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STAND & COMFORT Newsletter September 20, 2001 #1 YOU SHALL HEAR OF . . . . Though I believe Matthew 24:6 describes the birth pangs in the three and half years that introduce the Great Tribulation, I also believe they are very applicable to us now in the current crisis. Mat 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: . . . Usually when we read these verses, our attention centers in on the mention of wars. But what is the message in this part of Matthew 24:6? You SHALL HEAR of these things. There's no escaping this fact. SHALL HEAR means you will have to hear of these things because they are going to happen and these things will take center stage. The word "shall" expresses a promise; what is being stated is a sure thing. Jesus said, YOU SHALL HEAR of wars and not only that, but you shall also hear of rumors of wars. It's happening now. It's happened in the past, but this time the country we live in is being deeply affected by the war being talked about, accompanied by the rumors of wars. Jesus said, YOU SHALL hear of these things. He immediately followed this with a command: Mat 24:6 . . . see that ye be not troubled: . . . Jesus knew the tremendous effects the threats of war and rumors of war and actual war would have on people. Basically He said, You're going to have to hear of these things, but I SAY, be ye not troubled. In Robertson's Word Studies, he wrote, ". . . Look out for the wars and rumors of wars, but do not be scared out of your wits by them. Troew [Gr. troubled, meaning clamor] means to cry aloud, to scream, and in the passive to be terrified by an outcry. . . ." In the current crisis, we are hearing of wars. We know war against terrorism is coming, and may have actively started by the time you read this. We are also hearing speculation as to what might happen in the months to come. We have had time to adjust our emotions to the fact that this war will be waged. What is harder, I think, is the toll taken by the speculation concerning what might happen. But Jesus says don't be troubled by the wars that go on, and don't be troubled, don't get overwhelmingly excited to the point of being scared out of your wits, by the facts of war or the speculations on the various aspects of that war. [I was in the process of editing this article and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfield just now had a news conference and said that 95% of the rumors we are hearing are wrong. How appropriate for this article.] Jesus is not saying to ignore what you hear when you hear of war or the speculation about events within that war or other wars. He is simply saying, "do not be troubled when you hear these things, which you definitely will". Vine defines "troubled" as: "an onomatopoeic word, imitating the raven's cry, akin to krazo and kraugazo, 'to cry,' denotes 'an outcry,' 'clamor,' Acts 23:9, RV; Eph. 4:31, where it signifies "the tumult of controversy." I did a little quick research on the raven, and found that Vine's use of the raven in his definition is interesting. A raven has 30 different calls, yet the defensive call of one raven may be used by another for other purposes. A fellow named Bernd Heinrich was quoted as saying that the raven's "penetrating voice demands immediate attention and respect, even though we have little or no idea what it says. It has a greater variety of calls than perhaps any other animal in the world except human beings. It is an imposing bird." We may hear many speculations that impose on us in times of war, and one person's speculation may even contradict the speculation of another. Like the raven, speculation has a number of clamoring voices, but because of its nature, you're not really sure if what you're hearing is useful or not. Jesus is saying not to be scared out of your wits, and don't be troubled by speculation or rumor. We can weigh things to get some idea of what may happen, but shouldn't be troubled by them. I read a worldly proverb last week that sums up an attitude that should be alien to the Christian: "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, obviously you have no conception of the magnitude of the problem" (Author Unknown) The Christian is supposed to understand the magnitude of problems, but Jesus said, SEE TO IT that you don't be troubled. The word "see" in our verse means: 3708. horao, hor-ah'-o; prop. to stare at [comp. G3700], i.e. (by impl.) to discern clearly (phys. or ment); by extens. to attend to; by Hebr. to experience; pass. to appear:--behold, perceive, see, take heed. ATTEND TO IT that you be not troubled. That's His message. Then He says, Mat 24:6 . . . for all these things must come to pass, . . . In other words, you ARE going to hear of such things and these things ARE GOING TO HAPPEN and there is nothing you can do about it to make them not come about. God knows where the world has to end up. Yet, the Lord doesn't leave us in the middle of all of this without hope. He points the Christian to the time when these things will end, when we will no longer have to hear of wars and rumors of wars: Mat 24:6 . . . but the end is not yet. Jesus points to an end of wars and an end to the rumors of war. He points to the end by saying the end has not yet arrived. There will be an end to these things one day, and there will also be an end to the other things that will happen: Mat 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. I mentioned at other times how newspaper headlines pop up in times like these, questioning whether this is Armageddon or the end of the world. But Jesus said these things won't be the end, but the beginning of a period called the time of sorrows: Mat 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. You, the Christian, have answers. The Christian can answer the questions the newspapers pose. No, this is not Armageddon, nor the end of the world; this is just the beginning of sorrows. More is to come because the end is not yet. But there is an end to it all. What a position we are in to proclaim the hope that God has given. Let us remember that people in the world are also hearing of wars and rumors of wars and all the speculation and controversies that go with it. But they have no remedy for being troubled, because they are without any sure hope for an end to all that the world is going through and will go through. They cannot hear with conviction the words, "See that you are not troubled," nor can they know the peace and sure hope that Jesus gives in the midst of troubles. We have true hope, and Scripture says, 1 Pet 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Paul said this another way in Philippians 2: Phil 2:14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings: Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. #2 TEN YEARS OF REVIVAL AND NOW GOD REMOVES HIS PROTECTION? During the past six years or so, we have heard over and over again such statements as these: "God is moving across this nation in powerful revival." But in searching "revival" sites, we see that some seem to believe the revival has not yet risen to its potential, or we read commentary on how to bring revival to America. Then again, we also hear of the great numbers of people who have "come to the Lord" during the past few years. Mixed in with all of this are various manifestations we are quite familiar with and do not see as Biblical, all of which have been introduced by "new" revelations and dreams and visions. If we take a serious look at what the various sites are saying, the question has to arise as to whether the "revival" is in its starting stage, moderate stage, in full swing, or whether it has even gotten off the ground. I think that in the minds of most Christians, the "revival" spirit is in full swing, and a portion in the Church have stood their ground and denounced the weird manifestations and the agenda for Christian Dominion of the world and the church. But when listening to "revivalists," things can sound confusing as to what is really happening. Of course, I don't believe that any part of this "move of God" has anything to do with the God of Scripture. To make matters worse, in the face of the current crisis, Pat Robertson said that God was removing His protection from America because it was violating God's will. Jerry Falwell stated last week that God removed his protection because of pagans, abortionists, feminists, homosexuals, the American Civil Liberties Union and the People for the American Way. This week, he apologized to America and to those he named, saying that in such a time of crisis, he should not have made such a statement. Fox news reported: "However, some Christian thinkers warned there was no way to know which sin led to which punishment. On Monday, Falwell agreed. "'When I talked about God lifting the curtain of protection on our nation, I should have made it very clear that no one on this earth knows whether or not that occurred or did not occur,' he said. "He said if the destruction was a judgment from God it was a judgment on all sinners, including himself" (SOURCE: http://www.foxfan.com/story/0,2933,34543,00.html). Last week on the 700 Club, Robertson agreed with Falwell, saying, "God continues to lift the curtain and allow the enemies of America to give us probably what we deserve." Also in an interview I saw on Fox News, Robertson said he agreed that God was lifting His protection from America. But later, CBN sent out a statement stating that what Falwell had said on CBN was "severe and harsh in tone and, frankly, not fully understood." Are you confused? Is the world confused about whether they should repent or not? Is God confused and passing on His confusion? God is not confused. As I have been trying to point out, confusion has hit Christianity and is undermining it, because "the bushel" is placed over the light of the gospel at every turn. Yet Jesus said, John 9:5 "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." John 8:12 "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." Mat 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Repentance is needed in the Church for all that has come upon it through things I've described in the first two newsletters. Every Christian should be going before the Lord, asking if he or she has contributed to the ever-present confusion. In the fear of God, we need to repent for where we added to the confusion, and to fully understand where we have stood for actual truth. Heb 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. #3 AMERICA: GOD'S COUNTRY OR BABYLON .... OR NEITHER? 