ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 275 - Matthew 10-13 ()
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'He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" ' (Matthew 13:3-9)
After Jesus spoke the parable in our text above, His disciples asked Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables (verse 10)?" Jesus explained to them that verses that followed that the reason was because it has been given to them (His followers and all who will become His followers in the future) to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to those who, like the hardened Pharisees it has not been given (verses 11-15).
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Day 273 - Matthew 7-9
ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 273 - Matthew 7-9 (Unfathomable Wealth Just Waiting for You)
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"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 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!" (Matthew 7:7-11)
The best gift of all that God gives to anyone who ask Him is salvation and eternal life in heaven. The Bible says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23)." You don't really want to ask God for a new car or to win the lotto if you have never asked Him to forgive you and give you the gift of eternal life.
Once you receive the gift of eternal life, the Bible says you then become a child of God and co-heir with Christ of all He possesses (Romans 8:17). Can you think of a greater wealth than that?
Day 273 - Matthew 7-9 (Unfathomable Wealth Just Waiting for You)
(To View Past Posts Click: http:/tonyvicreyes1-yearbible.blogspot.com/ )
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 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!" (Matthew 7:7-11)
Jesus put in clear perspective the rationale for God's goodness in answering those who call on Him in prayer by comparing it to an earthly parent's natural inclination to grant his own children's request for food. Jesus then said that if parents, being evil compared to God, know how to give good gifts to their children, how much more will God give good things to those who ask Him!
Dr. Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ tells this story of a famous oil field called Yates Pool:
During the depression this field was a sheep ranch owned by a man named Yates. Mr. Yates wasn't able to make enough on his ranching operation to pay the principal and interest on the mortgage, so he was in danger of losing his ranch. With little money for clothes or food, his family (like many others) had to live on government subsidy.
Day after day, as he grazed his sheep over those rolling West Texas hills, he was no doubt greatly troubled about how he would pay his bills. Then a seismographic crew from an oil company came into the area and told him there might be oil on his land. They asked permission to drill a wildcat well, and he signed a lease contract.
At 1,115 feet they struck a huge oil reserve. The first well came in at 80,000 barrels a day. Many subsequent wells were more than twice as large. In fact, 30 years after the discovery, a government test of one of the wells showed it still had the potential flow of 125,000 barrels of oil a day.
And Mr. Yates owned it all. The day he purchased the land he had received the oil and mineral rights. Yet, he'd been living on relief. A multimillionaire living in poverty. The problem? He didn't know the oil was there even though he owned it.Perhaps you have not known the unlimited wealth of resources available to you and which your heavenly Father wants to give you if only you ask Him. Now, lest you think that God is like a genie in a bottle who will come at your bidding to grant you all of your capricious and selfish wishes, let me be the first to inform you that God is not like that. As we've read in our text above, God only gives good gifts, not gifts that will be bad for us.
The best gift of all that God gives to anyone who ask Him is salvation and eternal life in heaven. The Bible says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23)." You don't really want to ask God for a new car or to win the lotto if you have never asked Him to forgive you and give you the gift of eternal life.
Once you receive the gift of eternal life, the Bible says you then become a child of God and co-heir with Christ of all He possesses (Romans 8:17). Can you think of a greater wealth than that?
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Day 272 - Matthew 1-6
ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 272 - Matthew 1-6 (Jesus' First Message of His Ministry)
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"From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Matthew 4:17-19)
A person's first words bears a lot of weight. For example, the first words of the inaugural address of a new president would reveal a lot about his agenda and leadership. If I had only one minute to address a very important person such as the monarch or the Pope, the first words that would come out of my mouth would largely determine the outcome of our meeting.
As I read the Sripture passage for today, I became curious and did a quick research on whether or not the message of Jesus in our text above was indeed His very first in His officlal ministry as the Messiah. I was rewarded to find out that I was right about my thought regarding the first message of our Lord's ministry.
So, what is the first message of the Lord as the Messiah? The very first public appearance of Christ as an adult was at His baptism by His cousin John the Baptist. The Bible records that immediately after His baptism, the Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan for forty days and nights. Our text above begins by saying, "From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
The first message of Jesus to the world, therefore, is "Repent." We have already established that the first message bears the most weight in most cases especially when the situation matters deeply. The wisest thing any person could ever do would be to take heed of Jesus message of repentance in order for him or her to inherent the kingdom of God.
To repent simply means to make an about face on sin; it means to acknowlege that you are a sinner as God says and to ask God for His forgiveness through His Son Jesus Christ. The result of repentance is salvation for God promised, "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out... (Acts 3:19)" Conversely, not repenting of your sins would mean that your sins remain to condemn you to everlasting punishment in hell.
As an added blessing of revelation from the Bible, I discovered the second message of Jesus in His official ministy. Actually, it is more of the same message but with two-fold nature much like a coin with two sides. If the one side of Jesus' message is repentance, the flip side is discipleship: "Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men (Matthew 4:19)."
Jesus not only called all people to repentance but also to follow Him. To follow Jesus is what discipleship is all about. A disciple is someone who follows Jesus in everything. Are you a disciple of Jesus? It is not enough for us to repent of our sins; we must also obey Jesus in all of His teachings and commandments if we are to be His disciples.
Why is it important to be a disciple? For one, Jesus commanded all Christians to make disciples: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations (Matthew 28:19)." You cannot fulfill Jesus' command for you to make disciples unless you are one yourself - makes sense?
Another reason why it is very important for us to become disciples or followers of Jesus is His grave warning regarding the fate of those who are not His followers or those who are not His disciples. Consider very carefully the words of our Lord:
"Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' " (Matthew 7:21-23)
Day 272 - Matthew 1-6 (Jesus' First Message of His Ministry)
(To View Past Posts Click: http:/tonyvicreyes1-yearbible.blogspot.com/ )
"From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Matthew 4:17-19)
A person's first words bears a lot of weight. For example, the first words of the inaugural address of a new president would reveal a lot about his agenda and leadership. If I had only one minute to address a very important person such as the monarch or the Pope, the first words that would come out of my mouth would largely determine the outcome of our meeting.
As I read the Sripture passage for today, I became curious and did a quick research on whether or not the message of Jesus in our text above was indeed His very first in His officlal ministry as the Messiah. I was rewarded to find out that I was right about my thought regarding the first message of our Lord's ministry.
So, what is the first message of the Lord as the Messiah? The very first public appearance of Christ as an adult was at His baptism by His cousin John the Baptist. The Bible records that immediately after His baptism, the Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan for forty days and nights. Our text above begins by saying, "From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
The first message of Jesus to the world, therefore, is "Repent." We have already established that the first message bears the most weight in most cases especially when the situation matters deeply. The wisest thing any person could ever do would be to take heed of Jesus message of repentance in order for him or her to inherent the kingdom of God.
To repent simply means to make an about face on sin; it means to acknowlege that you are a sinner as God says and to ask God for His forgiveness through His Son Jesus Christ. The result of repentance is salvation for God promised, "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out... (Acts 3:19)" Conversely, not repenting of your sins would mean that your sins remain to condemn you to everlasting punishment in hell.
As an added blessing of revelation from the Bible, I discovered the second message of Jesus in His official ministy. Actually, it is more of the same message but with two-fold nature much like a coin with two sides. If the one side of Jesus' message is repentance, the flip side is discipleship: "Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men (Matthew 4:19)."
Jesus not only called all people to repentance but also to follow Him. To follow Jesus is what discipleship is all about. A disciple is someone who follows Jesus in everything. Are you a disciple of Jesus? It is not enough for us to repent of our sins; we must also obey Jesus in all of His teachings and commandments if we are to be His disciples.
Why is it important to be a disciple? For one, Jesus commanded all Christians to make disciples: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations (Matthew 28:19)." You cannot fulfill Jesus' command for you to make disciples unless you are one yourself - makes sense?
Another reason why it is very important for us to become disciples or followers of Jesus is His grave warning regarding the fate of those who are not His followers or those who are not His disciples. Consider very carefully the words of our Lord:
"Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' " (Matthew 7:21-23)
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Day 270 - Malachi
ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 270 - Malachi (God Hates Divorce)
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"...the LORD has been witness
Between you and the wife of your youth,
With whom you have dealt treacherously;
Yet she is your companion
And your wife by covenant.
But did He not make them one,
Having a remnant of the Spirit?
And why one?
He seeks godly offspring.
Therefore take heed to your spirit,
And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.
"For the LORD God of Israel says
That He hates divorce,
For it covers one's garment with violence,"
Says the LORD of hosts." (Malachi 2:14-16a)
God rebuked the priests of Israel who were divorcing their wives in order to marry younger women thus breaking the goal of marriage (she is your companion) and the bond of marriage (she is your wife by covenant). Married couples today must not ignore a foundational truth about marriage from our Scripture text.
The Bible teaches that a man and a woman becomes united as one in marriage (Genesis 2:18-25). God's purpose for this mystery of the marriage union is to raise godly offspring for Himself (Malachi 2:15). It is totally repulsive to God for a married person to have more than one partner. It is for this same reason that adultery breaks "the LORD's holy institution which He loves(Malachi 2:11)." Consequently, Jesus said that adultery is the only legal grounds for divorce.
If someone does not have Biblical grounds for divorce, God regards them as still married and any subsequent relationship is considered adultery (Matthew 19:8-9). God's will and plan for married couples is to stay together for life. In fact, "the LORD God of Israel says that He hates divorce (Malachi2:16)."
Couples with serious marital differences must work out a solution to their problems and seek counseling. God tells all who are married to "take heed." This means that both husband and wife must do everything in their power to save their marriage.
One excellent godly resource that has a remarkable success rate of 85% helping heal marriages is Focus on the Family’s National Institute of Marriage. Below is the link to their website:
http://www.nationalmarriage.com/?utm_source=focusonthefamily&utm_medium=internal&utm_campaign=nim_broadcast_placement
Your marriage may be healthy but perhaps you may know of a couple whose marriage is on shaky ground. Please forward this post to them or at least tell them about the National Institute of Marriage and pray that they will seek help to restore and save their marriage.
Day 270 - Malachi (God Hates Divorce)
(To View Past Posts Click: http:/tonyvicreyes1-yearbible.blogspot.com/ )
"...the LORD has been witness
Between you and the wife of your youth,
With whom you have dealt treacherously;
Yet she is your companion
And your wife by covenant.
But did He not make them one,
Having a remnant of the Spirit?
And why one?
He seeks godly offspring.
Therefore take heed to your spirit,
And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.
"For the LORD God of Israel says
That He hates divorce,
For it covers one's garment with violence,"
Says the LORD of hosts." (Malachi 2:14-16a)
God rebuked the priests of Israel who were divorcing their wives in order to marry younger women thus breaking the goal of marriage (she is your companion) and the bond of marriage (she is your wife by covenant). Married couples today must not ignore a foundational truth about marriage from our Scripture text.
The Bible teaches that a man and a woman becomes united as one in marriage (Genesis 2:18-25). God's purpose for this mystery of the marriage union is to raise godly offspring for Himself (Malachi 2:15). It is totally repulsive to God for a married person to have more than one partner. It is for this same reason that adultery breaks "the LORD's holy institution which He loves(Malachi 2:11)." Consequently, Jesus said that adultery is the only legal grounds for divorce.
If someone does not have Biblical grounds for divorce, God regards them as still married and any subsequent relationship is considered adultery (Matthew 19:8-9). God's will and plan for married couples is to stay together for life. In fact, "the LORD God of Israel says that He hates divorce (Malachi2:16)."
Couples with serious marital differences must work out a solution to their problems and seek counseling. God tells all who are married to "take heed." This means that both husband and wife must do everything in their power to save their marriage.
