“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.
Isaiah 14:12-15 NKJV
This passage does not refer to Satan. Lucifer is hêylêl, a Hebrew word which translates directly to "Morning Star". The entire Chap 13 and 14 talks about fall of Assyria, typified as the "Kings of Babylon", likely because of the influence of the Babylonian culture of the day, Assyrian Kings (Sargon II and Sennacherib) likened themselves like "Kings of Babylon". Pretty much like the Roman empire who adopts Greek culture and religion due to its deep infiltration into popular culture of that time. So Babylon really referred to the Assyrian Kings who dominates the world during Isaiah's time.
Although this verses does not refer to Satan, its principals actually applies. The lesson to be abstracted here is that the King of Babylon, just like Satan (Luke 10:18, Rev 12:8-9), has fallen because of pride. Just like Satan, human leaders can fall into the very same temptation of thinking he has control over his destiny, thus resulting in rebellion and turmoil. Ultimately, it is this same characteristic in both wicked men and demons which will lead them to destruction by the one Holy God.
Friday, 30 June 2017
Thursday, 29 June 2017
The Great Day of the Lord
The bible talks about the "Great and Terrible day of the Lord". Many believers look forward to this event, whereby we are often taught that it will be a day of redemption, where we finally meet our maker face to face.
True as it is, Salvation is not free for all as one might have been taught. Many have a misconception of using Jesus as a talisman, or perhaps a passport for eternal security; thus percieve to be evading judgement. However, if the truth is the truth, such teaching can put false believers at risk of thinking that they are believers.
Well, I am not trying to put any additional criteria for eternal life. Ephesians 2:8 says Salvation comes by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ. But further in v10 it also says that we are saved FOR GOOD WORKS. Which means that if the faith of a self professing believer does not result in good works, it will defeat the very purpose which we are saved for. Then we will have to exercise what John said in his 1st Epistle regarding what exactly is a true believer (1 John 2:3-6). If one continues to live in disobedience, he is not a true believer as he does not walk in the light (1 John 1:5-9)
Hence the Day of the Lord, which we can safely say refers to his 2nd coming, or the great white throne judgement after his 1000 year rule, is not good news to everyone. Isaiah gave an account of it :
Behold, the day of the Lord comes, Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, To lay the land desolate; And He will destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not give their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, And the moon will not cause its light to shine.
True as it is, Salvation is not free for all as one might have been taught. Many have a misconception of using Jesus as a talisman, or perhaps a passport for eternal security; thus percieve to be evading judgement. However, if the truth is the truth, such teaching can put false believers at risk of thinking that they are believers.
Well, I am not trying to put any additional criteria for eternal life. Ephesians 2:8 says Salvation comes by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ. But further in v10 it also says that we are saved FOR GOOD WORKS. Which means that if the faith of a self professing believer does not result in good works, it will defeat the very purpose which we are saved for. Then we will have to exercise what John said in his 1st Epistle regarding what exactly is a true believer (1 John 2:3-6). If one continues to live in disobedience, he is not a true believer as he does not walk in the light (1 John 1:5-9)
Hence the Day of the Lord, which we can safely say refers to his 2nd coming, or the great white throne judgement after his 1000 year rule, is not good news to everyone. Isaiah gave an account of it :
Behold, the day of the Lord comes, Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, To lay the land desolate; And He will destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not give their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, And the moon will not cause its light to shine.
Isaiah 13:9-10 NKJV
The word for Constellation is "kesîyl".
http://biblehub.com/hebrew/3685.htm
"kesîyl" to the Jews refers specifically to Orion who arrogantly challenged God with his human pride. The expression of V10 indicates how Orion, being a great hunter, had spiritually missed the target by refuse submission to God.
Though Orion is a myth, the Jewish rendition of it still speaks. On the Day of the Lord, sinners will be exterminated (V9) for refusal to submit to God and his instructions. There will be great darkness whereby the Sun, moon and Stars will not give it's light (V10). Light is a characteristic of God, hence Darkness is of Sinful men (John 3:19-21). It is evident that on that day, God will come in darkness to judge all unbelievers, including unbelievers who thinks they are believers just by going to church.
