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    steve's Blog
          This blog is dedicated to daily Bible study.

    Sun, Jun 30th - 9:22AM

    Exodus 32:30-35



    Exodus 32:30 On the next day Moses said to the people, “You yourselves have committed a great sin; and now I am going up to the LORD, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31Then Moses returned to the LORD, and said, “Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves. 32“But now, if You will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!” 33The LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. 34“But go now, lead the people where I told you. Behold, My angel shall go before you; nevertheless in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.” 35Then the LORD smote the people, because of what they did with the calf which Aaron had made. (NASB)

    I think the book that is mentioned in these verses is the Book of Life.  The same Book of Life mentioned in Revelation 20 and mentioned in Psalm 69:28, Philippians 4:3, and Revelation 3:5.  A lot of detail isn’t given in the Bible about the Book of Life but it is obvious from scripture that the names of the righteous are written in the book while those who commit sin are often mentioned as having their named erased from the Book of Life.  We see in Revelation 20 in what is called the Great White Throne Judgment that God judges man from the book and if your name is not written in the Book of Life then you are cast into the Lake of Fire. 

    A lot of people don’t like to talk about the judgment of God but the Bible is clear God is going to judge man.  We see this in Revelation 20, Romans 14:10, and Hebrews 9:27 just to name a few verses.  If you have been born again and accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior you have nothing to fear your name is written in the Book of Life but if you have refused to accept salvation in Christ and continue to sin then you have everything to fear because if your name is not written in the Book of Life then your destiny is hell.  A lot of people don’t like to talk about this but this is reality.  Christ died on the cross for your sins so that you can escape the judgment of God but if you refuse God’s gift of salvation through Christ then you have decided your own fate. 



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    Sat, Jun 29th - 2:42PM

    luke 21:36



    Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

    There are tough times ahead for this world.  There is a coming time of God’s judgment on the world known as the tribulation.  (Matthew 24:21)  These are the events described in the Book of Revelation.  It is going to be seven years of God unleashing His wrath on mankind for their rebellion and rejection of salvation through Christ.  But if you have been saved, meaning you have accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have nothing to fear because God is going to remove His church from the world before this happens.  This is the event that is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.  The church will be taken out of the world to escape the wrath of God and we will join Christ in heaven. 

    The most important thing is what will you hear when you stand before God to be judged?  Will it be, “well done good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21) or will you hear that your name is not written in the Book of Life and that you are to be cast into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 21:11-15)  I know a lot of people has a hard time believing this but it doesn’t make it any less true.

    This world has an expiration date that only God knows.  Someday pretty soon He is going to remove His church from this world and unleash His wrath on mankind and someday pretty soon we will all stand before God to give an account of our lives.  If you have been born again you have nothing to fear but if you have refused to accept Christ as Lord and Savior then you have everything to fear.  God provided an escape from His judgment and in your arrogance and rebellion you refused Him so God will judge you for your own choices.  As the Bible says you reap what you sow and a lot of people are going to reap the consequences of their rebellion against God.

     



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    Fri, Jun 28th - 11:05PM

    Exodus 32:19-24



    Exodus 32:19 It came about, as soon as Moses came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing; and Moses’ anger burned, and he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain. 20He took the calf which they had made and burned it with fire, and ground it to powder, and scattered it over the surface of the water and made the sons of Israel drink it. 21Then Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought such great sin upon them?” 22Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn; you know the people yourself, that they are prone to evil. 23“For they said to me, ‘Make a god for us who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 24“I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them tear it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.” (NASB)

    The Liberal would have you to believe that man is born good and corrupted by his environment but the Bible makes it clear that man is born sinful and until He is born again in Christ His nature is to sin.  Genesis 6:5 says,

    Genesis 6:5Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually

    And John 3:19 says that man loves the darkness because their deeds are evil.  Moses had only been apart from these people a short while but yet they very quickly returned to their old sinful nature and forgot the God that had led them out of Egypt and turned to idol worship.  We are seeing the same thing in our world today.  People have forgotten God and have tried to go their own way and we are seeing the result of it today but the Bible says we sow what we reap and this world is about to reap the judgment of God.

    You can never be good enough for God outside of Christ.  The nature of man is to sin.  Sin entered into the world through Adam and every person born after that has been guilty of sin except Christ.  That is why only He was able to die as a blameless sin sacrifice for us.  No matter how much of a good person you believe you are you are still guilty of sin and can never be good enough to get to heaven on your own.  The Bible says the penalty of sin is death but Christ bore the sins of the world upon Himself when He died in our place on the cross so that whosoever believes in Him and accepts Him as Lord and Savior can have the forgiveness of sins and eternal life through Him.