One excellent godly resource that has a remarkable success rate of 85% helping heal marriages is Focus on the Family’s National Institute of Marriage. Below is the link to their website:
http://www.nationalmarriage.com/?utm_source=focusonthefamily&utm_medium=internal&utm_campaign=nim_broadcast_placement
Your marriage may be healthy but perhaps you may know of a couple whose marriage is on shaky ground. Please forward this post to them or at least tell them about the National Institute of Marriage and pray that they will seek help to restore and save their marriage.
Monday, September 28, 2015
Day 269 - Zechariah 9-14
ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 269 - Zechariah 9-14 (Key Evidence Proving Jesus is the Messiah)
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"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey." (Zechariah 9:9)
Fulfilled prophecy remains the strongest evidence for the validity of the Bible and in particular, the validity of Jesus as the Messiah of Scriptures. There are over 300 prophecies about the Messiah that Jesus fulfilled. The mathematical probability of all those fulfilled prophecies happening by chance is absolutely impossible and anyone who denies it is simply out of touch with reality.
One great example of those hundreds of fulfilled prophecies is found in our text above concerning the triumphal entry of the Messiah as prophesied by the prophet Zechariah written about 550 years before it actually occurred.
An impostor who wanted to "fulfill" the triumphal entry would have simply fetched a donkey but not Jesus. As the three gospel writers record, Jesus instructed two of His disciples to go into a certain village and there there will find a donkey which has never been sat on and if the owner asked why they were taking it, they just had to say "the Lord has need of it." Jesus not only fulfilled a the donkey part of the prophecy about the triumphal entry; He made the process miraculous in itself!
Here's something an impostor would have found impossible to do - unless the one riding on the donkey was Messiah Himself, the other prophecies associated with the triumphal entry such as the huge crowd welcoming Jesus and shouting "Hosanna! Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord!" in fulfillment of Psalm 118:26.
"So what?" you might say. I'm glad you asked. Here's where this whole prophecy thing really applies to everyone of us. Because Jesus fulfilled every prophecy about Him until the day of His death and resurrection, it is absolutely certain that He will also fulfill all the remaining prophecies about Him that has yet to be fulfilled including His second coming into Jerusalem, this time not on a humble donkey to be sacrificed as the Lamb that takes away the sins of the world, but as conquering King who will destroy His enemies into everlasting punishment in hell.
Who is Jesus to you - just another religious leader among many or the Messiah of the Bible who alone is the only God and Savior? Your relationship or lack thereof with Jesus will determine your eternal destiny.
Day 269 - Zechariah 9-14 (Key Evidence Proving Jesus is the Messiah)
(To View Past Posts Click: http:/tonyvicreyes1-yearbible.blogspot.com/ )
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey." (Zechariah 9:9)
Fulfilled prophecy remains the strongest evidence for the validity of the Bible and in particular, the validity of Jesus as the Messiah of Scriptures. There are over 300 prophecies about the Messiah that Jesus fulfilled. The mathematical probability of all those fulfilled prophecies happening by chance is absolutely impossible and anyone who denies it is simply out of touch with reality.
One great example of those hundreds of fulfilled prophecies is found in our text above concerning the triumphal entry of the Messiah as prophesied by the prophet Zechariah written about 550 years before it actually occurred.
An impostor who wanted to "fulfill" the triumphal entry would have simply fetched a donkey but not Jesus. As the three gospel writers record, Jesus instructed two of His disciples to go into a certain village and there there will find a donkey which has never been sat on and if the owner asked why they were taking it, they just had to say "the Lord has need of it." Jesus not only fulfilled a the donkey part of the prophecy about the triumphal entry; He made the process miraculous in itself!
Here's something an impostor would have found impossible to do - unless the one riding on the donkey was Messiah Himself, the other prophecies associated with the triumphal entry such as the huge crowd welcoming Jesus and shouting "Hosanna! Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord!" in fulfillment of Psalm 118:26.
"So what?" you might say. I'm glad you asked. Here's where this whole prophecy thing really applies to everyone of us. Because Jesus fulfilled every prophecy about Him until the day of His death and resurrection, it is absolutely certain that He will also fulfill all the remaining prophecies about Him that has yet to be fulfilled including His second coming into Jerusalem, this time not on a humble donkey to be sacrificed as the Lamb that takes away the sins of the world, but as conquering King who will destroy His enemies into everlasting punishment in hell.