(The darkening of the Sun, Mòon and Stars was also mentioned in Joel, repeates by Peter in his sermon in Acts 2. This was also related to the opening of the 6th Seal in Revelation 6:12-17.
The word for Constellation is "kesîyl".
http://biblehub.com/hebrew/3685.htm
"kesîyl" to the Jews refers specifically to Orion who arrogantly challenged God with his human pride. The expression of V10 indicates how Orion, being a great hunter, had spiritually missed the target by refuse submission to God.
Though Orion is a myth, the Jewish rendition of it still speaks. On the Day of the Lord, sinners will be exterminated (V9) for refusal to submit to God and his instructions. There will be great darkness whereby the Sun, moon and Stars will not give it's light (V10). Light is a characteristic of God, hence Darkness is of Sinful men (John 3:19-21). It is evident that on that day, God will come in darkness to judge all unbelievers, including unbelievers who thinks they are believers just by going to church.
(The darkening of the Sun, Mòon and Stars was also mentioned in Joel, repeates by Peter in his sermon in Acts 2. This was also related to the opening of the 6th Seal in Revelation 6:12-17.
Friday, 16 June 2017
Do you call evil and evil good?
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!
Isaiah 5:20-21 NKJV
Is this relevant to the church today? You bet. What Isaiah foresaw was a time when Israelites challenged God's authority. They think they have better definition of what is right or wrong, better than God. And therefore they even challenged God for him to hasten his work of judgement (Isa 5:19). So what exactly is the church today doing that is calling evil good and good evil, and calling darkness light and light darkness?
1. LGBT - Bible is clear, homosexuality is Sin, just like any other sins. In the name of love, many has accepted the concept. Thinking that it is out of love that they accept them for who they are. Just like how the church ought to deal with anyone in the congregation who steals, are vulgar or even abusive, sexual sinners alike are ought to be dealt with, LGBTs are no exception. This is not a statement to drive all sinners away, for God is Love and does not delight in judgement . But if they reject counsel, then they reject God, and he will have to judge. It's simple as that. It is not for us to justify their nature. There is simply no such thing as a Christian butch or a Christian Gay.
2. Biblical truths - Do you hear Christians today telling you, "Everyone has different ways of intepreting the bible, so who is anyone to judge who is correct or not?". While it is true that there are some degrees of differences from person to person, some "differences" are simply heretic. Many of the idealogies that are taught in church today are more or less influenced by Antinomianism, Legalism, Dominian Theology, New Apostolic Reformation, Prosperity gospel, Christian Science or even Psycho Analysis, etc. Are Pastors today teaching according to sound biblical context or man's opinions? Are Christian idealogies today based on sound biblical principals or human idealogies? One good example is to accredit Sickness to Sin, and poor believers are made to confess all their sins in order to recieve healing, this is worse than Legalism.
3. Worldliness - Does your church teaching allow you to pursue your own life without having to serve God? While we cannot judge if any individual is actually pursuing Godliness in their lives, we can certainly say that the teachings of the Prophets and Apostles are too compelling to be ignored. Apostle Paul teaches that Coveteousness is idolatry (Col 3:5). This is exactly what Isaiah meant in Isaiah 5:22. Wine in his prophecies is a picture of luxuries and worldliness. There is absolutely nothing wrong for one to aim to upgrade his home, car or even enjoy a fine meal or holiday. But the idea of getting drunk with wine (Isaiah 5:11) is also a picture of one who indulges himself with pleasures of life. Do you often tell yourself that "Maybe I will consider serving God when my career is established and my kids are grown up, I'm sure God understands."? Or perhaps some don't even consider that because all they think about is getting a bigger house, nicer car, higher pay check, and God is simply confined to Sunday Service? That is exactly what Isaiah had in mind when he foresaw God's judgement, and we know his is coming back with a winnowing fork to seperate the tares from the wheat.
