The historical examples of how destructive compromise can be and the need to avoid it at all cost.
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Rene Messier (Canada)
Where Your Treasure Is
A look at tithing with emphasis on where our commitment and dedication to finishing the work is and the importance of faithfully tithing with the understanding that our tithes are holy in God’s eyes.
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“CPR”
When someone has suffered trauma, is unconscious, has stopped breathing and his heart has stopped, then the person is administered CPR.
“Cardiopulmonary resuscitation,” commonly known as CPR, is described as an emergency procedure that combines chest compression, often with artificial ventilation, in an effort to manually preserve brain function until further measures are taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person.
The reason this has to be administered quickly is to avoid brain damage from a lack of oxygen to the brain. Failure to act immediately can cause permanent and irreparable brain damage. CPR in first aid was developed to prolong a person’s life until professional medical attention could be given to the patient involved.
When you look at the conditions in the world with all its current ills and evil, you have to conclude that the patient (mankind) is in dire straits, and something needs to be done or the patient will surely die. What is needed for mankind is another form of CPR—“Christ’s pressing return”—to avoid certain death. The professional treatment for mankind is the imminent return of Christ in order to save mankind from himself, as man is currently on a self-destructive course from which there would be no return.
This ushering in of a new age will solve, in time, all the ills and problems of mankind. A patient or victim, bleeding severely and in shock, has to have the bleeding controlled in order to get well. Likewise, conditions on the earth cannot get better until the bleeding, as it were, is controlled and the patient can and will recover.
This new age is one of peace and harmony, something mankind has not experienced to any degree or at any length of time since Adam and Eve were cast out of Paradise and Cain killed his brother Abel.
God’s Church has the opportunity and responsibility to be engaged in the process of proclaiming the good news (the gospel) of God’s Kingdom to the world, just prior to the new age being ushered in. This is a great privilege which should not be taken lightly. Rather, we should be zealously doing the Work, which our loving Father has given us, not looking back but moving forward to finish the job for the ultimate benefit of mankind.
While a dying patient may need CPR in the form of “cardiopulmonary resuscitation,” this world needs another form of CPR—“Christ’s pressing return.”
The Prodigal Son
HOPE
During the 2008 presidential campaign in the USA, one candidate ran on the slogan of “Hope and Change.” Since his election and now almost eight years later, most people feel there is no hope and things have only changed for the worse.
There is a physiological effect that happens to people when they lose hope. I read a story several years ago about two people lost in the wilderness in winter time. The difference between the one who died and the one who survived was that the survivor never gave up hope.
Once hope is gone, a sinking feeling of despair sets in, which might even lead to losing the will to live.
In 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, the apostle Paul lists the many things he had to suffer through:
“Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.”
Just what was it that drove him in the sense that he would endure all this hardship without throwing in the towel? He gives us the answer in the book of Acts:
“Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?” (Acts 26:8).
“I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust” (Act 24:15).
“But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, ‘Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!’” (Act 23:6).
Notice, Paul had hope in God that there would be a resurrection of the just, and it is clear that that hope drove him on to endure his suffering. It also gave him focus and vision to endure to the end.
It clearly states in the Scriptures that there is a persecution of the saints coming, including martyrdom (Revelation 12:17; Matthew 24:9). These are sobering prospects which we must not deny. Some will be saved from persecution and martyrdom, while others will have to go through them (Revelation 12:6, 14).
What will make the difference in being able to endure whatever God decides is best for us to make it into His Family? It is to never lose hope and to keep our focus and vision on the hope of the resurrection.
We must never give up that hope! It will carry us through tough times and enable us to stand before the Son of Man in the Kingdom of God.
Teamwork
For the last two years a robin had been building her nest on the top of a climbing clematis plant on the corner of my front porch. It was somewhat of an ideal location–not too high from the ground so when the baby robins left the nest they did not injure themselves, and it was also under the cover of the eves so it never rained on the nest. It was shaded, so it never got too hot, and the mother robin was used to us going in and out of the front door and sitting on our rocking chairs on the porch.
This spring we had to cut back on the clematis and dispose of the nest which had been there for two years. When the robin returned to find no clematis plant or nest to occupy, she was not deterred but built a nest about six feet away on the downspout of my gutters. It is approximately the same height and a bit closer to where we sit on our rockers, which does not bother her.