     



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    Fri, Jun 28th - 11:02PM

    Luke 21:34,35



    Luke 21:34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. 35For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. (NIV)

    Satan would love to have believers distracted by the cares of the world instead of focused on living the Christian life as a Disciple of Christ.  A believer who is focused on the things of the world in not focused on serving God. 

    Jesus is warning us to be ready because we don’t know when He will return and I am sure that is the reason why we don’t know He will return.  We know how people are, if people knew when Christ was returning they would party it up until it was time then try to get right with God before He returns.  People do it anyway.  Many people live with the attitude of “I am going to enjoy life now; I’ll get right with God when I am older.”  This is foolish.  You are not promised another day or another hour.  You could die tonight and if you haven’t accepted Christ as your Savior then you are headed to hell. 

    Satan makes the things of this world look tempting for a reason.  He wants us focused on seeking sinful pleasures instead of focused on serving God.  The things of this world and the pleasures of this world are temporary.  Don’t let the temporary things of this world decide your eternity.  Every one of us is going to stand before God someday to give account of your life.  If you are un-saved then your destiny is already hell but every believer will give account on how he used the gifts, talents, and resources God gave him to serve God.  Do you want to be judged by God for spending the time God gave you here on earth enjoying the things of the world or be rewarded for spending your time here on earth serving God and doing His will?



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    Thu, Jun 27th - 6:37PM

    Luke 21:33



    Luke 21:33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

    The Word of God is eternal and does not change.  There are many in our world trying to change the Word of God to fit their outlook on life but the Word of God doesn’t change because God doesn’t change.  What was sin 2000 years ago is still sin in the eyes of God.  But what we are seeing in our society today is instead of man changing his outlook on life to fit the Word and the will of God we see man and society trying to change the Word of God to fit their outlook on life and it does work and God is going to judge those who try to do so.

    Take the debate over homosexual marriage as an example, it doesn’t matter what our government determines, or how many clergy support it, or churches support it the Bible is very clear that God’s design for marriage is one man and one woman united till death do them part and that homosexuality is a sin in the eyes of God.  This does not change no matter how much society wants it to and God is going to judge those Christian leaders who have compromised with society in an attempt to be politically correct.

    Just as what is sin doesn’t change every prophecy that is yet to be fulfilled in the Bible will be fulfilled because God’s Word doesn’t change and no one has the power to stop the Word of God from becoming true.

    Jesus is coming back someday to take away His church before the tribulation, (1 Thessalonians 4:16-16) there will be a seven year period of God’s wrath known as the tribulation, (Matthew 24:21), and God will judge all non-believers of their rebellion and reject of Christ as Savior and those not written in the Book of Life will be cast into the Lake of Fire. (Revelation 20)  These things are written in the Bible and they will come true rather you chose to believe it or not.  God’s Word doesn’t change and no one has the power to prevent it from happening.



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    Wed, Jun 26th - 6:32PM

    Exodus 32:1-10



    Exodus 32:1 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2Aaron said to them, “Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” 5Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.” 6So the next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. 7Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. 8“They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’” 9The LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. 10“Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation.” (NASB)

    Look how quickly the people fell back into their old lifestyle of sin and idol worship.  God had performed great miracles before Pharaoh, parted the Red Sea, had provided them food and water in the desert, led them personally through the desert, and chosen them to be the children of God but as soon as Moses is gone for a few days they reject God and plunge into wickedness.

    The history of mankind is a history of rebellion against God from Adam and Eve, to Cain and Abel, the days of Noah, the Tower of Babel, the history of Israel, the crucifixion of Jesus, all the way up to today, literally.  The Supreme Court of the United States made a ruling in favor of the homosexual agenda.  This is a direct slap to God’s idea of marriage and family but in the end it doesn’t matter what the Supreme Court says because God is the ultimate judge and every one of the judges and every politician in Washington will stand before the real Judge someday. 

    This world is turning away from God but we were warned that in the last days there will be great apostasy in the world and we are seeing this now but Satan has blinded mankind to the fact the Bible says every one of us will stand before God to be judged.  While the world is blindly falling away into decadence and wickedness there is a coming time of God’s judgment on the world.  God is a loving and patient God but His patience will not last.  The Bible warns us pretty soon that the children of God, those who have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, will be removed from the world and God is going unleash seven years of His wrath on mankind and then every rebel and everyone who refuse the gift of salvation in Christ will stand before the judgment seat of God and if your name is not written in the Book of Life your destiny is the lake of fire.  This isn’t something I am making up, read about it in Revelation 20.  Whose name is written in the Book of Life?  Those who have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior.  Their destiny is an eternity with God in heaven.  So there are two choices ahead of you heaven or hell, which do you choose?