Romans 3:20-22 clearly says that we are not jusified by the deeds of the Law, but by Jesus Christ alone. But Romans 6 clearly states that those who are saved under Grace will be slaves to righteousness. Those who are truly saved will reflect the true nature of Christ who lives us. It needn't be an immediate transformation, but it will be a sincere progression to reflect his Christlikeness. At the end of the day, we have to question ourselves if we are truly Christians or we are actually rejecting God's Laws without realizing it.
Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble, And the flame consumes the chaff, So their root will be as rottenness, And their blossom will ascend like dust; Because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts, And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 5:24 NKJV
Are we ostracizing believers who impede us from the pursuit of Worldliness? Are we persecuting those who promote the pursuit of Godliness? Are we calling evil good and good evil?
Isaiah 5:20-21 NKJV
Is this relevant to the church today? You bet. What Isaiah foresaw was a time when Israelites challenged God's authority. They think they have better definition of what is right or wrong, better than God. And therefore they even challenged God for him to hasten his work of judgement (Isa 5:19). So what exactly is the church today doing that is calling evil good and good evil, and calling darkness light and light darkness?
1. LGBT - Bible is clear, homosexuality is Sin, just like any other sins. In the name of love, many has accepted the concept. Thinking that it is out of love that they accept them for who they are. Just like how the church ought to deal with anyone in the congregation who steals, are vulgar or even abusive, sexual sinners alike are ought to be dealt with, LGBTs are no exception. This is not a statement to drive all sinners away, for God is Love and does not delight in judgement . But if they reject counsel, then they reject God, and he will have to judge. It's simple as that. It is not for us to justify their nature. There is simply no such thing as a Christian butch or a Christian Gay.
2. Biblical truths - Do you hear Christians today telling you, "Everyone has different ways of intepreting the bible, so who is anyone to judge who is correct or not?". While it is true that there are some degrees of differences from person to person, some "differences" are simply heretic. Many of the idealogies that are taught in church today are more or less influenced by Antinomianism, Legalism, Dominian Theology, New Apostolic Reformation, Prosperity gospel, Christian Science or even Psycho Analysis, etc. Are Pastors today teaching according to sound biblical context or man's opinions? Are Christian idealogies today based on sound biblical principals or human idealogies? One good example is to accredit Sickness to Sin, and poor believers are made to confess all their sins in order to recieve healing, this is worse than Legalism.
3. Worldliness - Does your church teaching allow you to pursue your own life without having to serve God? While we cannot judge if any individual is actually pursuing Godliness in their lives, we can certainly say that the teachings of the Prophets and Apostles are too compelling to be ignored. Apostle Paul teaches that Coveteousness is idolatry (Col 3:5). This is exactly what Isaiah meant in Isaiah 5:22. Wine in his prophecies is a picture of luxuries and worldliness. There is absolutely nothing wrong for one to aim to upgrade his home, car or even enjoy a fine meal or holiday. But the idea of getting drunk with wine (Isaiah 5:11) is also a picture of one who indulges himself with pleasures of life. Do you often tell yourself that "Maybe I will consider serving God when my career is established and my kids are grown up, I'm sure God understands."? Or perhaps some don't even consider that because all they think about is getting a bigger house, nicer car, higher pay check, and God is simply confined to Sunday Service? That is exactly what Isaiah had in mind when he foresaw God's judgement, and we know his is coming back with a winnowing fork to seperate the tares from the wheat.
Romans 3:20-22 clearly says that we are not jusified by the deeds of the Law, but by Jesus Christ alone. But Romans 6 clearly states that those who are saved under Grace will be slaves to righteousness. Those who are truly saved will reflect the true nature of Christ who lives us. It needn't be an immediate transformation, but it will be a sincere progression to reflect his Christlikeness. At the end of the day, we have to question ourselves if we are truly Christians or we are actually rejecting God's Laws without realizing it.
Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble, And the flame consumes the chaff, So their root will be as rottenness, And their blossom will ascend like dust; Because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts, And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 5:24 NKJV
Are we ostracizing believers who impede us from the pursuit of Worldliness? Are we persecuting those who promote the pursuit of Godliness? Are we calling evil good and good evil?
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