A Tale of Two Thieves

A Tale of Two Thieves

 

On a terrible day in history, Jesus was put to death along-side two thieves.   Scripture tells the story: “Two other men, both criminals, were led out with Jesus to be executed.  When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals – one on His right side and the other on His left. And Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”  (Luke 23:32-34) Can you imagine, during His worst hour, Jesus was caring and praying for the very people who were putting Him to death?

 

Scripture continues: “The people stood watching, and the religious rulers sneered at Him.  They said, ‘He saved others, let Him save Himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.’  The soldiers also came up and mocked and taunted Jesus.” (Luke 23:35) Scripture continues: “One of the thieves who hung there next to Jesus hurled insults at Him, ‘Aren’t you the Christ?  Save yourself and us.” (Luke 23:39) This proud thief rejected Jesus.

 

But with the humble thief on other side of Jesus, it was a different story.  The other thief trusted Jesus. He rebuked the first thief with these words: “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?  We indeed justly, for we are being punished for our deeds: but this man (Jesus) has done nothing wrong.” (Luke 23:40-41) Then this dying thief asked Jesus to remember him.  He said: “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42)   

 

And Jesus answered the trusting thief saying: “I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43) Jesus saves those who trust Him!  It’s just that simple. All the thief asked was: “Jesus, remember me.” The future of the saved person is a promise of Paradise in the presence of Jesus.

 

The “Tale of Two Thieves” is a warning.  It is both a scene of comforts and a scene of concern.  It is a season of belief and a season of rejection.  Christ has conquered death. Scripture says that he died for all of humanity.  And all of humanity is at the cross. What each of us does with Christ is the most important decision we will ever make.  The Bible says that we have only two choices, to reject Him like the first thief did; or to trust Him like the other thief did.   Jesus said that we are either for Him or against Him.  (Matthew 12:20 and Revelation 3:15-16) When Jesus was asked what our part is in our salvation, He answered that our is to believe in Him.  (John 6:29)

 

 

On the one side of Jesus we have the proud thief who rejected Him.  Those who stood around the cross mocked and sneered at Jesus. The pathway to rejection is to mock Christ, to disregard Him, to feel that we are too smart for Him.  To believe that we don’t need Him.  It’s easy to follow the crowd, or follow some of the false religious leaders, like the first thief did.  To follow in the pathways of perdition.

 

On the other side of Jesus, we have the humble thief who trusted Christ.  The humble thief knew he was a sinner, who deserved punishment. He was sorry for his sins. (Luke 23:40) He recognized the Truth. – Jesus is the Truth.  (Luke 32:41) And he wanted that Truth. He asked Jesus to remember him. He walked in the path of salvation.  

 

And on the cross in the middle, there was Jesus, paying the price for our Redemption! Jesus saves those who trust Him. Christ has conquered death for us.  That is the “gospel” or the “good-news” - God offers us a Gift – the gift of eternal life.  Scripture says: “For by grace are you saved through faith, and not of yourselves, it is a GIFT of God, not of works lest any person should boast.”  (Ephesians 2:8-9)

 

Yes, the Bible tells us that our salvation is a gift from God.  The Bible also tells us that: “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”  John 3:16) Love gives.  God loved us so much that He gave us the very best gift - eternal life through His Son Jesus.  He paid a terrible price.  But He loves us that much.  And we love Him because He first loved us.  And yes, love gives.  So, if we really love Him, what are we giving back to Him?  Are we giving Him our lives? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparing the World for God's Kingdom on Earth

Preparing the World for God’s Kingdom on Earth

Revelation 6-7

 

The Bible tells us that at the end of the age, Christ will come again in all His power and glory to judge the world.  And Christ also comes to set up God’s kingdom on earth and to reign over it. God’s kingdom on earth will look very different from the sinful world that we live in now.   

 

The steps necessary for preparing the world for God’s kingdom on earth will involve a period or time of terrible judgments like mankind have never seen before.  Scripture says: “The day of the Lord is great and very awesome: who can endure it? “(Job 2:11) The last book in the Bible, the book of Revelation tells about these end time judgments. 