Who is Jesus to you - just another religious leader among many or the Messiah of the Bible who alone is the only God and Savior? Your relationship or lack thereof with Jesus will determine your eternal destiny.
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Day 268 - Zechariah 1-8
ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 268 - Zechariah 1-8 (How to Defeat Satan)
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"Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?" (Zechariah 3:1-2)
I have witnessed too many Christians who tried to rebuked Satan apart from the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. They think that they have been given authority on their own to rebuke the devil and his demons. There is, however, no biblical basis for such a belief.
In our text above, we read God Himself using His own name, the LORD, to rebuke Satan. If God Himself decided to use His name instead of directly rebuking Satan (not that He never did so since Jesus said, "Get thee behind me, Satan!), how dare we think that we could rebuke the devil on our own authority? When Christ empowered His disciples to cast out demons, He specifically instructed them to do so in His name.
Instead of rebuking the devil, Christians are called to resist him. James 4:7 says to "submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Zechariah 3:2 tells us that it is the Lord who rebukes Satan. Even Michael, one of the most powerful of the angels, did not dare to accuse Satan, but rather said, "The Lord rebuke you" (Jude 1:9).
It is true that he Bible says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12) and that Satan prowls around like a lion in search of prey, looking for victims to devour (1 Peter 5:8). We must not forget, however, that "the battle is the Lord's and not ours."
It is not necessary for us as Christians to rebuke Satan because God has given us His full armor to stand against evil (see Ephesians 6:10-18). Our most effective weapons against the devil are our faith, wisdom, and knowledge about God and His Word. Christ, when tempted by Satan, answered him with Scripture (see Matthew 4:1-11).
Born-again Christians are no longer enslaved to Satan or to sin (Romans 6:6-7), but this does not mean we are immune to the temptations that he puts before us. To overcome the devil, we must maintain a clear conscience, have control over our thoughts, and live right with God. Anyone who is not under the control of the sovereign God is under the control of the devil (Acts 26:18; 2 Corinthians 4:4).
Do you know the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior? Are you certain that the Holy Spirit is in you and that you have been delivered from sin's power and wages? If not, you stand no chance against the devil and you need to ask God to forgive you of your sins and give you His Holy Spirit to deliver you from Satan and give you eternal life. I pray you do so today if you have not done so yet.
Day 268 - Zechariah 1-8 (How to Defeat Satan)
(To View Past Posts Click: http:/tonyvicreyes1-yearbible.blogspot.com/ )
"Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?" (Zechariah 3:1-2)
I have witnessed too many Christians who tried to rebuked Satan apart from the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. They think that they have been given authority on their own to rebuke the devil and his demons. There is, however, no biblical basis for such a belief.
In our text above, we read God Himself using His own name, the LORD, to rebuke Satan. If God Himself decided to use His name instead of directly rebuking Satan (not that He never did so since Jesus said, "Get thee behind me, Satan!), how dare we think that we could rebuke the devil on our own authority? When Christ empowered His disciples to cast out demons, He specifically instructed them to do so in His name.
Instead of rebuking the devil, Christians are called to resist him. James 4:7 says to "submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Zechariah 3:2 tells us that it is the Lord who rebukes Satan. Even Michael, one of the most powerful of the angels, did not dare to accuse Satan, but rather said, "The Lord rebuke you" (Jude 1:9).
It is true that he Bible says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12) and that Satan prowls around like a lion in search of prey, looking for victims to devour (1 Peter 5:8). We must not forget, however, that "the battle is the Lord's and not ours."
It is not necessary for us as Christians to rebuke Satan because God has given us His full armor to stand against evil (see Ephesians 6:10-18). Our most effective weapons against the devil are our faith, wisdom, and knowledge about God and His Word. Christ, when tempted by Satan, answered him with Scripture (see Matthew 4:1-11).
