 285 9 DDB2 285 10 ------------------------Chapter 286-- DDB2 286 1 DDB2 286 2 DDB2 286 3 DDB2 286 4 DDB2 286 5 DDB2 286 6 DDB2 286 7 DDB2 286 8 DDB2 286 9 DDB2 286 10 ------------------------Chapter 287-- DDB2 287 1 DDB2 287 2 DDB2 287 3 DDB2 287 4 DDB2 287 5 DDB2 287 6 DDB2 287 7 DDB2 287 8 DDB2 287 9 DDB2 287 10 ------------------------Chapter 288-- DDB2 288 1 DDB2 288 2 DDB2 288 3 DDB2 288 4 DDB2 288 5 DDB2 288 6 DDB2 288 7 DDB2 288 8 DDB2 288 9 DDB2 288 10 ------------------------Chapter 289-- DDB2 289 1 DDB2 289 2 DDB2 289 3 DDB2 289 4 DDB2 289 5 DDB2 289 6 DDB2 289 7 DDB2 289 8 DDB2 289 9 DDB2 289 10 ------------------------Chapter 290-- DDB2 290 1 DDB2 290 2 DDB2 290 3 DDB2 290 4 DDB2 290 5 DDB2 290 6 DDB2 290 7 DDB2 290 8 DDB2 290 9 DDB2 290 10 ------------------------Chapter 291-- DDB2 291 1 DDB2 291 2 DDB2 291 3 DDB2 291 4 DDB2 291 5 DDB2 291 6 DDB2 291 7 DDB2 291 8 DDB2 291 9 DDB2 291 10 ------------------------Chapter 292-- DDB2 292 1 DDB2 292 2 DDB2 292 3 DDB2 292 4 DDB2 292 5 DDB2 292 6 DDB2 292 7 DDB2 292 8 DDB2 292 9 DDB2 292 10 ------------------------Chapter 293-- DDB2 293 1 DDB2 293 2 DDB2 293 3 DDB2 293 4 DDB2 293 5 DDB2 293 6 DDB2 293 7 DDB2 293 8 DDB2 293 9 DDB2 293 10 ------------------------Chapter 294-- DDB2 294 1 DDB2 294 2 DDB2 294 3 DDB2 294 4 DDB2 294 5 DDB2 294 6 DDB2 294 7 DDB2 294 8 DDB2 294 9 DDB2 294 10 ------------------------Chapter 295-- DDB2 295 1 DDB2 295 2 DDB2 295 3 DDB2 295 4 DDB2 295 5 DDB2 295 6 DDB2 295 7 DDB2 295 8 DDB2 295 9 DDB2 295 10 ------------------------Chapter 296-- DDB2 296 1 DDB2 296 2 DDB2 296 3 DDB2 296 4 DDB2 296 5 DDB2 296 6 DDB2 296 7 DDB2 296 8 DDB2 296 9 DDB2 296 10 ------------------------Chapter 297-- DDB2 297 1 DDB2 297 2 DDB2 297 3 DDB2 297 4 DDB2 297 5 DDB2 297 6 DDB2 297 7 DDB2 297 8 DDB2 297 9 DDB2 297 10 ------------------------Chapter 298-- DDB2 298 1 DDB2 298 2 DDB2 298 3 DDB2 298 4 DDB2 298 5 DDB2 298 6 DDB2 298 7 DDB2 298 8 DDB2 298 9 DDB2 298 10 ------------------------Chapter 299-- DDB2 299 1 DDB2 299 2 DDB2 299 3 DDB2 299 4 DDB2 299 5 DDB2 299 6 DDB2 299 7 DDB2 299 8 DDB2 299 9 DDB2 299 10 ------------------------Chapter 300-- DDB2 300 1 DDB2 300 2 DDB2 300 3 DDB2 300 4 DDB2 300 5 DDB2 300 6 DDB2 300 7 DDB2 300 8 DDB2 300 9 DDB2 300 10 ------------------------Chapter 301-- DDB2 301 1 DDB2 301 2 DDB2 301 3 DDB2 301 4 DDB2 301 5 DDB2 301 6 DDB2 301 7 DDB2 301 8 DDB2 