What a celebration! It is the glory of our Lord that He desires for us to return to Him as did Hezekiah in this day. Ahaz had left a horrid legacy for Hezekiah. Under Ahaz’s authority, “They. . .shut up the doors of the vestibule, put out the lamps, and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel.” It is a sad day when we quit seeking the glory of the Lord. But equally so, it is a joyful day when we return to seeking Him. Notice the order that the Levites took to seeking the Lord. First they cleansed the temple then they offered themselves and sacrificed. Remember sacrifices speak of the Lord Jesus. Finally there was great unity and rejoicing together.
One day we will all sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Our cleansing will be complete. The sacrifices will be done. We will enjoy His glory. We will enjoy each other. It is the glory of the Lord that He desires such unity. O Lord speed that day! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
PROVERBS 24
I remember clearly when I first heard of Randall Terry’s Operation Rescue. It was a radio report of a protest which he was leading at an abortion death chamber in Wichita, Kansas. Convinced that life begins at conception, Mr. Terry reasoned that to do nothing about abortion was to be an accomplice to the death of the innocents in the womb. At the same time, he was committed to the non-violence principles of the Scripture. He rallied his supporters around Proverbs 24:11-12:
Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Surely we did not know this,” Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?How do you rescue those bound for death without violence? You lay down your life and place your body between them and the executioner. You go limp when the police try to drag you away. You may remember the result. Randall Terry and his followers were arrested multiple times in many cities. It was quite frustrating for the pro-death advocates. His ministry was slowing down the death trafficking, but it was not eliminating it. Finally the U.S. government used the Racketeering Laws to bring an end to his radical involvement.
Unable to continue his protests, Mr. Randall has sought other means to bring an end to the abortion practices of our country. Among them was a run for the Presidency on the Democratic ticket against President Obama. In Oklahoma he received 18,400 votes or 18 percent in Oklahoma’s Democratic Primary. Numerically it was enough to secure one delegate at the National Convention; however, he did not get the proper paper work in, so he lost the delegate. One has to admire his desire to stand against what he sees as evil. He surely has done what he could to end the American death march which has now interred without a funeral over 50,000,000 since 1973.
That is the positive side of Mr. Terry. However, if one would go the Operation Rescue website at http://www.operationrescue.org/about-us/who-we-are , one would find a darker side to Mr. Terry. My using him as an example does not mean I endorse him whole heartedly. Indeed it would seem that since Mr. Terry and Operation Rescue parted ways that Operation Rescue has taken a higher road of ethics than has Mr. Terry. But I do think that he provides a somewhat interesting type of Christ.
What does this have to do with the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ? Jesus, the eternal Word of God saw that we were headed for death. He placed Himself on the line. The police came and took Him to His place of death. He volunteered to place His body between us and the wrath of God. He died to take our death, experiencing the full wrath of God. He rose again to defeat our death. Now He offers pardon and peace to all who will trust in Him. He does not just give wise advice in His word, He does it! Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
REVELATION 15
Fire in the Scripture is frequently a symbol of the judgment of God. Fire burns away the impurities leaving only the pure metals. Fire kills bacteria leaving clean vessels. Here the saints who have victory are seen standing on a sea of glass mingled with fire. We presume that the fire does not burn or harm them because that which is dross has already been burned away. Even in the midst of God’s holiness they stand victorious because the Lamb has removed their sin and given them His righteousness.
They sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. Presumably The Song of Moses is the one recorded in Exodus 15. It is the song that he and the children of Israel sang after God’s mighty deliverance from the Egyptians through the Red Sea. The song of the Lamb for the saints would be the song we sing because He has delivered us. He brings us safe through His judgments. He took the judgment for us on our behalf. It is a great and marvelous work! It truly demonstrates once again that He is the Almighty. His deliverance is just. He cannot be accused in any way of injustice. His deliverance is true. It is completely consistent with all of what He is like. He indeed is holy in all that He has done!
After His judgment is done, He opens His tabernacle and temple. The saints cannot enter at first, because it is filled with His wrath. His wrath is still hot against those who refuse to trust in the Lamb. Once the wrath is removed, the saints, we, are invited into His presence. For this we are destined, to enjoy forever the presence of the Almighty God without interference from any sin or unholiness. It will be pure ecstasy. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
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