In the due course after sitting on her eggs and subsequently hatching two baby robins, I was fascinated while rocking on the porch at how much care she and the male robin had for their babies. They would work as a team in feeding them, each bringing worms for them. At times, when she was on the nest keeping the babies warm, he would show up with a worm, give her a portion and feed the rest to the young robins.
I was impressed by the dedication, focus and teamwork they tirelessly kept in order to feed those young birds and keep them warm. I thought, what an example of teamwork, dedication to a cause, and unity of goal, which they exemplified to feed the young robins to the point they could leave the nest and take care of themselves. This brings to mind the Scripture in Psalm 133:1: ”Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!”
We as a church have been given the responsibility to get a message of hope out to a dying world. This gospel is the only hope for mankind. When we work together in unity and focus on the task at hand, then we can and must complete the task we have been given.
As to the robins, what happens to them? They go south for the winter and return again to carry on the teamwork in the spring to bring forth new baby robins, feed and care for them till they can take care of themselves and repeat this process till they die. That’s dedication, teamwork and unity of task.
If we remain faithful in the task we have been given collectivity as a church to work together in unity and focus on the job at hand, our reward is almost incomprehensible. For our dedicated teamwork, we get to live as members of the ruling God Family for eternity. If we die before Christ returns, we get to be resurrected into that very same Family with the same reward. How good and how pleasant it really is for brethren to work together in unity.
Overcome Not Succumb
The importance of drawing close to got and put distance between you and sin and Satan’s influences. The greater the distance from sin the closer to God you will be. Also a look at the 7 promises for those who overcome.
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Enduring
The importance of Enduring to the End and remaining faithful to our calling in order to qualify for our eternal reward.
Was Jonah Alive or Dead in the Belly of the Whale for Three Days and Three Nights?
There are explanations from both sides on this issue.
Let us examine what Christ said about the sign that He gave in regard to His messiahship.
“But He answered and said to them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth’” (Matthew 12:39-40).
So just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so Christ would be three days and three nights in the earth (in the tomb or a grave; “hades” in Greek). This was reiterated in Matthew 16:4: “A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah…”
Let us look at the account of this event, as it pertains to Jonah:
“Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights” (Jonah 1:17). Notice, the LORD had prepared the fish and it was big enough to swallow Noah whole.
Then it states that Jonah prayed from the fish’s belly, in Jonah 2:1-9:
“Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish’s belly. And he said: ‘I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction, And He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol [the grave] I cried, And You heard my voice. For You cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the floods surrounded me; All Your billows and Your waves passed over me. Then I said, ‘I have been cast out of Your sight; Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.’ The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; The deep closed around me; Weeds were wrapped around my head. I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD, my God. When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD; And my prayer went up to You, Into Your holy temple. Those who regard worthless idols Forsake their own Mercy. But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.”
Some have assumed that because he prayed from the fish’s belly, he was alive for the three days and nights. Is this a compelling conclusion?
Notice what Jonah said in this prayer. He cried out from the belly of Sheol or the grave (compare verse 1), and he said in verse 6: “Yet you have brought my life from the pit.”
This is what Barnes’ Commentary says:
“The deep waters were as a grave, and he was counted ‘among the dead’ [Psalm 88:4]. Death seemed so certain that it was all one as if he were in the womb of hell, not to be reborn to life until the last Day. So David said [in Psalm 18:5:] ‘The bands of death compassed me round about’; and [in Psalm 30:3:] ‘Thou hast drawn my life out of hell.’ The waters choked his speech; but he cried with a loud cry to God Who knew the heart. ‘I cried; Thou heardest.’ The words vary only by a kindred letter. The real heart’s cry to God according to the mind of God and His hearing are one, whether, for man’s good, He seems at the time to hear or [not].
“Not of the voice but of the heart is God the Hearer, as He is the Seer. Do the ears of God wait for sound? How then could the prayer of Jonah from the inmost belly of the whale, through the bowels of so great a creature, out of the very bottomless depths, through so great a mass of waters, make its way to heaven? Loud crying to God is not with the voice but with the heart. Many, silent with their lips, have cried aloud with their heart; many, noisy with their lips, could, with heart turned away, obtain nothing. ‘If then thou criest, cry within, where God heareth.’ Jonah cried aloud to God out of the fish’s belly, out of the deep of the sea, out of the depths of disobedience; and his prayer reached to God, Who rescued him from the waves, brought him forth out of the vast creature, absolved him from the guilt. Let the sinner too cry aloud, whom, departing from God, the storm of desires overwhelmed, the malignant Enemy devoured, the waves of this present world sucked under! Let him own that he is in the depth, that so his prayer may reach to God.”
