Zechariah 14
Tribulation described verse 1- 2
BEHOLD – the day of the LORD comes
and your spoil shall be divided in the midst of you
FOR I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle
and the city shall be taken – and the houses rifled
and the women ravished
and half of the city shall go forth into captivity
and the residue of the people
shall not be cut off from the city
Second Triumphant entry of Jesus Christ verse 3- 5
THEN shall the LORD go forth – and fight against the nations
AS when HE fought in the day of battle
And HIS feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives
which is before Jerusalem on the east
and the mount of Olives shall cleave
in the midst thereof toward
the east and toward the west
AND there shall be a very great valley
and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north
and half of it toward the south
And you shall flee to the valley of the mountains
FOR the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal
YEA – you shall flee
like as you fled from before the earthquake
in the days of Uzziah – king of Judah
AND the LORD my God shall come – and all the saints with you
Christ is the light during the Millennium verse 6- 7
AND it shall come to pass IN THAT DAY
that the light shall not be clear – nor dark
BUT it be one day which shall be known to the LORD
not day – nor night – BUT it shall come to pass
that at evening time it shall be light
Christ is the living water verse 8
AND it shall be IN THAT DAY
that LIVING WATER shall go out from Jerusalem
half of them toward the former sea
and half of them toward the hinder sea
in summer and in winter shall it be
Christ will be the only king in Millennium verse 9
AND the LORD shall be king over all the earth
IN THAT DAY shall there be ONE LORD
and HIS name ONE
Christ will make Jerusalem safe forever verse 10- 11
All the land shall be turned
as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem
and it shall be lifted up
and inhabited in her place
from Benjamin’s gate to the place of the first gate
to the corner gate
and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses
And men shall dwell in it
and there shall be no more utter destruction
BUT Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited
Christ will deal with all enemies verse 12- 15
And this shall be the plague wherewith
the LORD will smite all the people that
have fought against Jerusalem
Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet
and their eyes shall consume away in their holes
and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth
AND it shall come to pass IN THAT DAY
that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them
and they shall lay hold everyone
on the hand of his neighbor
and his hand shall rise up against
the hand of his neighbor
AND Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem
and the wealth of all the heathen
round about shall be gathered together
gold – silver – apparel in great abundance
AND so shall be the plague of horse – mule – camel – ass
and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents as this plague
All nations will worship in Jerusalem verse 16- 19
And it shall come to pass
that every one that is left of all the nations
which came against Jerusalem
shall even go up from year to year
to worship the KING
the LORD of hosts – and to keep the feast of tabernacles
AND it shall be
that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth
unto Jerusalem to worship the KING
the LORD of hosts
EVEN upon them shall be NO RAIN
AND if the family of Egypt go not up
and come not – that have NO RAIN
there shall be the plague
wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen
that come not up
to keep the feast of tabernacles
This shall be the punishment of Egypt
and the punishment of all nations that come not up
to keep the feast of tabernacles
Worship described in the Millennium verse 20- 21
IN THAT DAY shall there be upon the bells of the horses
HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD
And the pots in the LORD’S house shall be
like the bowls before the altar
YEA – every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah
shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts
and all they that sacrifice
shall come and take of them
and seethe therein
AND IN THAT DAY there shall be no more the Canaanite
in the house of the LORD of hosts
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 5 And you shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal: yea, you shall flee, like as you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with you. (6918 “saints” [qadosh] means set apart, holy, a person who is morally pure, consecrated, or sacred.)
DEVOTION: The return of the LORD at the end of the Tribulation time period is going to happen. It is stated when Christ ascended into heaven in front of HIS disciples on the mount of Olives that HE would come back someday the same way HE left. It was a promise. The angels knew this much about the future plans of the LORD.
We are also told that the saints would return with HIM. Which saints can cause some serious study of the Word of God. Remember there are three types of saints discussed in Scripture: Old Testament saints, New Testament saints and Tribulation saints. It is thought that these will be the New Testament saints returning with the LORD. It could be a combination of saints. We will find out one day.
What we have to understand is that this is going to happen. The angels knew it was going to happen. Christ knew it was going to happen. The LORD revealed to the Old Testament prophets that it was going to happen.
CHALLENGE: Our goal is to be prepared when HE calls us. We should be saying “Even so come LORD Jesus.”
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, not night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. (3045 “known” [yada] means notice, hear of, reveal, to be or become ascertained with certainty, or perceive.)