     



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    Wed, Jun 26th - 6:31PM

    Luke 21:32



    Luke 21:32 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place. (NASB)

    It is obvious when Jesus made this statement He wasn’t referring to the generation of His time because they are long gone.  So He must have been talking about a future generation.  I believe He is saying when the signs of the end times begin that generation that is present at the time will not pass away until all the things Jesus just described in the previous verses take place and in the previous verses He was describing two different time periods.  One has already passed which was the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and the other time period is the last days which of course are still to come. 

    I am not going to speculate on when Jesus is coming back because the Bible says no one knows but the Father but I do believe things are falling into place for His return such as the regathering of the Jews into the land of Israel for example. 

    I believe the church can be taken up out of the world at any moment so the most important thing is to be ready for His return as He warned us to be.  Someday pretty soon God is going to remove those who have been born again, those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, and then He is going to unleash seven years of His wrath and judgment on mankind and then every non-believer, those who rejected Christ as Lord and Savior, will stand before God to be judged and when their name is not found written in the Book of Life they will be cast into the lake of fire.  But this doesn’t have to be your fate if you would just choose to leave your life of sin behind and accept Christ as Lord and Savior.



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    Tue, Jun 25th - 6:36PM

    Luke 21:29-31



    Luke 21:29 Then He told them a parable: “Behold the fig tree and all the trees; 30as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near. 31“So you also, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near. (NASB)

    The Bible says no one except the Father knows when Christ will return but the Bible does give us signs to look out for that would give us an idea we are approaching the end times and some of these signs are already happening.

    The rebirth of the nation of Israel is a major one.  The nation of Israel was destroyed by the Romans in A.D. but the book Ezekiel told of the rebirth of the nation of Israel and this happened in 1948.

    We see the ability like never before the ability for prophecy to come true.  Revelation 13 describes the mark of the beast.  Like never before government has the ability to track every citizen it is realm.  Through the use of bar codes and chips the government has the ability right now if it wanted to force people to have this and track every individual.  We already know from the recent NSA scandals the government has the ability to keep track of our communications.

    Matthew 24:14 says the Gospel will be preached in all the world.  We know there are very few places that are left that have not heard the Gospel and with the invention of the internet we can reach places that are often restricted to actual missionaries.  I myself belong to an online group that talks to people around the world in such places as Iran, North Korea, China, and other places about Christ through the internet. 

    We now have the ability for Revelation 11:9 to come true.  With modern advances in TV and internet the whole world can see the two witnesses lying died and see their resurrection. 

    We see the increase of knowledge as described in Daniel 12:4.  Just think of how far we have advanced in just a couple hundred years.  From the time of Adam to just recently if man traveled he either walked or rode a horse but since first the invention of the train and then the automobile, and then the plane we can travel like never before.  What once took months now takes hours.  Look at the field of communications, since the time of Adam to just recently if man wanted to communicate with one another he either had to go find him or send a hand written message now I can sit here in my house and talk to people around the world through my computer or my phone.  Most of these inventions have been created in the last two hundred years.  For thousands of years man traveled and communicated pretty much the same way since Biblical times. 

    But one of the biggest signs I think we are seeing is the state of mankind itself.  In places that have been traditional Christian such as North America and Europe we are seeing the apostasy that Paul talked about in 2 Timothy 3.  We live in an age where the murder of children is defended as a woman’s right, where marriage between a woman and a man is seen as intolerant and hateful while those who choose alternate lifestyles are celebrated.  A place where those who call themselves Christians have aligned themselves with society and attack those who stand for Biblical truths.  We live in a world that is becoming openly hostile to Christianity while at the same time they are becoming open to other religions.  We truly live in a world were evil is called good and good is called evil (Isaiah 5:20)

    This is just a few signs of many I think we are seeing.  I could go on with this but the point is the signs that we are approaching the end times is there for all to see.  The biggest question is are you read?  The Bible says that God will remove His church before his coming wrath but those who have rejected Him will be left behind to face His 7 years of wrath and that is all before you stand before the judgment seat of God to be personally judged for your rebellion and sins.