Notice what Clarke’s Commentary says:
“The text, and the use made of it by Christ, most plainly teach us that the prophet was literally swallowed by a fish, by the order of God; and that by the Divine power he was preserved alive, for what is called three days and three nights, in the stomach of the fish; and at the conclusion of the above time that same fish was led by the unseen power of God to the shore, and there compelled to eject the prey that he could neither kill nor digest. And how easy is all this to the almighty power of the Author and Sustainer of life, who has a sovereign, omnipresent, and energetic sway in the heavens and in the earth.
“But foolish man will affect to be wise; though, in such cases, he appears as the recently born, stupid offspring of the wild ass. It is bad to follow fancy, where there is so much at stake. Both ancients and moderns have grievously trifled with this prophet’s narrative; merely because they could not rationally account for the thing, and were unwilling (and why?) to allow any miraculous interference.”
So the belief by some is that Jonah was alive for three days and three nights, but is this compelling in relationship to what happened to Christ?
We need to emphasize that Christ was dead in the grave for three days and three nights. During that time, He had no consciousness. He was in a dark tomb [he also called it “a pit”] with the temperature cool enough so that He did not decay during the three days and three nights. After the three days and three nights, He was resurrected from the dead as a glorified God being.
If Jonah was alive for the whole time, then the significance of the parallel between Jonah’s fate and Christ’s sign would be lost to an extent. Christ said that AS Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, SO Christ would be three days and three nights in the tomb. It appears that the sign was not only in regard to the three days and three nights, but also in regard to the condition of both Jonah and Christ. As Christ would be dead in the grave—the heart of the earth–, SO was Jonah dead in the watery grave or pit of the fish’s belly.
It appears therefore much more likely that Jonah was dead in the belly of the sea monster, but just before losing consciousness, he said his prayer, as it was later recorded in the second chapter of the book of Jonah. It is a remarkable prayer, as it expresses the confidence that he would live again and bring God sacrifices and fulfill his vows (verse 9). He was in a dark place, as Christ was in the tomb, and after three days and three nights, Jonah was resurrected to physical life, as Christ was resurrected to immortal life.
Lead Writers: Rene Messier (Canada) and Norbert Link
Peace at Last
One of my favorite Scriptures about the Millennium which shows what conditions will exist in Jerusalem in the future, is in the eighth chapter of the book of Zechariah, verses 3-5:
“Thus says the LORD: ‘I will return to Zion, And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the LORD of hosts, The Holy Mountain.’ Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Old men and old women shall again sit In the streets of Jerusalem, Each one with his staff in his hand Because of great age. The streets of the city Shall be full of boys and girls Playing in its streets.'”
Christ promises here that He will return to Jerusalem, and we also get a glimpse of conditions there when old men and women will sit in the streets and young boys and girls will play there without fear of harm.
What a contrast as to what we see there today, with terrorists attacking citizens, setting off bombs which kill innocent men, women and also children, while young Palestinians are not only taught to hate the Jews, but also, how to stab them to death.
Things will only get worse until the return of Christ, when a new mindset will be instilled in people, causing totally different conditions.
Jeremiah 30:18-20 tells us:
“Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will bring back the captivity of Jacob’s tents, And have mercy on his dwelling places; The city shall be built upon its own mound, And the palace shall remain according to its own plan. Then out of them shall proceed thanksgiving And the voice of those who make merry; I will multiply them, and they shall not diminish; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small. Their children also shall be as before, And their congregation shall be established before Me; And I will punish all who oppress them.”
Eventually, there will be peace in the region which has been impossible to achieve under the current rulers in the area, because of the absolute hatred for the Jews and the desire of some of the surrounding Arab nations to completely annihilate the state of Israel.
But this will change, as we read in Jeremiah 31:33-34:
“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
For conditions to improve in the Middle East, a change of heart and attitude is needed for all the nations in the area, and then, and only then, will there be peace in that part of the world, and in all countries. Let us pray that those wonderful days are not too far in the future.