DEVOTION: In Revelation 21: 23 we read “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” Here we have a confirmation that what Zechariah is given as true is given again in the book of Revelation.
The LORD is going to be the light for the city of Jerusalem. There is going to be no darkness during the reign of Christ. There is always light. Jesus described HIMSELF while HE was on the earth in HIS first coming as the “Light of the World.”
HE is the only light that we need to see our way into eternal life with God in heaven. The Holy Spirit illumines us to understand the Word of God, so that, we can teach others that we are walking in the light.
There is going to be no evenings that are dark during the Millennial Reign of Christ. No darkness. Darkness is what those without Christ are walking in right now. They are like dead men/women walking. They can’t find the right way because they are not turning to the LORD who is the only way to the Father.
Remember only the LORD knows when the trumpet will sound for those who are believers to join the LORD in the air with all the rest of the New Testament saints.
CHALLENGE: We need to be working and listening!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. (259 “one” [‘echad] means each, every, certain, only, once, once for all, or first.)
DEVOTION: This chapter is a picture of the end of the Tribulation. All the armies of the Antichrist will come against Jerusalem to destroy it. As this is happening the LORD will return and cause an earthquake that will divide the mount of Olives in half. HE will come to defeat all the enemies of Israel. They will be defeated.
The LORD will be the Light in the city of Jerusalem. The LORD will send LIVING WATER throughout the land. The LORD will be KING over ALL the earth.
There is a time in the future that there will be only the LORD as the GOD to be worshipped. All the false gods will be gone. They will not be worshipped. Their names will not be remembered. There will be “no other name under heaven.” HIS will be the ONLY one.
This speaks of unity and uniqueness. This speaks of everyone worshiping the ONE true God alone. The LORD knows the future. The LORD predicted the future. The predictions of the LORD are going to come to pass IN THAT DAY.
Those who teach that the LORD doesn’t know the future are lying to themselves and others. It is sad that the church has individuals who teach this false doctrine. It is sad that they don’t trust the Word of God to be the truth. It is sad that many in the church are trying to please them and not speak out against them.
Our people are confused enough without “Evangelicals” being divided over this truth. These evangelicals need to change their beliefs or change their identification. We need everyone to be believers in the Omniscience of God.
The future has a Millennial kingdom coming that will manifest the LORD as the only true RULER. People will come from every nation to celebrate the feast of Tabernacles. All those who chose to not worship HIM will be without rain. Those who chose not to worship HIM have plagues come to their land.
This is to inform us that there are people who will be born during the thousand years that will not follow the LORD. They will have no devil to tempt them. They will have the perfect ruler ruling the whole world. So the world and the devil are out of the picture. The only area left to tempt people is the flesh. During this time period there will be those who will yield to the flesh and not worship the LORD.
We need to be prepared to face the future with the hope and assurance that the LORD is working HIS plan. Our responsibility before we leave this world is to reach all those in our world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
CHALLENGE: If we believe that there is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ – are we telling others about HIM? If not, we need to check our belief!!
________________________________________________
: 20 IN that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD’S house shall be like the bowls before the altar. (6944 “HOLINESS” [qodesh] means sanctuary, apartness, sacredness, dedicated, hallowed, consecrated, separateness, what is holy, pure, or separated.)
DEVOTION: The future is very prevalent in this minor prophet. He has many visions regarding the future. He sees things that others only wish they had seen regarding the future.
We are told in the Bible that the angels don’t know the future. They are watching what is happening as it happens. We are watching things as they happen. The LORD has chosen a group of individuals to see visions of the future to let us know that HE has a plan and is working HIS plan.
The scribes in Herod’s court knew where to look for the birth of the Messiah. The prophet Isaiah went into the presence of the LORD and realized he was a sinner who shouldn’t even be in the presence of the LORD but found out that his sins could be forgiven. He gave us the prophecies regarding the Messiah being a suffering servant first. The Pharisees looked right over this fact and thought that the Messiah would come as a king at HIS first coming. They were wrong.
We need to understand that Christ has already come as the suffering servant now HE is going to come as the King of Kings and LORD of LORDS. HE is going to ride the white horse with bells on it to announce the fact that HE is the PURE coming King.
This book of Zechariah has so much to understand about the future in it that it would take many sermons to help us understand all of the facts. The future is SURE.