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    Sun, Jun 23rd - 8:08AM

    Luke 21:20-24



    Luke 21:20 But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. 21“Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city; 22because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled. 23“Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people; 24and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (NASB)

    These events that Jesus is prophesying here took place in A.D. 70 just like He said they would.  During the Jewish revolt against Rome the Roman army laid sieged to Jerusalem and after forcing their way into the city they killed hundreds of Jews, destroyed the city and completely destroyed the Jewish Temple just as Jesus had prophesied they would earlier.  What Jews weren’t killed were led into slavery and many of the Jews outside of Jerusalem fled to other countries and the nation of Israel cease to exist until modern times.  This was God’s punishment for their rejection of Christ as their Savior.  God had sent His Son to His people and they had rejected Him and crucified Him but this had all been prophesied in the Old Testament.  God knows the heart of mankind and knows what we will do before we do and He knew His people would reject His Son but God also had a plan. 

    The book of Ezekiel prophesied that God would restore the nation of Israel and bring them back from the countries were they had been scattered to and this happened in 1948.  The nation of Israel after disappearing for almost 2000 years was restored.  But this had all been prophesied in the Old Testament that it would happen and it did.  What is written in the Bible will come true because no one has the power to stop it including the events yet to come that was prophesied about the last days because one of the reasons the nation of Israel was restored is the nation and the Jewish Temple which is yet to be rebuilt both have major rolls to play in the end times events.  So if the nation of Israel had to be restored for some of the end times events to happen how far off are we from the rest of prophecy concerning the end from coming true.  I honestly believe we are not to far off but one thing you can be sure of is that with each passing day we are one day closer.  The most important question is are you ready?  If you are a Christian you have nothing to fear because we know we are headed to heaven but if you are not a Christian than you have everything to fear because just as God judged the nation of Israel for their rejection of Him is going to judge the rest of mankind for their rejection of Him. 



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    Sat, Jun 22nd - 10:11PM

    Exodus 20:1-17



    Exodus 20:1Then God spoke all these words, saying,

    2“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

    3“You shall have no other gods before Me.

    4“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 5“You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

    7“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.

    8“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9“Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. 11“For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

    12“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.

    13“You shall not murder.

    14“You shall not commit adultery.

    15“You shall not steal.

    16“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

    17“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (NASB)

    These verses of course are the Ten Commandments.  In Matthew 22:40 Jesus said all of the Law and the prophets hang on two commandments.  The first was to love the Lord God with all thy heart, soul, and mind and the second commandment was to love thy neighbor as thyself.  Was Jesus discounting the Ten Commandments are any of the other commandments in the Bible?  No, of course not.  If you think about those two commandments they sum up all of the Ten Commandments and any other commandments from God. 

    If you truly love God you won’t have any other gods before Him, you will not worship any other gods, you won’t take His holy name in vain, and you will obey everything He commands and put Him first in your life.  If you truly love your neighbor and in the Biblical sense everyone is our neighbor you will honor and obey your parents, you will not commit murder, you will not commit adultery, you will not steal, you will not lie about others, and you will not covet what your neighbor has. 

    If you truly love God and you truly love others you will fulfill all of the commandments of God because if you truly love God you will obey Him and put Him first in your life and if you truly love others you will respect them and desire that no harm comes to them. 

     

     



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    Sat, Jun 22nd - 10:10PM

    Luke 21:16-19



    Luke 21:16 But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, 17and you will be hated by all because of My name. 18“Yet not a hair of your head will perish. 19“By your endurance you will gain your lives. (NASB)

    Jesus promised His Disciples that they would face persecution and they did.  We know from history that the early church was heavily persecuted first by the Jews and then by the Romans.  Today Christians around the world face persecution from hostile Muslim, Hindu, and Communists governments and even in the West where Christianity has often been protected we see hostility starting to rise not only from liberal groups but from liberal governments including the Obama administration.  But Christ told us ahead of time that we will be hated.  We will be hated because we refuse to compromise with the world.  We are hated because we stand on the Word of God and refuse to compromise on issues like abortion, homosexual marriages, and that fact we claim Christ is the only way to heaven.  Most importantly we are hated because Satan hates the children of God and uses those who are not the children of God against us.  It is no accident that those who will go out of their way to appease Muslims in this country have no problem with attacking Christians.  They are puppets of Satan and don’t even realize it.

     But Christ has promised we will be protected.  This doesn’t mean we won’t be physically persecuted but it does mean we are under the protection of God and though our enemies might harm us physically they can never harm us spiritually and if we are to lose our lives for our faith we know we have an award in heaven because those who endure and do not cave into the pressures of the world to conform will receive their award in heaven.

    We know from reading the Bible that before Christ returns for His church things will get worse and I believe we are already seeing this.  When the government considers Evangelical Christians or anybody that takes a stand on the Word of God against the liberal policies of our government a hate group we know we have troubling coming but we know the end of the story.  Christ will return for His church and those who made themselves the enemy of God will be judged.  