Born-again Christians are no longer enslaved to Satan or to sin (Romans 6:6-7), but this does not mean we are immune to the temptations that he puts before us. To overcome the devil, we must maintain a clear conscience, have control over our thoughts, and live right with God. Anyone who is not under the control of the sovereign God is under the control of the devil (Acts 26:18; 2 Corinthians 4:4).
Do you know the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior? Are you certain that the Holy Spirit is in you and that you have been delivered from sin's power and wages? If not, you stand no chance against the devil and you need to ask God to forgive you of your sins and give you His Holy Spirit to deliver you from Satan and give you eternal life. I pray you do so today if you have not done so yet.
Friday, September 25, 2015
Day 267 - Zephaniah - Haggai
ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 267 - Zephaniah - Haggai (Are You Ready for The Day of the Lord's Wrath?)
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"The great day of the LORD is near;...
That day is a day of wrath,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of devastation and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloominess,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
A day of trumpet and alarm
Against the fortified cities
And against the high towers.
"I will bring distress upon men,
And they shall walk like blind men,
Because they have sinned against the LORD;
Their blood shall be poured out like dust,
And their flesh like refuse."
Neither their silver nor their gold
Shall be able to deliver them
In the day of the LORD's wrath;
But the whole land shall be devoured
By the fire of His jealousy,
For He will make speedy riddance
Of all those who dwell in the land." (Zephaniah 1:14-18)
I do not think it is a co-incidence that the Scripture reading for today falls on the passage above concerning the end of all days on earth. We are living on the most exciting of all times in history when everything that the Bible prophesied about the end times is literally unfolding right before our eyes. Consider the following events that have already taken place or about to take place which the holy Scriptures predicted must happen before the terrible day of God's wrath falls upon the earth:
1. Messiah would have come and be cut-off (killed). We all know the the Messiah, Jesus Christ, came two thousand years ago and was rejected and killed by His own people as predicted by the prophet Isaiah.
2. The Temple would have been destroyed. This happened in 70 AD when General Titus came to Jerusalem and destroyed the temple.
3. Israel would have been gathered back as a nation from exile from around the world. This happened in May 14, 1948 when Israel became a sovereign nation.
4. Russia, Iran, and its allies prepare to attack Israel. As I write this, Russia is pouring in weapons and soldiers into Syria under the excuse of defending the Assad government from Islamic terrorist. Iran has being doing it for many years. Israel is on high alert for a possible attack from Russia and Iran from her northern borders adjoining Syria.
5. Israel is in crisis and a world ruler (anti-Christ) will broker a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians. There is not a day that passes when world leaders are not working towards their ultimate goal of forcing Israel to make peace with the Palestinians. Very recently, the world thought that the Obama administration's peace initiative led by Secretary of State Kerry had their objective in the bag; but, as it turned out, it wasn't the time yet.
6. There will be economic, political and religious instability in the world which will call for a strong leader to unite all peoples. As I write this, economic experts are talking about a world recession and world leaders are preparing for war with one another. Religious intolerance and fanaticism is being blamed for most of the world's problems including terrorism and hate-based violence. The world is looking for a religious leader who will unite all religions in the name of peace and goodwill to all mankind.
7. The gospel will be preached to all the world. With the advent of the internet and advance technology as well as an unprecedented surge in missionary efforts, the gospel is now able to reach every person on the planet.
8. The Temple in Jerusalem is being prepared to be built. Insiders of the Temple re-building project in Jerusalem will say that everything has been prepared for the temple to be constructed according to Biblical specifications. All that is needed is a go signal.
9. Christians are being persecuted around the world. Christians have always been persecuted but, for a very long time, the world has not witnessed the level which we are witnessing today especially within the Islamic regions. Even here in the US, Christians are mocked and persecuted for their faith even at the cost of losing their jobs.
10. True Christians will be raptured or taken to heaven without dying. The rapture of the true Christian Church itself is not dependent on any sign and is imminent; however, the day of God's wrath will not come before the believers are taken away.