We need to share these facts with confidence with those who have questions about the LORD and the future. We need to answer all the questions that new believers ask about our future hope with Christ.
Worship is going to be happening throughout eternity. There will be other activities during our time with the LORD. The Bible doesn’t explain all of them but there are going to be responsibilities even in heaven for each of us.
CHALLENGE: Live a separated life unto the LORD today. We are a holy people called by a holy God to serve HIM with our whole body, soul and spirit.
__________________________________________________________
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration ( Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Worship the King verse 17
Feast of Tabernacles verse 20
Altar verse 20
Pot verse 21
Sacrifice verse 21
House of the LORD of host verse 21
_________________________________________________________________
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 13, 16- 18, 20, 21
LORD my God verse 5
LORD of hosts verse 17, 21
Control of nature verse 18
HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD verse 20
Holiness to the LORD of hosts verse 21
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
King verse 9, 16, 17
One LORD verse 9
HIS name ONE verse 9
LORD of hosts verse 16, 17
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name) verse 5
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
All nations verse 2, 3, 16, 19
Neighbor verse 13
Heathen verse 14, 18
Family of Egypt verse 18
Punishment of Egypt verse 19
Canaanite verse 21
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Heathen verse 14, 18
Not worship verse 18
Punishment verse 19
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Saints verse 5
Living water verse 8
Safety verse 11
Wealth verse 14
Worship verse 16, 17
Sacrifice to the LORD verse 21
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jerusalem verse 2, 4, 8, 10- 12, 14, 16, 21
Mount of Olives verse 4
Azal verse 5
Uzziah – king of Judah verse 5
Judah verse 5, 14, 21
Living waters verse 8
Plain from Geba to Rimmon verse 10
Benjamin gate verse 10
First gate verse 10
Corner gate verse 10
Tower of Hananeel verse 10
King’s winepresses verse 10
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Day of the LORD verse 1
Day of battle verse 3
In that day verse 6, 8, 9, 20, 21
Bells on the horse “Holiness to the LORD” verse 20
_________________________________________________________________
DONATIONS:
Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org. Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method. Thank you.
_______________________________________________________________
QUOTES regarding passage
7705 קָדוֹשׁ (qā·ḏôš): adj.; ≡ Str 6918; TWOT 1990b—1. LN 88.24–88.35 holy, i.e., pertaining to being unique and pure in the sense of superior moral qualities and possessing certain essential divine qualities in contrast with what is human (Lev 11:44); 2. LN 53.44–53.52 sacred, consecrated, i.e., pertaining to what is dedicated in service to God (Nu 6:8); 3. LN 11.12–11.54 saints, God’s people, i.e., persons who belong to God, and as such constitute a religious entity (Ps 16:3; 34:10); 4. LN 12.1–12.42 holy one, i.e., a supernatural being that is not God (Da 8:13); 5. LN 12.1–12.42 Holy One, i.e., a title of God (Ps 22:4), note: further study may yield more domains (Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.)
____________________________________________________________
qadosh (קָדוֹשׁ, 6918), “holy.” The Semitic languages have two separate original forms of the root. The one signifies “pure” and “devoted,” as in Akkadian qadistu and in Hebrew qadec, “holy.” The word describes something or someone. The other signifies “holiness” as a situation or as an abstract, as in Arabic al-qaddus “the most holy or most pure.” In Hebrew the verb qadash and the word qadesh combine both elements: the descriptive and the static. The traditional understanding of “separated” is only a derived meaning, and not the primary.
Qadosh is prominent in the Pentateuch, poetic and prophetic writings, and rare in the historical books. The first of its 116 occurrences is in Exod. 19:16: “And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.”
In the Old Testament qadosh has a strongly religious connotation. In one sense the word describes an object or place or day to be “holy” with the meaning of “devoted” or “dedicated” to a particular purpose: “And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel …” (Num. 5:17). Particularly the sabbath day is “devoted” as a day of rest: “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord …” (Isa. 58:13-14). The prescription is based on Gen. 2:3 where the Lord “sanctified,” or “dedicated,” the sabbath.
God has dedicated Israel as His people. They are “holy” by their relationship to the “holy” God. All of the people are in a sense “holy,” as members of the covenant community, irrespective of their faith and obedience: “And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord?” (Num. 16:3). God’s intent was to use this “holy” nation as a “holy,” royal priesthood amongst the nations (Exod. 19:6). Based on the intimate nature of the relationship, God expected His people to live up to His “holy” expectations and, thus, to demonstrate that they were a “holy nation”: “And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine” (Lev. 20:26).