 

The book of Revelation was written by John, the apostle, and in the book of Revelation John describes the vision he was given of what would happen at the end of the age.  John in his vision saw a door open in heaven and a voice inviting him to come up.  John says: “At once I was in the Spirit and there before me was a throne in heaven., and Someone was sitting on it” (Revelation 5:2)   John tries to describe the glory and majesty of the One on the throne and he describes the twenty-four elders and the four  living creatures and the thousands and thousands of angels all worshipping and praising God around the throne.

 

The One on the throne held a scroll that was sealed with seven seals. The scroll must be opened for sin to be judged and removed from the earth.  But no one there came forward to open it, since no one was able. There was a search in heaven for someone who would be worthy and able to open the seven seals of the scroll. But no one was found.  Great sadness came over John as he sat there waiting and waiting and he began to weep.

 

One of the elders told John not to weep because: “The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.  He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” (Revelation 5:5) Then John looked up and saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slaughtered, standing in the center of the throne.  The Lamb came and took the scroll of Him who sat on the throne. Then all of heaven broke out in songs of praise and worship to the Lamb who was the only One worthy and able to open the scroll.  And every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea also joined in praise and worship to the Lamb for overcoming the earth’s curse of sin.  (Revelation 5:13-14)

When Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God begins to open each of the seven seals, the future Tribulation is presented.  (Revelation 6:1-14) Bible scholars believe this Tribulation period lasts about seven and a half years. The first seal is broken and a white horse with a rider comes on the earth to conquer.  This rider offers a false peace to the earth.  The second seal is broken and a red horse with a rider comes on the earth to bring wars on the earth.  The third seal is broken and a black horse with a rider comes on the earth rationing food and bringing famine to the earth.  And then a pale horse with a rider comes on the earth bringing death to a quarter of the population of the earth.

 

The Lamb who was slaughtered continues opening the seals.  When he opens the fifth seal, we see martyrdom. The souls of those people who were killed or martyred because they turned to God and His Word during this terrible Tribulation period are under the altar.  These martyred people are calling out to God asking how long this terrible time will last.  God gives them white robes and tells them to rest and wait a little longer for the end.

 

And when Jesus, the Lamb opens the sixth seal, the terrible judgments of God is displayed on earth.  There will be a great earthquake.  The sun turns black and the moon turns blood red.  The stars in the sky fall to the earth and the sky rolls up like a scroll.  And every mountain and island is removed from its place. Nothing in our earth as we know it is still the same.

 

The world’s inhabitants will recognize the source of their great distress.  Instead of calling out to God, they hide in caves and call out to the earth to hide them from God.  They want to live life their own way. They refuse to come to God and ask for help and repent.  During all of this destruction the people on earth will ask, “Who can stand?”  And the answer is given.

 

Two groups of people will be saved during this Tribulation period. (Revelation 7) God gives four angels the task of placing a seal on the foreheads of 144,000 Jewish servants of God.  The seal will protect them from harm or death. There are 12,000 Jewish people sealed and protected from each of the 12 tribes.  And these Jews become evangelists for their God, and they witness to the people during the Tribulation. The second group who will be saved during God’s divine judgment are a multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and languages.  (Revelation 7:9-10)  

 

   

The Church (Christians) are not mentioned in Scripture during this Tribulation period.  Many Bible scholars believe that the Church is taken out before this Tribulation period begins.  During past times when God judged the world’s sin, it seemed that the few who still worshipped God were spared.  Noah and his family and their spouses were kept safe in the ark when God judged the world with a flood.  And Lot and his wife and daughters were spared destruction by an angel leading them out before God judged Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone. So, some believe that the Church will be taken out of the world before this Tribulation begins.

 

We read of these terrible judgments and we may become frightened.  But all of Scripture tells us that God loves us and that if we come to Him that He will take us in.  Psalm 9:7-10 says: “But the Lord sits enthroned forever; He has established His throne for justice, and He judges the world with righteousness: He judges the peoples with uprightness.  The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.  And those who know Your Name put their trust in You, for You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.”  