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    Sat, Jun 22nd - 1:26AM

    Exodus 20:1-3



    Exodus 20:1 Then God spoke all these words, saying, 2“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3“You shall have no other gods before Me.

    In these verses we have the first of the Ten Commandments.  The first commandment is to have no other gods before God.  When we think of this commandment many of us automatically think of idol worship that many of the pagan nations were involved in at this time but what we fail to realize a god doesn’t just have to be a stone or wooded idol.  A god can be anything we allow to be the focus of our life.  Rather that is money, career, sex, possessions, power, family, or whatever we allow to be the focus of our life.  If God isn’t the center of our lives than that means something or someone else is.  It could be our self.  Many of us know we can be very self-centered.

    When we declare we are Christians it should mean we have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior and if we declare Christ as our Lord that should mean he is the Lord and the center of our lives.  Our lives should now be centered on doing His will and pleasing Him but we know that often isn’t true because in reality our desire is to do our will and to do what is pleasing to ourselves which in reality means calling Christ Lord for many of us has no real meaning to it because if He was Lord He would be first in our lives and He would be the center of our lives.    

    To have no other gods before God Almighty means we need to put aside in anything that keeps us from fully committing to Him.  Satan likes see Christians so involved in their careers and making money or pursuing other things that they are convince they don’t have time to get involved with the church or spend more time praying or more time reading the Bible.  We often forget that however long our life might be here on earth it is still temporary and a mere drop in the bucket compared to eternity.  So don’t let the things that are temporary replace God as the center of your life. 

     



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    Thu, Jun 20th - 5:56PM

    Luke 21:5-6



    Luke 21:5 And while some were talking about the temple, that it was adorned with beautiful stones and votive gifts, He said, 6As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down.” (NASB)

    In A.D. 70 during the Jewish revolt against Roman rule this came true.  The Romans laid siege to Jerusalem and after forcing their way into the city they killed hundreds of Jews and enslaved those that remained and completely destroyed the Jewish Temple just as Jesus had prophesied that they would.  After this the Jewish nation ceased to exist for close to 2000 years until 1948 when the nation of Israel was restored which is also the fulfillment of prophesy in the book of Ezekiel which foretold of the restoration of the nation of Israel.  But we also know from Bible prophesy (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15, 2 Thessalonians 2:4) that the Temple will be rebuilt and play a role in end time events and at this very moment preparations are being made for the time when the Temple will be rebuilt.  The major sticking point preventing the rebuilding of the Temple is the fact that the Muslim Dome of the Rock sits presently on the Temple Mount and fear of international pressure has kept the nation of Israel from attempting to rebuild the Temple but many believe the Antichrist will use this issue to get Israel to sign a seven year treaty with him during the tribulation according to Daniel 9:27.

    This might seem far-fetched to some but what is written in the Bible will come true and no one can stop it.  The Old Testament and Jesus prophesied the destruction of both the Temple and the nation of Israel and it came true.  The Old Testament prophesied the restoration of the nation of Israel which came true in 1948.  How many nations have been reborn after disappearing for 2000 years?  And the Bible has prophesied the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple and like the other prophecies this will come to pass also.  You might not choose to believe this but in reality it doesn’t matter it is written in the Bible so it will happen and no one can stop it. 

    The signs leading to the end times is all around us for those who chose to open their eyes and see the truth.  Pretty soon Christ is going to take His church out of this world and God is going to unleash 7 years of His judgment on mankind known as the tribulation.  If you are a Christian you have nothing to fear because God will remove His church before this happens but if you are not a Christian you should be very afraid because God will judge mankind for their rebellion against Him and of their rejection of Christ as their Savior. 

     



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    Tue, Jun 18th - 2:30PM

    Luke 20:45-47



    Luke 20:45 And while all the people were listening, He said to the disciples, 46“Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, 47who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.” (NASB)

    The scribes along with the other Jewish religious leaders made a big show of being religious but in reality their hearts was far from God.  They claimed to be waiting for the Messiah but yet the Messiah was with them and yet they refused to recognize Him or believe Him.  No matter what Jesus did they refused to believe Him and they had allowed their hearts to be hardened to the truth.  They were more interested in the perks and power that came with their position then they were of actually serving God.  One of the biggest problems they had with Jesus is they were jealous that so many people were following Him.  They saw this is as a threat to their hold over the people.

    The religious leaders could put on a show of being religious but Christ knew their hearts and He knew that they didn’t know God and really didn’t want to know God.  God knows our hearts.  He isn’t interested in rituals and shows of being religious.  He wants true followers of Christ that have left their sinful lifestyles behind to be born again and are committed and dedicated followers of Christ.  He wants genuine born again Disciples of Christ that have left the world behind and has accepted Christ as Lord and Savior.