The priests were chosen to officiate at the Holy Place of the tabernacle/temple. Because of their function as intermediaries between God and Israel and because of their proximity to the temple, they were dedicated by God to the office of priest: “They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy. They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God. Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee: for I the Lord, which sanctify you, am holy” (Lev. 21:6-8). Aaron as the high priest was “the holy one of the Lord (Ps. 106:16, nasb).
The Old Testament clearly and emphatically teaches that God is “holy.” He is “the Holy One of Israel” (Isa. 1:4), the “holy God” (Isa. 5:16), and “the Holy One” (Isa. 40:25). His name is “Holy”: “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isa. 57:15). The negative statement, “There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none besides thee: neither is there any rock like our God” (1 Sam. 2:2), explains that He is most “holy” and that no one is as “holy” as He is. Also the angels in the heavenly entourage are “holy”: “And the valley of my mountains shall be stopped up, for the valley of the mountains shall touch the side of it; and you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord your God will come, and all the holy ones [kjv, “saints”] with him” (Zech. 14:5, rsv). The seraphim proclaimed to each other the holiness of God: “And one cried unto another, and said, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isa. 6:3).
In the Septuagint the word hagios (“holy”) stands for the Hebrew qadosh. (Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Vol. 1, pp. 113–114). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson.)
_______________________________________________________________
14:4–5. After affirming the fact of Messiah’s military intervention, Zechariah explained the details of its accomplishment. It will begin with the personal appearance of the Messiah when His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, the very place from which He ascended (Acts 1:11–12). Interestingly God’s glory in Ezekiel’s vision (Ezek. 11:23) departed from Jerusalem at a mountain east of Jerusalem. The apparent earthquake which will split the Mount of Olives … in two from east to west seems to be a direct intervention by the divine King. It will form a great valley eastward from Jerusalem as far as Azel, an unknown location, through which the remnant of Jews will flee. This may be the Valley of Jehoshaphat, spoken of by Joel, where God will judge the Gentiles (see comments on Joel 3:2, 12). The Lord will call the valley My mountain valley.
The earthquake in the days of Uzziah is mentioned in Amos 1:1 but not in the historical books. Josephus regarded it as a divine judgment on Uzziah for his intrusion into the temple to assume the priest’s function (2 Chron. 26:16). When the Lord returns He will be accompanied by all the holy ones, probably angels as well as the souls of the redeemed (cf. 1 Thes. 3:13). (Lindsey, F. D. (1985). Zechariah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1570). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
____________________________________________________________
The Lord will visibly appear (Zech. 14:3–7). Our Lord ascended to heaven from the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:9–12), and when He returns to earth, He will stand on the Mount of Olives and cause a great earthquake to change the terrain (Isa. 29:6; Rev. 16:18–19). This will create a new valley that will provide an escape route for many of the people. There will also be changes in the heavens so that the day will be neither light nor darkness, morning nor evening (see Isa. 60:19–20).
“The Lord is a man of war,” sang the Jews after they were delivered from Egypt (Ex. 15:3), but this aspect of Christ’s character and ministry is ignored, if not opposed, by people today. In their quest for world peace, some denominations have removed the “militant songs” from their hymnals, so that a new generation is growing up knowing nothing about “fighting the good fight of faith” or worshiping a Savior who will one day meet the nations of the world in battle (Rev. 19:11–21).
Before the nation entered the Promised Land, Moses promised them that the Lord would fight for them (Deut. 1:30; 3:22). “Who is the King of glory?” asked David; and his answer was, “The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle” (Ps. 24:8). Isaiah announced, “The Lord will march out like a mighty man, like a warrior He will stir up His zeal; with a shout He will raise the battle cry and will triumph over His enemies” (Isa. 42:13, niv). Our God has been long-suffering toward the nations, but one day He will meet them in battle and triumph over them. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1997). Be heroic (pp. 145–146). Colorado Springs, CO: ChariotVictor Pub.)