 

 

 

      

 

  

 

 

 

      

 

Why Don't We Have as many Miracles Today as the Early Church Had

Why Don’t We Have as Many Miracles Today as the Early Church Had?

 

It has been a question I have asked for a long time now.  Why can’t modern- day Christians, through Christ’s power, raise the dead and heal as many of the sick as Peter and Paul did for those first believers in Jesus?  Over the years I have gone to healing meetings and sometimes a person seemed to be healed from an uncurable diseases. I have read every book I could find about Christian healing and miracles and asked any Christian leader I could corner this question.  Why aren’t we experiencing the miracles and healings that the early church did?

 

 Some pastors answered that most likely we sophisticated and educated Christians today don’t have the simple childlike faith that those early Christians had.  So, most of us don’t have enough faith today because we are too educated? I wasn’t sure that was the answer. And weren’t those early Christians intelligent and have questions too?  In any generation a child of God must have the childlike faith that God will hear her or his prayer and answer it according to His will.     

 

Others Christian leaders answered my question this way: that God gave miracles and healings to the early Church perhaps because they didn’t have what we have today.  We have the Word of God, the Bible, and we can each have our own copy to read and study.  The early Church often didn’t have that and many of them couldn’t read anyway. God’s Word is powerful, and we receive salvation because we believe what Scripture says about Christ – that He conquered death for us.

 

Also, Christianity has been around for more than two thousand years now and we today have the benefit of seeing that the Christian Church has made a huge difference wherever it has gone.  The Christian church was the first to establish hospitals, orphanages, charities, and missions around the world.  None of the other world religions did that.  And no other religion other than the Christian religion believes that God loves us so much that His Son, Jesus, died to take away our sins and conquered death for us.  No other world religion teaches that we are to forgive one another because God offers forgiveness to us.

 

Christianity is the only religion in the world that does not teach that a person must work to earn their own salvation. The burden is all on the individual to make it or not.  To please a holy God or to miss the mark.  Only Christianity teaches that Jesus Christ is the only One who can make us victorious over sin and give us the gift of eternal life. Only He can take away our sins and give us His robe of righteousness. Only He can pay the price. So, Christianity is completely different from all of the other man-made religions on this earth.  Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  There is no other.  (John 14:6)

 

All the other religions are legalistic – some have laws that a person must pray so many times a day and go on so many religious pilgrimages, etc. or measure up on a scale – in order to please God.  Christianity is the only world religion where the God of the Bible, the God we serve, loves us and gives us His Holy Spirit to guide and comfort us, making us free in Christ.

 

 Christians down through the ages have put their trust in Christ, and we Christians today have the advantage of reading that long history of Christianity and following along that pilgrim way in the Christian tradition. The early Christians didn’t have that advantage.  

 

 The early Christians were just starting – just beginning – to learn to trust Jesus as Savior and Lord.  No one had gone before them. The Old Testament points the way to Christ, the Messiah. But the Jewish leaders were expecting their promised Messiah to be different than Jesus was.  They overlooked His many miracles and healings and tried to cover up His resurrection.   

 

So, these first Christian were the very first to believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord. Many of them were leaving Judaism and were being persecuted because they were leaving.  Many Bible scholars believe that God gave the miracles and healings, signs and wonders to the first Christian apostles and leaders to validate their new message of salvation through Christ. 

 

Perhaps, since they were the first believers to follow in the Christian path, they might have been given more helps and more healings and miracles from God, to point them along that new Way. Our Scripture says that “Jesus is the Way.” (John 14:6)   And for more than two thousand years now the Christians that went before us walked on this narrow Way.  And our faith is strengthened by their example as we can follow in their footsteps.

 

 Many Bible scholars believe in dispensationalism.  Dispensationalism is the belief that God has dealt with the Church in different ways down through the ages.  As parents takes care of their child differently when he is a baby than when he is a young child.  And differently when their child is in grammar school than when she is a teen-ager. Some believe that our heavenly Father also deals differently with His children when their spiritual or physical needs are different.  

 

I believe this idea of God, parenting His children differently, comes out in the parable in the Bible of the rich man and Lazarus.  In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:27-31) the selfish rich man who has died and is in hell is begging Abraham to allow him to go back to earth and warn his five brothers to change their ways because there is a hell.  His brothers are living selfishly like he did when he was alive and turning their backs on the poor.  If only the rich man could go back from hell and warn his brothers, so that they could repent and turn to God and obey God’s laws of love and not go to hell like he did.   

 

But Abraham answered the rich man: “Your brothers have Moses and the Prophets, let them listen to them.”  And the rich man in hell argued: “No, Father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.”  But Abraham answered: “If your brothers do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” (Luke 16: 29-31)  

 

This parable shows that the brother was not allowed to go back from the dead  and warn his five living brothers because they already had God’s Word (Moses and the Prophets) These five brothers were religious men who knew already that God had commanded them to help the poor.

 

 God had already spoken to their hearts through His Word and it seems they had already hardened their hearts against obeying.  So, a miracle wouldn’t do any good in changing them. Does this parable in Scripture  point to the possibility that God might not give as many miracles to He children who already have “Moses and the Prophets” - or His Word, the Bible? 

 

Over the years we have heard stories of visions and healings from missionaries who are living in countries where it is illegal to have a Christian church.  And countries where a person can be killed for having a Bible or for becoming a Christian.  Over and over again these stories of healings and miracles come from a non-Christian praying for God’s guidance.  Or from brave Christians who are being persecuted so severely for following Christ that they need guidance as to how to witness and where to turn.  And often when a person who is living in one of these anti-Christian countries prays and asks for guidance, God gives him or her a vision directing them to a Christian church or to a Christian person for their answers.  

 

God’s Word tells us to ask and we shall receive.  And to seek and we shall find.  If we believe in Him, He promises to answer our prayers, if they are His Will.   Our many answers to prayer really are miracles. They just aren’t as dramatic as some of the miracles we read about in Scripture.  God works in different ways in different situations.   

 

When we pray for God’s love to be in our hearts, He gives us that love.  And love has power.  Love crosses boundaries and overcomes fear.  Being able to pray and ask for anything in His Will is powerful.  Allowing Jesus to work through us is powerful.  And God’s Word is powerful. God has distributed the gifts of the Holy Spirit to the modern- day Christian Church.  He has empowered each Christian with a gift or gifts to do something. (1 Corinthians 12:7-11 and 27-30) The work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Christians in our churches validates the Christian message that Christ came to save sinners.  That light shines brightly.  What more do we need?

  

 

  

 

 

 

   

 

 

He Who Has an Ear, Let Him Hear

He Who Has an Ear, Let Him Hear

 

In the book of Revelation, we read of Jesus in all His glory, appearing to John in a vision and giving him seven messages to write down and give to seven of His churches.  The year was approximately 95 A.D. and these early Christian churches were in what is now modern Turkey.  We can read in our Bibles in Revelation chapters 2 and 3, just what Jesus said to each of these seven churches.  And near the end of each of these seven letters, Jesus always says these same words: “He who has an ear, let him hear.” 

 

Because Jesus is the Head of His Church (his followers) I believe these messages, warnings and comforts are for all of His Church, both then and now.  If Jesus asked His early churches (95A.D.) to hear if they had an ear, He is also asking us today to hear if we have an ear.  Like the early churches, He has so many lessons to teach us, if we are only open ourselves to hear.

 

 What does it mean to “have an ear”?  I think it means for us to be open to hear what Jesus is saying to us. The Holy Spirit does speak to us and nudge and teach us, if we are listening.  Sometimes we don’t want to hear what Jesus is telling us to do, so we stop being sensitive to His still small Voice.  We want to run our own lives and not make changes in order to follow Him.  We must be careful to always keep our hearts (ears) open to Jesus’ call. And be willing to answer that call. Let’s keep checking our “ears” and make sure they are always open to hear what Jesus is saying to us. 