301 9 DDB2 301 10 ------------------------Chapter 302-- DDB2 302 1 DDB2 302 2 DDB2 302 3 DDB2 302 4 DDB2 302 5 DDB2 302 6 DDB2 302 7 DDB2 302 8 DDB2 302 9 DDB2 302 10 ------------------------Chapter 303-- DDB2 303 1 DDB2 303 2 DDB2 303 3 DDB2 303 4 DDB2 303 5 DDB2 303 6 DDB2 303 7 DDB2 303 8 DDB2 303 9 DDB2 303 10 ------------------------Chapter 304-- DDB2 304 1 DDB2 304 2 DDB2 304 3 DDB2 304 4 DDB2 304 5 DDB2 304 6 DDB2 304 7 DDB2 304 8 DDB2 304 9 DDB2 304 10 ------------------------Chapter 305-- DDB2 305 1 DDB2 305 2 DDB2 305 3 DDB2 305 4 DDB2 305 5 DDB2 305 6 DDB2 305 7 DDB2 305 8 DDB2 305 9 DDB2 305 10 ------------------------Chapter 306-- DDB2 306 1 DDB2 306 2 DDB2 306 3 DDB2 306 4 DDB2 306 5 DDB2 306 6 DDB2 306 7 DDB2 306 8 DDB2 306 9 DDB2 306 10 ------------------------Chapter 307-- DDB2 307 1 DDB2 307 2 DDB2 307 3 DDB2 307 4 DDB2 307 5 DDB2 307 6 DDB2 307 7 DDB2 307 8 DDB2 307 9 DDB2 307 10 ------------------------Chapter 308-- DDB2 308 1 DDB2 308 2 DDB2 308 3 DDB2 308 4 DDB2 308 5 DDB2 308 6 DDB2 308 7 DDB2 308 8 DDB2 308 9 DDB2 308 10 ------------------------Chapter 309-- DDB2 309 1 DDB2 309 2 DDB2 309 3 DDB2 309 4 DDB2 309 5 DDB2 309 6 DDB2 309 7 DDB2 309 8 DDB2 309 9 DDB2 309 10 ------------------------Chapter 310-- DDB2 310 1 DDB2 310 2 DDB2 310 3 DDB2 310 4 DDB2 310 5 DDB2 310 6 DDB2 310 7 DDB2 310 8 DDB2 310 9 DDB2 310 10 ------------------------Chapter 311-- DDB2 311 1 DDB2 311 2 DDB2 311 3 DDB2 311 4 DDB2 311 5 DDB2 311 6 DDB2 311 7 DDB2 311 8 DDB2 311 9 DDB2 311 10 ------------------------Chapter 312-- DDB2 312 1 DDB2 312 2 DDB2 312 3 DDB2 312 4 DDB2 312 5 DDB2 312 6 DDB2 312 7 DDB2 312 8 DDB2 312 9 DDB2 312 10 ------------------------Chapter 313-- DDB2 313 1 DDB2 313 2 DDB2 313 3 DDB2 313 4 DDB2 313 5 DDB2 313 6 DDB2 313 7 DDB2 313 8 DDB2 313 9 DDB2 313 10 ------------------------Chapter 314-- DDB2 314 1 DDB2 314 2 DDB2 314 3 DDB2 314 4 DDB2 314 5 DDB2 314 6 DDB2 314 7 DDB2 314 8 DDB2 314 9 DDB2 314 10 ------------------------Chapter 315-- DDB2 315 1 DDB2 315 2 DDB2 315 3 DDB2 315 4 DDB2 315 5 DDB2 315 6 DDB2 315 7 DDB2 315 8 DDB2 315 9 DDB2 315 10 ------------------------Chapter 316-- DDB2 316 1 DDB2 316 2 DDB2 316 3 DDB2 316 4 DDB2 316 5 DDB2 316 6 DDB2 316 7 DDB2 316 8 DDB2 316 9 DDB2 316 10 ------------------------Chapter 317-- DDB2 317 1 DDB2 317 2 DDB2 317 3 DDB2 317 4 DDB2 317 5 DDB2 317 6 DDB2 317 7 DDB2 317 8 DDB2 317 