____________________________________________________________
Ver. 5. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains, &c.] To seek for shelter and safety in them, for fear of the Lord, and the glory of his majesty, whom every eye shall see, Isa. 2:19; Rev. 1:7: for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal; a name of a place not known; it may be thought to be at some considerable distance: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah; two years before which Amos prophesied, Amos 1:1 and which, according to Josephus, was at the time when King Uzziah was stricken with a leprosy for invading the priest’s office; when, as he says, at a place before the city called Eroge, half-part of the mountain towards the west was broken, and rolled four furlongs towards the eastern part, and there stood; so that the ways were stopped up to the king’s gardens: and the Lord my God shall come; the Lord Jesus Christ, who is truly God, and the God of his people; and who will appear to be so at his second coming, which is here meant, by raising the dead, gathering all nations before him, and separating them; by bringing to light all secret and hidden things; judging the whole world, and executing the sentence on them; and particularly by taking his own people to himself: and all the saints with thee: the Targum, and the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, read, with him; meaning either the holy angels; so Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and Ben Melech; who will attend him partly for the glory of his majesty, and partly for terror to the wicked, and also for service; or rather glorified saints, the spirits of just men made perfect, whom Christ will bring with him to be united to their bodies, which will now be raised, and to be with him in the new heavens and new earth, which will now be formed, and to be presented to him, and dwell with him, during the thousand years. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 6, p. 746). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
__________________________________________________________
FROM MY READING:
Christ ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives – precisely the place where the Shekinah glory of God departed from the temple (Ezek. 11: 23) and where Christ will return in glory (as prophesied in Zechariah 14: 4). (May 6, Living the New Testament by Paul Enns)
____________________________________________________________
TOZERSPEAKS by A. W. Tozer
The Bible Teaches us that the genuine gifts of the Holy Spirit are a necessity in the spiritual life and ministries fo every Christian congregation serious about glorifying Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. (p. 432)
Now that is a conclusion that may not give much encouragement to the critical and restless ones who seem to be found in nearly every Christian fellowship – apparently just perched and ready to fly away to more spiritual pastures as soon as they can locate a perfect congregation made up of perfect people and led by a perfect minister! (p. 433)
It is just as plain in Bible teaching that the church, the Body of Christ, must get its life and control and direction from its living head, Jesus Christ our Lord! (435)
Where the wise and gentle Spirit of God is in control, believers ought to exhibit genuine discernment. In some “gifted” circles today, there is an almost total lack of spiritual discernment and a credulity beyond belief, revealed in many splits and divisions, acceptance of immature child preachers, and the use of a kind of gospel “rock and roll” music long before Elvis Presley. (p. 438)
Therefore, He does all of His work on earth through humble and faithful believers who are given spiritual gifts and abilities beyond their own capacities. (p 440)
________________________________________________________________
Old Testament WORDS for Today by Warren W. Wiersbe
What HE does may not seem good to us at the time, but if God does it, it is good – even Paul’s thorn in the flesh (2 Cor. 12: 7-10). (p. 94)
Whenever Israel forgot who they were and what God had done for them, they lapsed into sin and paid dearly for their disobedience. Every local church should have an annual “Heritage Sunday” and review the church’s history to educate new members and remind everyone what God has done. To lose your history is to lose your identity. (p. 95)
If athletic teams can learn to be better players by reviewing replays of their games, can’t we review the past and become better Christians? (p. 95)
________________________________________________________________
WHY it’s hard to love JESUS by Joseph M. Stowell
Her [women in Luke 7] selfless attitude is rare in our self-worshiping, self-absorbed culture. Satisfying flesh-borne desires of wealth and happiness makes it not just hard to love Jesis, but impossible. We let our motives get skewed by the world’s influence. Too often we are motivated to give so that we might be blessed. Too often we choose to serve out of a sense of duty or to keep a clear conscience. That’s what the Pharisees did. Instead, genuine love is expressed to Jesus and Jesus alone. (p.69)
___________________________________________________________
On one occasion President Clinton invited her (Mother Theresa) to speak at the prayer breakfast held annually in Washington, D. C. The room swelled with dignitaries, including the Clintons and the Gores. Her tiny frame, clothed in a simple cotton sari, seemed out of place in that gathering of influence and prestige. But her words were powerful. Without wavering, she said,
I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself …. By abortion the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems. And by abortion the father is told that he does not have to take any responsibility at all for the child he has brought into the world. That father is likely to put other women into the same trouble. So abortion just leads to more abortion. Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion.