 

Jesus speaks to us through His Word, the Bible.  His Word tells us that we should love and forgive, so we should love and forgive – even when we don’t want to.  We can ask Him to help us and He will give us the power to obey Him and love and forgive. And if Scripture warns us that certain actions are sinful, we should take that warning seriously and obey.  Trusting Him and obeying His commands helps keep our ears open.  Trust and obey for there’s no other way.   

 

In the last couple of blogs, we studied what Jesus said to the first four churches.  Today we will briefly go over what Jesus said to the last three churches.  Jesus speaks to the church in Sardis.  (Revelation 3:1-6) Jesus tells the Sardis church that they have a reputation for being alive, but the truth is that they are dead!  (Revelations 3:1-3) That there are a few church members (a remnant) who have not defiled themselves.  But what little that remains in the Sardis church is ready to die!

 

 We don’t know how and why this Sardis church died – what sins or unbelief killed this once vibrant church? -  but we have seen dead churches today!  Churches that once were alive with the Truth and love of Jesus and now these churches don’t believe in Jesus at all!  As long as we are on this earth we will need to watch and pray and hold on to the Truth.  

 

Jesus admonishes this dead church in Sardis  to wake up.  To strengthen what remains.  To remember what they had received and heard when they first accepted Christ as their Savior and to obey the Truth.  And to repent!  Jesus warns that if they don’t turn around and repent that He will come as a thief in the night to them.  Jesus promises that those few faithful Christians left in Sardis, the dead church, will walk with Him all dressed in white, if they continue holding fast to the Truth.   He promises that He will never blot out their names from the book of life. but will acknowledge their names before His Father and His angels.

 

The next church Jesus sends a message to is the church in Philadelphia. (Revelation 3:7-13)   Even though this church is only 40 or 50 miles from the church in Sardis, the church in Philadelphia is very much alive and well!  Where Jesus has only warnings for the church in Sardis, He has only praise for the church in Philadelphia!   

 

Jesus tells the church in Philadelphia that they have been faithful and have kept His Word and not denied His Name.  Because of this, Jesus is giving them an “Open Door”.  A door that no one can shut.   An open door to go through and preach the gospel where people’s hearts will be ready and open.  And maybe an open door for more, we don’t know all that Jesus’ open door means. 

 

Jesus also promised the Philadelphia church that because of their faithfulness, He will protect them and humble those who were persecuting them. And Jesus promised to come back from heaven for them and He will make them pillars in His temple in heaven and give them His new Name.

 

  Jesus is the true and holy God who holds the key to every door in this life and the next.  We can learn from Jesus’ letter to this faithful church that perhaps if we hold fast to the truth and stay faithful to Him that Jesus will open doors for us and provide protection and give us  citizenship in heaven. 

 

And lastly, Jesus writes to the church in Laodicea. (Revelation 3:14-22)   Jesus begins His letter by introducing Himself to the church in Laodicea as “the Amen, the faithful and true witness, and the ruler of God’s creation”.  Jesus exposes the church at Laodicea as lukewarm, wretched, poor, blind, and pitiable.  He calls them to come back, to repent, and to open the door to Him and let Him into their church and into their lives.  Jesus says: “Here I am.  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20) He calls them to stop being lukewarm and open the door and let Him come into their lives.  One can never be lukewarm when Jesus is in their life!

 

Are there seasons in our lives when we are lukewarm in our faith?  These words of Jesus’ saying that He is knocking at the door and asking us to let Him in, these words are also for His church on earth today. Jesus is also knocking at our heart’s door, and He is also asking us to let Him into our hearts and lives. Not to keep Him standing outside looking in.  Are we willing to pay the price to follow Jesus?  To let Him in?  Are we listening for Him?  Can we hear Him knocking at our door?  Will we open the door and let Him in?  “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says!”