    There are people who have been going to church since they were children who are just as lost in their sins and headed to hell just as much as the drug dealer down the road because they never have made a real commitment to Christ.  Many have been lead to believe if they go to church on a somewhat regular basis or do some sacraments or other rituals or because they have been baptized they are good.  Well the Jewish religious leaders thought they were good to because they had done all the right rituals and attend worship regularly but yet Jesus pointed out they were headed for condemnation because in reality their religion was a religion of show instead of a true relationship with God the Father.  As they saying says, “Christianity is a relationship not a religion.”  If you have never accepted Christ as Lord and Savior then you are lost and headed to hell. 



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    Fri, Jun 14th - 2:18PM

    Luke 20:17-18



    Luke 20:17Jesus looked directly at them and asked, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written:

    “ ‘The stone the builders rejected

    has become the cornerstone’?

    18Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.” (NIV)

    The Jews had rejected Christ as their Savior but that did not matter because God made Christ the cornerstone.  Any building is only as good as its foundation.  The foundation of Christianity is Christ, that Christ is the Son of God, that He lived a sinless life, that He died on the cross for us, that He arose from the dead, and that He is going to return.  This is the foundation of the Christian faith.  If your belief is built on anything it is flawed and weak. 

    Many churches don’t believe that perhaps Christ was born of a virgin or that He rose again or maybe they have a flawed idea of what happened on the cross.  These churches have a weak foundation.  Their faith is weak and corrupted with ideas of the world.  Christ is the Son of God, He was born of a virgin, He lived a sinless life, He died on the cross for our sins that through Him we can receive the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life through Him, He arose from the grave on the third day, and He is returning someday soon.

    All of those who have reject Christ as Savior will stand before the judgment seat of God someday as described in Revelation 20 and their fate is already known.  Revelation 20:15 says all of those not found in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. 

    Many people say you shouldn’t talk about such things because it scares people.  Well it should scare people.  It should scare people to their senses but it is obvious it doesn’t.  The history of mankind is a history of rebellion to God from Adam and Eve to the present day.  God is a loving and patient God but His patience does have a limit.  Someday soon God is going to take His church out of this world and then He is going to unleash seven years of His judgment on mankind and at some point after that God is going to judge every non-believer and rebel who rejected Him and His gift of salvation.  That is a fact.  God is not a liar and what is written in His book, the Bible, will come true.  No one can stop it from coming true. 

     

     



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    Thu, Jun 13th - 6:57PM

    Luke 20:9-16



    Luke 20:9 He went on to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. 10At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. 12He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out. 13“Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.’14“But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 15So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. “What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!” (NIV)

    In this parable God is the man who planted a vineyard.  Time and again He sent prophets to warn Israel of their rebellion against God, often they were persecuted and very often they were killed.  Then God sent His Son and they rejected Him, had Him beaten, and crucified. 

    The history of the Jewish nation is a history of rebellion against God.  God sent Moses to led the Hebrews out of Egypt and they rebelled against God in the desert so God made the Hebrews to wander the desert for 40 years before He allowed the next generation to conquer the Promised Land but after they took the land they soon rebelled against God and started worshipping idols and doing evil so God would send foreign enemies against them.  The Hebrews would repent and God would forgive them and soon they would start to turn away from God again.  Again and again God sent prophets to warn Israel to repent of their sins and return to God but often the prophets were beaten, persecuted, and killed.  When God sent His own Son they rejected Him and had Him killed so God turned to the Gentiles.  God didn’t reject the Jewish nation the Jewish nation rejected Him.

    It is easy to look at the Jews and wandered what were they thinking?  God had chosen them to be the children of God but yet they rebelled against God but yet haven’t we done the same today.  You can argue rather or not God played a role in the creation of the United States and you can argue rather or not at one time this was a Christian nation but one thing you can’t argue about is that the U.S. is not a Christian nation today and that we have turned our back on God.  We are more interested in serving ourselves and more concerned with what politically correct than we are with serving God.  This is a nation that murders the unborn and calls it women’s rights and attacks traditional Christian values and calls it progress.  But the history of the nation of Israel should be a warning against any nation and people who reject God.  In A.D. 70 God allowed the Romans to completely destroy the Jewish nation and the nation of Israel disappeared until modern times, which is another story.  God is a patient and loving God but He will judge those who have rejected salvation in His Son Jesus Christ. 

     



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    Tue, Jun 11th - 7:41PM

    Luke 19:45-48



    Luke 19:45 And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; 46Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.47And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him, 48And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him.