The crowd rose to its feet in thunderous applause while the Clintons and the Gores sat awkwardly staring straight ahead. (p. 72-3)
Yet though we may live our entire lives without speaking His name in vain, we may fail miserably when it comes to being a loving advocate for Him. Loving Christ is about coming to His defense in a world that grants Him no honor. Loving Christ is about loving Him and defending Him in a world that would rather He and all who claim to belong to Him go away. Christ –lovers need not be obnoxious in their defense of Christ but can find appropriate ways to become effective advocates for His name and reputation.
____________________________________________________________
God revealed HIS holiness. God told man he had to live a life of subservience to HIM.
(p. 29)
______________________________________________
How easy it is to argue from our own presuppositions, but if you believe the Book, if you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that is what he taught, and that is what you will believe. (p 31)
_____________________________________________
There is no talk about a second or third chance or about everybody being put right, but rather of “a great gulf fixed” (Luke 16:26) (p.31)
____________________________________________
If you turn your back on the blood of Christ, there is nothing left but certain future torment and agony, the fate of the unbeliever throughout eternity. (p. 33)
(A Merciful and Faithful High Priest by Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
___________________________________________________________
Acts 15
Paul begins his second missionary journey.
INSIGHT: Inherent within man is a tendency to want to work his way to heaven. Accepting a gift with gratitude does not seem to be enough; human beings want to do something to earn it. While Paul and Barnabas are at Antioch, some men come down from Judea and teach: “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved” (v. 1). This issue grows into a major debate involving the leaders in Jerusalem, but in the final analysis, Peter’s argument wins out: “Why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?” (v. 10). The council in Jerusalem then sends a letter to the Gentile churches encouraging their faith and assuring them that they are not under bondage. (Quiet Walk)
_____________________________________________________
MY sister shared:
Daleiden hearing: Planned Parenthood staffer admits to supplying aborted body parts to broker
David Robert Daleiden is a pro-life activist who worked for Live Action before founding the Irvine, California-based Center for Medical Progress in 2013. Wikipedia
Court proceedings are underway to determine whether David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt, the activists who began exposing Planned Parenthood’s financial dealings with fetal body parts harvested during abortions four years ago, should face a criminal trial.
In what is being described as the “put-up-or-shut-up stage” in the preliminary hearing for the pair of investigators — who started publishing in the summer of 2015 undercover video footage of top Planned Parenthood executives and clinicians talking cavalierly about their transactions with biotech companies regarding fetal organs obtained through abortions — Planned Parenthood staffers who were filmed took to the witness stand.
A California Planned Parenthood staffer, identified as Doe 7, testified on Tuesday that “she provided fetal tissue from the abortions she did at Planned Parenthood as a regular occurrence,” according to a summary by The Center for Medical Progress, founded by Daleiden.
“When asked if she had ever heard of StemExpress, Doe 7 said she had heard of cases in which StemExpress was involved and money was exchanged. StemExpress and Planned Parenthood Northern California are both under ongoing FBI and U.S. Department of Justice investigation for selling fetal organs and tissue against the law.” Stem Express is a biotech firm known for its procurement of fetal body parts for research purposes.
He elaborated in a subsequent interview that selling fetal tissue from a patient who did not consent to such a sale constitutes “medical battery.”
David Daleiden a Prolife Activist found that Planned Parenthood was selling baby parts from abortions and had pictures, footage, and tapes. Instead of going after Planned Parenthood for breaking the law the AG Kamala Harris went after David Daleiden and unlawfully took his proof. This was done after Planned Parenthood visited Kamala Harris with a closed-door meeting with them. She is now running to be the next President of the United States, after breaking the laws on the books; so, she doesn’t care what laws are on the books; do we really want someone elected who will run our county like a Banana Republic?
Attorneys for the pro-life activists assert this is a political hit job on pro-life journalists; adding that his client should be covered by the state’s shield laws, which protects undercover investigative journalists. Additionally, this is a biased attack on First Amendment civil rights and a political prosecution to shield Planned Parenthood from accountability for their crimes against women and children.”
____________________________________________________
CLAIMS OF DIVINITY
…the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father….
John 1:18
The Bible makes many claims to the effect that Christ is divine; it asserts and teaches His divinity or, still more accurately, His deity. The first evidence is that certain names are ascribed to Him, each of which clearly implies His deity. Here are some of them. He is described as the “Son of God” forty times; He is referred to as “his Son” (God’s Son); God refers to Him audibly as “my Son.” So there, in various forms, is that title “Son,” “Son of God.”