9 DDB2 317 10 ------------------------Chapter 318-- DDB2 318 1 DDB2 318 2 DDB2 318 3 DDB2 318 4 DDB2 318 5 DDB2 318 6 DDB2 318 7 DDB2 318 8 DDB2 318 9 DDB2 318 10 ------------------------Chapter 319-- DDB2 319 1 DDB2 319 2 DDB2 319 3 DDB2 319 4 DDB2 319 5 DDB2 319 6 DDB2 319 7 DDB2 319 8 DDB2 319 9 DDB2 319 10 ------------------------Chapter 320-- DDB2 320 1 DDB2 320 2 DDB2 320 3 DDB2 320 4 DDB2 320 5 DDB2 320 6 DDB2 320 7 DDB2 320 8 DDB2 320 9 DDB2 320 10 ------------------------Chapter 321-- DDB2 321 1 DDB2 321 2 DDB2 321 3 DDB2 321 4 DDB2 321 5 DDB2 321 6 DDB2 321 7 DDB2 321 8 DDB2 321 9 DDB2 321 10 ------------------------Chapter 322-- DDB2 322 1 DDB2 322 2 DDB2 322 3 DDB2 322 4 DDB2 322 5 DDB2 322 6 DDB2 322 7 DDB2 322 8 DDB2 322 9 DDB2 322 10 ------------------------Chapter 323-- DDB2 323 1 DDB2 323 2 DDB2 323 3 DDB2 323 4 DDB2 323 5 DDB2 323 6 DDB2 323 7 DDB2 323 8 DDB2 323 9 DDB2 323 10 ------------------------Chapter 324-- DDB2 324 1 DDB2 324 2 DDB2 324 3 DDB2 324 4 DDB2 324 5 DDB2 324 6 DDB2 324 7 DDB2 324 8 DDB2 324 9 DDB2 324 10 ------------------------Chapter 325-- DDB2 325 1 DDB2 325 2 DDB2 325 3 DDB2 325 4 DDB2 325 5 DDB2 325 6 DDB2 325 7 DDB2 325 8 DDB2 325 9 DDB2 325 10 ------------------------Chapter 326-- DDB2 326 1 DDB2 326 2 DDB2 326 3 DDB2 326 4 DDB2 326 5 DDB2 326 6 DDB2 326 7 DDB2 326 8 DDB2 326 9 DDB2 326 10 ------------------------Chapter 327-- DDB2 327 1 DDB2 327 2 DDB2 327 3 DDB2 327 4 DDB2 327 5 DDB2 327 6 DDB2 327 7 DDB2 327 8 DDB2 327 9 DDB2 327 10 ------------------------Chapter 328-- DDB2 328 1 DDB2 328 2 DDB2 328 3 DDB2 328 4 DDB2 328 5 DDB2 328 6 DDB2 328 7 DDB2 328 8 DDB2 328 9 DDB2 328 10 ------------------------Chapter 329-- DDB2 329 1 DDB2 329 2 DDB2 329 3 DDB2 329 4 DDB2 329 5 DDB2 329 6 DDB2 329 7 DDB2 329 8 DDB2 329 9 DDB2 329 10 ------------------------Chapter 330-- DDB2 330 1 DDB2 330 2 DDB2 330 3 DDB2 330 4 DDB2 330 5 DDB2 330 6 DDB2 330 7 DDB2 330 8 DDB2 330 9 DDB2 330 10 ------------------------Chapter 331-- DDB2 331 1 DDB2 331 2 DDB2 331 3 DDB2 331 4 DDB2 331 5 DDB2 331 6 DDB2 331 7 DDB2 331 8 DDB2 331 9 DDB2 331 10 ------------------------Chapter 332-- DDB2 332 1 DDB2 332 2 DDB2 332 3 DDB2 332 4 DDB2 332 5 DDB2 332 6 DDB2 332 7 DDB2 332 8 DDB2 332 9 DDB2 332 10 ------------------------Chapter 333-- DDB2 333 1 DDB2 333 2 DDB2 333 3 DDB2 333 4 DDB2 333 5 DDB2 333 6 DDB2 333 7 DDB2 333 8 DDB2 333 9 