    The Temple was meant to be a place of worship of God but the Jews had turned it into a place of business.  The Jewish Temple was destroyed in A.D. 70 but our modern churches often are not much better.  The church is supposed to be a place of worship and service to God, a base for evangelism and of discipleship, a place of learning about God and reaching out to the community to tell them about God.  But often our churches are often just like the Jewish Temple turned into a place of business.  There are proper places for coffee shops and bookstores but probably not in the same place dedicated to worshipping God. 

    So many of our churches look more secular than a place dedicated to the worship of God.  This is true of not only of appearances but in operation.  Dramas have replaced sermons, a board of directors has replaced church elders, and entertainment has replaced worship.  We judge success by numbers in seats not lives transformed, souls saved, or disciples created.  Part of the problem is we have replaced the simple church structure of the New Testament with churches based on secular business practices.  In the New Testament if a dispute arose the matter was brought before the church elders but today we hire outside professional consultants.  If change is needed to be made in the church we hire consultants to give us advice instead of getting on our knees and seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  And that is one of the biggest problems in our churches today; we have forgotten that God gave us a counselor (the Holy Spirit) on living the Christian life and conducting church and honestly in many of our churches the Holy Spirit is not welcomed in our churches.

     



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    Mon, Jun 10th - 11:57PM

    Luke 19:41-44



    Luke 19:41 When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, 42saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. 43“For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, 44and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” (NASB)

    In AD 70 during the Jewish revolt against Rome the Romans sacked Jerusalem and completely destroyed the Jewish Temple but this had all been prophesied by Jesus in these verses and others.  The Jews had rejected Jesus as their Messiah and as Jesus had prophesied Jerusalem and the Temple was destroyed and the Jews driven from the land.  But we also know God had promised the re-birth of the nation of Israel which happened in 1948, which is a miraculous story if you take the time to learn how it all came about.  The nation of Israel had disappeared for close to 2000 years but in 1948 a small army of Jewish soldiers held off all of the Arab nations to give rebirth to the nation of Israel, a nation that was made up of by a large part of Jewish immigrants from around the world and holocaust survivors.  I think it is significant that before God gave re-birth to the nation of Israel in 1948 a few short years earlier Satan had tried to use Hitler to wipe out the Jewish people during the Holocaust and failed.  Satan is no dummy and I am sure he was probably aware of the plans that God had for the Jewish people and he tried to destroy the Jewish people before God could use them.  He failed because God had promised in the book of Ezekiel that in the last days that the nation of Israel would be born again which means if the re-birth of the nation of Israel is one of the end time signs we are already living in the last days.

    God has given mankind close to 2000 years to accept Christ as Lord and Savior.  God is a patient God but His patience will not last for every.  The re-birth of the nation of Israel is just one of many signs we are already in the end times.  Jesus is coming back to take His church out of this world someday and those left behind will face 7 years of God’s wrath called the tribulation and those who have rejected salvation in Christ will stand before the judgment seat of God before they are sentenced to an eternity in hell.  This is all written in the Bible and what is written in the Bible will come to be. 



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    Mon, Jun 10th - 12:57AM

    Luke 19:35-40



    Luke 19:35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.37When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”40“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” (NIV)

    I love verse 40.  Jesus is telling the Pharisee if the disciples were to be quiet the stones will sing out in praise.  Jesus is worthy of our praise and He will be praised.  From the very beginning the enemies of God have tried to silence people from worshipping Jesus and from preaching the Gospel.  The Jewish leaders tried to stop it when Jesus was alive and they thought they had succeeded when they had Him crucified but the Disciples continued to preach the Gospel of Christ after He rose from the grave.  They tried to silence the Disciples through persecution and the church only grew stronger.  The Romans tried to silence the church through persecution and it only grew stronger.  When the Reformers realized the Catholic Church wasn’t preaching the true Gospel message of salvation in Christ through faith and broke away from the Catholic Church the Catholic Church tried to stop them but the true message of the Gospel of Christ was preached because no matter how powerful the Catholic Church was they didn’t have enough power to stop the Gospel from being preached.  The Church of England wasn’t powerful enough to stop the early Evangelicals from preaching the true message of the Gospel or to keep the true Gospel from spreading to the New World.  Today there are many liberal and atheist groups they want to silence the Gospel but they can try all they want they will never be powerful enough to silence God.  If He wants the Gospel message to be preached it will be preached even if the stones have to cry out in praise of Him. 