Then five times He is also referred to as the “only begotten Son of God.” You find it in John 1:18 (“…the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father”), and there are many others. A notable one is the Parable of the Wicked Husbandman, when God says, “They will reverence my son” (Matthew 21:37). The teaching there is perfectly clear–the words are uttered by our Lord Himself.
He is described in Revelation 1 as “the first and the last,” and in the same chapter as “the Alpha and Omega,” the beginning and the end. These are obviously terms of deity; there is nothing before the beginning and nothing after the end. Then Peter, preaching in Jerusalem–you will find it recorded in Acts 3:14–refers to Him as “the Holy One”: “But ye denied the Holy One and the Just.” Again, these are terms of deity.
Then He is actually referred to as “God.” Thomas says, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). He is also described as “Emmanuel…God with us” in Matthew 1:23; and there is a most remarkable statement in Titus 2:13 where He is referred to as our “great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.” So there you have a number of names that are ascribed to Him, all of which are divine names.
A Thought to Ponder: Certain names are ascribed to Him, each of which clearly implies His deity.
(From God the Father, God the Son, pp. 266-267, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
___________________________________________________________
The Crown of Glory
“She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.” (Proverbs 4:9)
There are five specific “crowns” mentioned in the New Testament as rewards for faithful service, presumably to be rewarded by Christ at His judgment seat (1 Corinthians 3:14). These are the “incorruptible” crown (1 Corinthians 9:25; 2 Corinthians 5:10); the “crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:8); the “crown of rejoicing” (1 Thessalonians 2:19); “the crown of life” (James 1:12; Revelation 2:10); and lastly the “crown of glory” (1 Peter 5:4).
Although the crown of glory is mentioned only once in the New Testament, the phrase occurs four times in the Old Testament, each providing special insight into its character and scope. The first is Proverbs 4:9: “[Wisdom] shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.” The other three are, in order, as follows:
- “The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness” (Proverbs 16:31).
- “In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people” (Isaiah 28:5).
- “Thou [probably a reference to the new Jerusalem] shalt also be a crown of glory in the land of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God” (Isaiah 62:3).
The one New Testament reference, in 1 Peter 5:4, is a wonderful promise to the faithful shepherds of each “little flock” (Luke 12:32) of believers: “And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.”
We do not know exactly what these crowns will be composed of, but when we see the Lord we shall lay each of them before His throne (Revelation 4:10).
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
___________________________________________________________
DAILY HOPE
Today’s Scripture
Deuteronomy 3-4
A review of significant events often will help when we are facing new challenges and obstacles. Each time we have moved to a new state, we have reflected how God has gone before us in previous moves. Even though we did not know what lay ahead, we faced it with the assurance that the Lord was directing and would guide our steps.
Israel was preparing to enter a land that teemed with adversaries and giants! It was a land rich and prosperous, yet, challenging. The path had not yet been clearly defined for this fledgling nation. The consideration of how God had directed them in the past became a foundation that would assist the Israelites in the days ahead. Sihon, the Amorite and Og, the king of Bashan, were formidable foes that God had soundly defeated in the Transjordan region.
As the two and a half tribes took possession of this region, the Lord made it clear they were to lead the remaining Israelites across the Jordan. These soldiers were to assist in winning the territory that God had promised to the nation. Looking forward into the next phase of God’s plan, the nation’s past victories gave confidence and strength to the people.
Obedience is emphasized in the fourth chapter. The Lord warns the people to “take heed” (v.9) and then repeated this phrase in 6:12; 8:11; 12:13,19,30; 15:9. While not visibly seeing God Himself, Israel was not to forget what they had seen God accomplish in the past forty years. The memory of the events was to encourage them to continually follow the Lord.
Moses reminded the people to keep their commitments to the Lord which they made at Mount Sinai (v.10). These commitments are later identified as the Ten Commandments in verse 13. Finally, they were to take heed (v. 15) and make no statues and fall into idolatry by worshipping things made with hands.
Memories assist us a great deal in living lives of faith. Looking back at how the Lord has protected, provided, and divinely led, gives us the courage to advance into the unknown future. Being obedient to His written word also guides us and keeps us from straying into idolatry by worshipping icons, pictures or objects made by man. Being faithful students of the word of God will keep us close to what the Lord has instructed, despite the claims of influential teachers and seemingly new methods of worship.
In Expectant Hope, Pastor Miller
___________________________________________________________________________
We now have a Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.