DDB2 333 10 ------------------------Chapter 334-- DDB2 334 1 DDB2 334 2 DDB2 334 3 DDB2 334 4 DDB2 334 5 DDB2 334 6 DDB2 334 7 DDB2 334 8 DDB2 334 9 DDB2 334 10 ------------------------Chapter 335-- DDB2 335 1 DDB2 335 2 DDB2 335 3 DDB2 335 4 DDB2 335 5 DDB2 335 6 DDB2 335 7 DDB2 335 8 DDB2 335 9 DDB2 335 10 ------------------------Chapter 336-- DDB2 336 1 DDB2 336 2 DDB2 336 3 DDB2 336 4 DDB2 336 5 DDB2 336 6 DDB2 336 7 DDB2 336 8 DDB2 336 9 DDB2 336 10 ------------------------Chapter 337-- DDB2 337 1 DDB2 337 2 DDB2 337 3 DDB2 337 4 DDB2 337 5 DDB2 337 6 DDB2 337 7 DDB2 337 8 DDB2 337 9 DDB2 337 10 ------------------------Chapter 338-- DDB2 338 1 DDB2 338 2 DDB2 338 3 DDB2 338 4 DDB2 338 5 DDB2 338 6 DDB2 338 7 DDB2 338 8 DDB2 338 9 DDB2 338 10 ------------------------Chapter 339-- DDB2 339 1 DDB2 339 2 DDB2 339 3 DDB2 339 4 DDB2 339 5 DDB2 339 6 DDB2 339 7 DDB2 339 8 DDB2 339 9 DDB2 339 10 ------------------------Chapter 340-- DDB2 340 1 DDB2 340 2 DDB2 340 3 DDB2 340 4 DDB2 340 5 DDB2 340 6 DDB2 340 7 DDB2 340 8 DDB2 340 9 DDB2 340 10 ------------------------Chapter 341-- DDB2 341 1 DDB2 341 2 DDB2 341 3 DDB2 341 4 DDB2 341 5 DDB2 341 6 DDB2 341 7 DDB2 341 8 DDB2 341 9 DDB2 341 10 ------------------------Chapter 342-- DDB2 342 1 DDB2 342 2 DDB2 342 3 DDB2 342 4 DDB2 342 5 DDB2 342 6 DDB2 342 7 DDB2 342 8 DDB2 342 9 DDB2 342 10 ------------------------Chapter 343-- DDB2 343 1 DDB2 343 2 DDB2 343 3 DDB2 343 4 DDB2 343 5 DDB2 343 6 DDB2 343 7 DDB2 343 8 DDB2 343 9 DDB2 343 10 ------------------------Chapter 344-- DDB2 344 1 DDB2 344 2 DDB2 344 3 DDB2 344 4 DDB2 344 5 DDB2 344 6 DDB2 344 7 DDB2 344 8 DDB2 344 9 DDB2 344 10 ------------------------Chapter 345-- DDB2 345 1 DDB2 345 2 DDB2 345 3 DDB2 345 4 DDB2 345 5 DDB2 345 6 DDB2 345 7 DDB2 345 8 DDB2 345 9 DDB2 345 10 ------------------------Chapter 346-- DDB2 346 1 DDB2 346 2 DDB2 346 3 DDB2 346 4 DDB2 346 5 DDB2 346 6 DDB2 346 7 DDB2 346 8 DDB2 346 9 DDB2 346 10 ------------------------Chapter 347-- DDB2 347 1 DDB2 347 2 DDB2 347 3 DDB2 347 4 DDB2 347 5 DDB2 347 6 DDB2 347 7 DDB2 347 8 DDB2 347 9 DDB2 347 10 ------------------------Chapter 348-- DDB2 348 1 DDB2 348 2 DDB2 348 3 DDB2 348 4 DDB2 348 5 DDB2 348 6 DDB2 348 7 DDB2 348 8 DDB2 348 9 DDB2 348 10 ------------------------Chapter 349-- DDB2 349 1 DDB2 349 2 DDB2 349 3 DDB2 349 4 DDB2 349 5 DDB2 349 6 DDB2 349 7 DDB2 349 8 DDB2 349 9 DDB2 