Are you prepared for the day of God's wrath? Do you know for sure that you will not be appointed among those who will suffer the wrath of God because of their sins? There is only one way of escape which God has provided and it is through the perfect sacrificial Lamb who was offered on the altar of Calvary. Those who choose to repent of their sins and call on the name of the Lord Jesus will not be appointed for the day of God's wrath but rather will be saved and be taken up to heaven to be in the presence of God forever.
Day 267 - Zephaniah - Haggai (Are You Ready for The Day of the Lord's Wrath?)
(To View Past Posts Click: http:/tonyvicreyes1-yearbible.blogspot.com/ )
"The great day of the LORD is near;...
That day is a day of wrath,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of devastation and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloominess,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
A day of trumpet and alarm
Against the fortified cities
And against the high towers.
"I will bring distress upon men,
And they shall walk like blind men,
Because they have sinned against the LORD;
Their blood shall be poured out like dust,
And their flesh like refuse."
Neither their silver nor their gold
Shall be able to deliver them
In the day of the LORD's wrath;
But the whole land shall be devoured
By the fire of His jealousy,
For He will make speedy riddance
Of all those who dwell in the land." (Zephaniah 1:14-18)
I do not think it is a co-incidence that the Scripture reading for today falls on the passage above concerning the end of all days on earth. We are living on the most exciting of all times in history when everything that the Bible prophesied about the end times is literally unfolding right before our eyes. Consider the following events that have already taken place or about to take place which the holy Scriptures predicted must happen before the terrible day of God's wrath falls upon the earth:
1. Messiah would have come and be cut-off (killed). We all know the the Messiah, Jesus Christ, came two thousand years ago and was rejected and killed by His own people as predicted by the prophet Isaiah.
2. The Temple would have been destroyed. This happened in 70 AD when General Titus came to Jerusalem and destroyed the temple.
3. Israel would have been gathered back as a nation from exile from around the world. This happened in May 14, 1948 when Israel became a sovereign nation.
4. Russia, Iran, and its allies prepare to attack Israel. As I write this, Russia is pouring in weapons and soldiers into Syria under the excuse of defending the Assad government from Islamic terrorist. Iran has being doing it for many years. Israel is on high alert for a possible attack from Russia and Iran from her northern borders adjoining Syria.
5. Israel is in crisis and a world ruler (anti-Christ) will broker a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians. There is not a day that passes when world leaders are not working towards their ultimate goal of forcing Israel to make peace with the Palestinians. Very recently, the world thought that the Obama administration's peace initiative led by Secretary of State Kerry had their objective in the bag; but, as it turned out, it wasn't the time yet.
6. There will be economic, political and religious instability in the world which will call for a strong leader to unite all peoples. As I write this, economic experts are talking about a world recession and world leaders are preparing for war with one another. Religious intolerance and fanaticism is being blamed for most of the world's problems including terrorism and hate-based violence. The world is looking for a religious leader who will unite all religions in the name of peace and goodwill to all mankind.
7. The gospel will be preached to all the world. With the advent of the internet and advance technology as well as an unprecedented surge in missionary efforts, the gospel is now able to reach every person on the planet.
8. The Temple in Jerusalem is being prepared to be built. Insiders of the Temple re-building project in Jerusalem will say that everything has been prepared for the temple to be constructed according to Biblical specifications. All that is needed is a go signal.
9. Christians are being persecuted around the world. Christians have always been persecuted but, for a very long time, the world has not witnessed the level which we are witnessing today especially within the Islamic regions. Even here in the US, Christians are mocked and persecuted for their faith even at the cost of losing their jobs.
10. True Christians will be raptured or taken to heaven without dying. The rapture of the true Christian Church itself is not dependent on any sign and is imminent; however, the day of God's wrath will not come before the believers are taken away.
Are you prepared for the day of God's wrath? Do you know for sure that you will not be appointed among those who will suffer the wrath of God because of their sins? There is only one way of escape which God has provided and it is through the perfect sacrificial Lamb who was offered on the altar of Calvary. Those who choose to repent of their sins and call on the name of the Lord Jesus will not be appointed for the day of God's wrath but rather will be saved and be taken up to heaven to be in the presence of God forever.
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