2 Cor 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ is simple. It is not political. It certainly isn't ecumenical. And, it most certainly is not a get rich scheme. It's a spiritual gospel given to save any individual from sin who believes its message through its simple sharing. America is going through unbelievable hard times, and as thousands called the nation to prayer, the country responded; churches across the country opened for nights of vigilance in prayer. Within the Christian arena, there are those who for years have prayed and prophesied and labored to turn America around, to turn it back to God. During the past two weeks, we've heard that from a spiritual point of view, this is a great opportunity for revival, and that the healing has begun. All of this is based on the point of view that America is God's country and somehow that is supposedly Scriptural. We are hearing the full range of speculations: America will fall, America will make it through this but it will be long and hard and costly in human resources, America will wipe out evil from the earth. I hope America makes it through this, because I live here. I can admit my fears of what might happen. We have it good here. Those are fleshy thoughts, I admit. But, there is not another nation like it on earth. But no matter how much one has built himself up, there is an uncertainty that everything will turn out all right. Within Christian circles, many spout the message that America is God's country, but America is not the "new" Israel as some within Christianity believe. America stands amongst the other nations of the world. God certainly loves all Americans, but God doesn't save entire nations out of the world. He saves individuals within nations. There are those within Christian circles who proclaim that America is God's country. Others say the opposite, that America is the end-time, prophetic Babylon of the Bible. Which is it? More confusion in Christianity. Some others say that Jerusalem is Biblical Babylon, and still others identify Babylon as a rebuilt ancient Babylon in Iraq. Others believe it is not necessarily a place, but a world system. In this confusion (and the confusion, it seems, in every other area of Christianity), my mind creates an image: all of these factions pulling on a Bible until the stress becomes so great that it literally bursts into confetti. It's a horrible scenario and it describes the absolutely confusing situation we have today. Why is there such confusion over all of this? Concerning America, why are we hearing that she is God's most vile enemy Babylon, and on the other hand that she is God's country, His friend, His companion? Because we have forsaken the simple gospel, the simplicity that we are supposed to have in Christ and which is to be our primary business at hand. The gospel is PERSONAL. The gospel is to be preached to individuals in the nations because salvation is personal. Even if there were a country where every single person believed on Christ, that would not make it God's country in a Biblical sense. Believers in Christ are sojourners on earth who live in the world's countries and are temporary citizens of those countries. But when they first believed, they also became citizens of a heavenly city, a holy nation, a royal priesthood that has nothing to do with this world except for the purpose of giving people a sure hope for the future: the Blessed Hope of Christ's return to establish His millennial reign through the gospel of salvation from sin. Countries cannot repent of sin. Individuals can, and have, and do. Thus we are exhorted: 1 Tim 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; All men won't be saved. The book of Revelation and 1 Thessalonians 5 clearly show us that. You cannot turn America back to God, but you can turn individuals in America back to God: 2 Tim 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. These words were personal to Timothy, but we can all use them as a standard of what we're to be about as God works in our hearts. In the midst of all the confusion we know this for sure: we are to share the gospel with the individuals in the nations. That can be done most easily by every Christian right where he lives, without hype, without falling on the floor laughing, without data-basing, without Jesus appearing to you to dance with you or help you with your housework. It can be done in the simplicity in which it was given.-Ed =========== #4 EMAILS Well said, Ed. My overall reaction in these last five days has been to quiet my spirit and try to listen to the voice of the Spirit. Isaiah 30:15 keeps coming to mind: For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel has said, "In repentance and rest you shall be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength". Aren't the next few words in the verse interesting, though: But you were not willing, and you said, "No for we will flee on horses,"... Many right now are getting on those horses of speculation, imagination and spiritual guessing as you put it and running wild with it. Your newsletter is coming along at just the right moment. I, for one, found great comfort and confirmation of my own thoughts in your words. May His grace and peace rule in our hearts. Lisa =========== This newsletter will be sent out whenever I think there is something the body of Christ needs to consider, to build it up, to give it encouragement or comfort in hard times. To sign up for this newsletter, email Ed at edju@velocity.net Web Page: http://www.velocity.net/~edju/
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