     



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    Fri, Jun 7th - 11:11PM

    Luke 19:11-27



    Luke 19:11While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. 12He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas.a ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’14“But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’15“He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.16“The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’17“ ‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’18“The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’19“His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’20“Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’22“His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’24“Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’25“ ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’26“He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 27But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’ ” (NIV)

    Many people who followed Jesus thought He was going to establish an earthly kingdom.  They still didn’t understand His true mission here on earth and when He did go away to return to the right hand of God in heaven many refused to accept Him as king.  But when he went away he left His disciples, all believers, a mission to further the kingdom of God.  God has given every believer resources and gifts to use for the spreading of His kingdom.  When Jesus gave the Great Commission to the Disciples it was an order for all believers to spread the Word of God.  Every believer is expected to do his part in spreading the Kingdom of God and God has given every believer gifts and resources to use for the spreading of His kingdom.  You might not be a preacher or teacher, or an evangelist but God has given you gifts to use for His kingdom rather it is the ability to sing, or play an instrument or be a leader.  God has a mission for every believer and it is not just to go to church every Sunday morning.  Going to church is important but God has called you for more.  Nowhere is the gift of pew warmer mentioned in the Bible.

    When you read these verses you see there are two types of people receiving judgment.  You have those who rejected Him as king and will know that those who have rejected Christ as King and Savior will be judged but we also see those who don’t use what God has given them for His purposes be judged.  When we don’t use what God has given us for His glory He is saying it will be taken away and given to someone who will.  Everything we have is a gift from God and if we are not using it for His glory He is warning us it will be taken away and given to someone who will use it for His glory.

     



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    Sun, Jun 2nd - 11:26PM

    Luke 18:24-27



    Luke 18:24Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” 27Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” (NIV)

    Why is it hard for a rich man to enter heaven?  To be a Christian means we have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior which means Christ is at the center of our life not our money, possessions, or anything else of this world including ourselves.  When our life revolves around our wealth or any other thing it means it doesn’t revolve around God.  Which means Christ isn’t the Lord of our life our money is.  It means we don’t depend on Christ but we depend on our own money or our own power and abilities instead of Christ.  That is why in Matthew 6:24 it says we can’t serve two masters, we can’t serve both God and money.  Either Christ is the Lord of your life or money, it can’t be both.  Either your life is focused on Christ or money it can’t be both.  In tough times either you depend on Christ or your money it can’t be both.  In these verses we have concentrated on money but anything you put before God is an idol.  Whatever is the focus of your life besides Christ, including yourself, is an idol. 

    I know there are a lot of preachers out there that preach God wants you to be rich but any true preacher of the Word of God won’t contradict the Word of God.  Why would Christ preach so much about the dangers of worldly possessions including money and then turn around and promise to make you rich?  God has promised His children many blessing but he told us to store up heavenly treasures not worldly treasure.  God has many blessings in store for His children in the life to come but in this life we have a mission to do and that is to tell the world about Christ.  If you are spending your time building up worldly treasure that is temporary than you aint focused on the mission of all Disciples of Christ and that is to fulfill the Great Commission.  If you spend your time pursuing worldly treasure then you aint focused on doing the will of God. 

     



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    Sat, Jun 1st - 11:18PM

    Luke 18:18-23



    Luke 18:18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”19“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 20You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’ 21“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.22When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”23When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. (NIV)

    Jesus wasn’t saying we have to sell everything we have to go to heaven although in the follow on verses He does say how hard it is for the rich to get to heaven but what is going on here is that Jesus knew this man’s heart.  Although the man thought he was justified because He kept the commandments Jesus knew his real desire was for his wealth and that is why Jesus told him he needed to sell everything and follow Him.  The man couldn’t bring himself to sell his possessions to follow Christ.  A lot of us are like this, we think we are committed to God because we do the right thing, most of the time anyway, or because we go to church regularly but in reality we have no desire to give up the things of our life to really commit ourselves to God.  Most of us know if we were ever called to we could never give up the life we have built around us to go where God might lead us.  How many people are willing to give up careers, homes, or our possessions to go where God might leads us rather that be a call to ministry or perhaps to be a missionary overseas or perhaps just to give up our free time to serve God in our local church.

    For this man it was his wealth that kept him from committing to God.  For others it could be career, family, or just a general lack of desire to follow where God might lead that keeps people from fully giving their lives to Christ.  When Christ gave the Great Commission to go and preach the Gospel to the world this wasn’t just an order for the Disciples but to all Christians to spread the Gospel.  God might not be calling you to leave your job to go into the ministry or to leave your life behind and become a missionary but every disciple of Christ is expected to give their life fully to Christ and to let nothing hold them back from fully serving Him. 

     



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    About Me

    Name: steven collier
    ChristiansUnite ID: steven
    Member Since: 2007-04-07
    Location: , Georgia, United States
    Denomination: Evangelical Christian
    About Me: Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

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