This Good News of the kingdom will be proclaimed to the whole world as a witness to all nations. And then the end will come. - Matt. 24:14 -
Never give in then, my dear brothers and sisters, never admit defeat; keep on working at the Lord's work always, knowing that, in the Lord, you cannot be labouring in vain. - 1 Cor. 15:58 -
In the Old Testament, the early true prophets accepted the Holy War concept and even stirred up war or conflict among nations. But in the later true prophets often condemned war, because they felt Israel's war did not meet the qualifications for a Holy War.
However, in the New Testament and in the Book of Revelation, the one thing necessary for a Holy War was that Christian, and all those who love the Lord Jesus Christ and trust in God without any doubt and without any reservations. But sadly, the people and nation increasingly put its trust in the power of the day, wealth, self wisdom, and political alliances.
Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Trust in God still, and trust in Me.
There are many rooms in my Father's house;
if there were not, I should have told you.
I am going now to prepare a place for you,
and after I have gone and prepared you a place,
I shall return to take you with Me;
so that where I am
you may be too. - John 14:1-3 -
Although the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible explicitly speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ appearance and His return. The night before His crucifixion, Jesus told His apostles that He would return. Indeed, the New Testament is filled with expectancy of the Lord Jesus Christ return, even as Christians should be today.
Now having met together, they asked Jesus, 'Lord, has the time come?' Are you going to restore the kingdom of Israel? He replied, 'It is not for you to know times and dates that the Father has decided by His own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth.'
As Jesus said this He was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took Him from their sight. They were still staring into the sky when suddenly two men in white were standing near them, and they said, 'Why are you men from Galilee standing here looking into the sky? Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, this same Jesus will come back in the same way as you have seen Him go there.' - Acts 1:6-11 -
In the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible sin is viewed in several ways; as an offense against God, which requires a pardon or a reconciliation with God. That is, as defilement, which requires cleansing; as slavery, which cries out for emancipation; as a debt, which must be cancelled; as defeat, which must be reversed by victory; and as estrangement, which must be set right by reconciliation.
However, sin is viewed, it is through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ that the remedy is provided. The Lord Jesus Christ has procured the pardon, forgiveness of sin, the cleansing, the emancipation, the cancellation, the victory, and the reconciliation.
Since the Lord Jesus Christ partakes in the nature of both God and humanity. He occupies a unique status with regard to them. The Lord Jesus Christ represents God to humanity, and He also represents humanity to God. God is both Lawgiver and Judge.
Therefore, the human family has put itself in the position of the lawbreaker; The Lord Jesus Christ has voluntarily undertaken to represent us. The Judge has made Himself one with the guilt in order to bear our guilt. It is ordinarily out of the question for one person to bear the guilt of others. But when the one person is the representative man, Jesus Christ, bearing the guilt of those whom He represents, the case is different.
In the hour of His death, Christ Jesus offered His life to God on behalf of mankind. The perfect life which He offered was acceptable to God. The salvation secured through the giving up of that life is God's free gift to mankind in the Lord Jesus Christ.
When the situation is viewed in terms of a law court, one might speak of the accused party as being acquitted. But the term preferred in the New Testament, especially in the Apostle/Saint Paul's writings, is the more positive word, justified. Apostle Paul goes on to the limit of daring to speaking of God as:
We were still helpless when all at His appointed moment Christ died for sinful men/women. It is not easy to die even for a good person - though of course for someone really worthy, a person might be prepared to die - but what proves that God loves us is that Christ Jesus died for us while we were still sinners.
Having died to make us righteous, is it likely that He would now fail to save us from God's anger? When we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, we were still enemies; now that we have been reconciled, surely we may count on being saved by the life of His Son?
Not merely because we have been reconciled but because we are filled with joyful trust in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have already gained our reconciliation. - Rom. 5:6-11 -
The work of the Lord Jesus Christ, seen from this point of view, is to set humanity in a right relationship with God. When the work of the Lord Jesus Christ is pictured in terms of an 'atoning sacrifice' it is God who takes the initiative. Thus, Jesus' presence with God as His people's representative provides the assurance that their requests for spiritual help are heard and granted.
This means that Christ Jesus reigns from His present place of exaltation and must do so until all His enemies are overthrown, especially those enemies which belong to the spiritual realm. That is: "The last enemy that will be destroyed is death."
For Christ Jesus must be King until He has put all His enemies under His feet and the last of the enemies to be destroyed is death, for everything is to be put under His feet. - 1 Cor. 15:25-26 -
The sea gave up all the dead who were in it: Death and Hades were emptied of the dead that were in them; and everyone was judged according to the way in which he/she had lived. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the burning lake. This burning lake is the second death; and anybody whose name could not be found in the 'Book of Life' was thrown into the burning lake. - Rev. 20:14-15 -
The Lord Jesus Christ 'First Coming' was to "SAVE." - Mark 10:45 -
The Lord Jesus Christ 'Return' or 'Second Coming' will be primarily to "JUDGE."
Then I heard a loud voice call from the throne, 'You see this city? Here God lives among men. He will make his home among them; they shall be his people, and he will be their God; his name is God-with-them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes; there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness. The world of the past has gone. - Rev. 21:3-4 - AMEN! AMEN!
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Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. Thank You. God bless.
By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!
I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.
HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -
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