349 10 ------------------------Chapter 350-- DDB2 350 1 DDB2 350 2 DDB2 350 3 DDB2 350 4 DDB2 350 5 DDB2 350 6 DDB2 350 7 DDB2 350 8 DDB2 350 9 DDB2 350 10 ------------------------Chapter 351-- DDB2 351 1 DDB2 351 2 DDB2 351 3 DDB2 351 4 DDB2 351 5 DDB2 351 6 DDB2 351 7 DDB2 351 8 DDB2 351 9 DDB2 351 10 ------------------------Chapter 352-- DDB2 352 1 DDB2 352 2 DDB2 352 3 DDB2 352 4 DDB2 352 5 DDB2 352 6 DDB2 352 7 DDB2 352 8 DDB2 352 9 DDB2 352 10 ------------------------Chapter 353-- DDB2 353 1 DDB2 353 2 DDB2 353 3 DDB2 353 4 DDB2 353 5 DDB2 353 6 DDB2 353 7 DDB2 353 8 DDB2 353 9 DDB2 353 10 ------------------------Chapter 354-- DDB2 354 1 DDB2 354 2 DDB2 354 3 DDB2 354 4 DDB2 354 5 DDB2 354 6 DDB2 354 7 DDB2 354 8 DDB2 354 9 DDB2 354 ------------------------Chapter 355-- DDB2 355 1 DDB2 355 2 DDB2 355 3 DDB2 355 4 DDB2 355 5 DDB2 355 6 DDB2 355 7 DDB2 355 8 DDB2 355 9 DDB2 355 10 ------------------------Chapter 356-- DDB2 356 1 DDB2 356 2 DDB2 356 3 DDB2 356 4 DDB2 356 5 DDB2 356 6 DDB2 356 7 DDB2 356 8 DDB2 356 9 DDB2 356 10 ------------------------Chapter 357-- DDB2 357 1 DDB2 357 2 DDB2 357 3 DDB2 357 4 DDB2 357 5 DDB2 357 6 DDB2 357 7 DDB2 357 8 DDB2 357 9 DDB2 357 10 ------------------------Chapter 358-- DDB2 358 1 DDB2 358 2 DDB2 358 3 DDB2 358 4 DDB2 358 5 DDB2 358 6 DDB2 358 7 DDB2 358 8 DDB2 358 9 DDB2 358 10 ------------------------Chapter 359-- DDB2 359 1 DDB2 359 2 DDB2 359 3 DDB2 359 4 DDB2 359 5 DDB2 359 6 DDB2 359 7 DDB2 359 8 DDB2 359 9 DDB2 359 10 ------------------------Chapter 360-- DDB2 360 1 DDB2 360 2 DDB2 360 3 DDB2 360 4 DDB2 360 5 DDB2 360 6 DDB2 360 7 DDB2 360 8 DDB2 360 9 DDB2 360 10 ------------------------Chapter 361-- DDB2 361 1 DDB2 361 2 DDB2 361 3 DDB2 361 4 DDB2 361 5 DDB2 361 6 DDB2 361 7 DDB2 361 8 DDB2 361 9 DDB2 361 10 ------------------------Chapter 362-- DDB2 362 1 DDB2 362 2 DDB2 362 3 DDB2 362 4 DDB2 362 5 DDB2 362 6 DDB2 362 7 DDB2 362 8 DDB2 362 9 DDB2 362 10 ------------------------Chapter 363-- DDB2 363 1 DDB2 363 2 DDB2 363 3 DDB2 363 4 DDB2 363 5 DDB2 363 6 DDB2 363 7 DDB2 363 8 DDB2 363 9 DDB2 363 10 ------------------------Chapter 364-- DDB2 364 1 DDB2 364 2 DDB2 364 3 DDB2 364 4 DDB2 364 5 DDB2 364 6 DDB2 364 7 DDB2 364 8 DDB2 364 9 DDB2 364 10 ------------------------Chapter 365-- DDB2 365 1 DDB2 365 2 DDB2 365 3 DDB2 365 4 DDB2 365 5 DDB2 365 6 DDB2 365 7 DDB2 365 8 DDB2 365 9 DDB2 365 10