2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
A large part of what Satan does is to accuse people, often bearing false witness. It’s one thing to say that he is God’s (and our) enemy, but we must look into exact how he is that. We already know that bearing false witness is a subject God brought forth to mankind when He gave Moses the Ten Commandments [EX 20: 16-“Thou shalt not bear false witness”]. In a recent lesson in the course on discipleship that I am taking called MasterLife, we dealt with the issue of reconciliation. This examined God’s will, the establishment of reconciliation that takes place between God and man when we come to faith and reconciling with others in one’s life. Some of the salient points made in that lesson are worth sharing here: 1) Seek peace [HE 12: 14]; 2) Be pure and holy; 3) Prevent bitterness and resentment; 4) Our love for God is reflected in our love for one another [1 JN 4: 21]; 5) Christ set the example for restoring broken relationships [RO 5: 1]; 6) There are serious spiritual consequences for not forgiving [MT 6: 14-15]; 7) God directs us on how much forgiveness to offer [MT 18: 21-22]; 8) Christ has given us a new commandment to love one another [JN 13: 33-34]; 9) Bitterness is Satan’s will, and we shouldn’t let it settle in.
Within this last category was some important “combat intelligence” that I feel led to share. Forgiveness is a deliberate act of the will. Satan tempts us to retry the person’s case in your emotions and reminds us of how much we hurt. In other words, Satan entices us to hold grudges. Doing that is never constructive. Forgiveness releases us from torment. Satan loves us to feel tormented. When we forgive someone, we place that person’s case in God’s court. Forgiveness causes us to rely on God’s resources. I promise that this subject will be discussed in more detail in the future, but for now, I hope you will take the time to look up the citations included and see for yourself the crucial revelation in them of God’s will. One more that I simply must include is EPH 4: 2-3, “Be always humble, gentle, and patient. Show your love be being tolerant with one another. Do your best to preserve the unity which the Spirit give by means of the peace that binds you together.”
It stands to reason that we need to have a clear picture of the contrast between the future of the lost (those under Satan's dominion) and the redeemed (those with faith in Christ). Like any question of it’s kind, there will be some who will say, “well, that’s obvious. Why spend the time on that?” In the larger sense they have a point, but remember that God includes teaching in the Bible that gives us a deeper understanding of His will for us and precious motivation to stay the course of our faith in Him. Such is the case with what we learn in REV 20: 11-22: 21, which I hope you will read. First, look at what happens to the lost. They will be judged according to their deeds [20: 12]. They will go to the lake of fire and sulfur for eternity [20:14]. They are not listed in the book of life [20: 15]. They are liars whose place is in the lake of fire [21: 8]. They are impure and will never enter the new Jerusalem [21: 18]. They will be kept outside the city [22: 15]. A couple of graphic descriptions that come to my mind to give us an hint of what this means are the temporary banishment from the camp of the prophetess, Miriam, when God allowed her to be afflicted with leprosy for speaking sharply about Him in NU 12: 9-15. While this was only temporary, and the fate of those led by Satan is permanent, we begin to understand the exclusion and disgrace they will feel by this example. The other example comes in LK 16: 19-31 in the story of the rich man and Lazarus. The gulf that separates the lost from the redeemed cannot be crossed.
I will begin the description of the future of the redeemed from REV 20: 11-22: 21, knowing that due to space considerations it will have to be completed in tomorrow’s message. Hang in there, because this too, is important “combat intelligence” that God gives us to motivate our willingness to endure through spiritual warfare in faith. The redeemed will be judged according to their righteous deeds [20: 12]. They can look forward to eternal life with God rather than the lake of fire [21: 3]. There will be no more tears, death, grief, or pain [21: 4], which consummates the prophecies of IS 25: 8 and 1 COR 15: 54. They will have the right to drink from spring of the water of life without paying for it [21: 7]. They will be God’s children [21:7]. They will dwell in the new Jerusalem upon which God’s glory shines [21: 9-10]. The name and face of the Lord will be written on their foreheads [22:5]. They can eat fruit from the tree of life [22:14]. They can go through the city gates [22: 14]. The contrast seen here is remarkable both in its faith-building character and in the motivation to endure in faith that God is giving us. We must look at our own lives and meditate upon how these truths impact them.
PRAYER: O Lord, You have given us much to think about today. I know that it is Your will that we spend time with the knowledge You give us gaining understanding of how it applies in our own lives. You have designated Jerusalem as Your city on a hill. As long ago as Isaiah’s time, You told him in IS 31: 4, “No matter how shepherds yell and shout, they cannot scare away a lion from an animal that it has killed; in the same way, there is nothing that can keep Me, the Lord Almighty, from protecting Mount Zion.” You have given us instructions for us to remember in MT 5: 14-16, “You are like light for the whole world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl; instead, he puts it on the lampstand, where it gives light for everyone in the house. In that same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.” We learned in PS 2: 6 that “On Zion, my sacred hill, I have installed My King.” In so many ways You confirm to us that our permanent home is to be in the new Jerusalem with You. You have caused us to want this more than anything else. Your love for us is acknowledged and held precious. We come before You as imperfect with our hearts open to having You perfect us. We are Your servants and Your friends, because that is Your loving and most gracious will. We thank You for sending Christ on the cross to open that narrow gate, so we could walk the hard path to eternal life with You. We pledge You our trust, obedience, adoration, worship, diligence, loyalty, glory, and honor every day of our lives. Most of all, we offer You praise for Who You are and the heart of love You have for us. We join David in saying, “Sing praise to the Lord, Who rules in Zion! Tell every nation what He has done! [PS 9: 11]. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, I am led to discuss some of the contrasts presented today in the future of the lost and that of the redeemed. If space permits, I will then move on to comparing life under Satan to life under God. In the meanwhile, bask in the warm glow of our Savior’s love, knowing that He is the Advocate, Intercessor, and Encourager that God has sent to help us through spiritual warfare. We don’t fight this battle alone, unequipped, or abandoned. Our Abba loves us every day of our lives. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn