WAR AGAINST THE GIFT OF PROPHECY
WARNING:
This message is certainly not for all Seventh-day Adventists.
I repeat!
This post is not for all Church going Seventh-Day Adventist. Thus, you don’t need to accept this message. In fact more than 50% Adventists will frown at it. This is an apologetic message.
What then is the Message?
We are at War. Yes, a battle against the Prophetic role of Ellen Gould White. We ought not to be bothered about this but we also need to be alert, for the Roaring Lion, Satan, has come to scatter the Flock, eat the ignorant and lead souls to damnation. He will use many within the fold (Church) to accomplish this. Many so called stars (Members, Elders, Pastors, and Leaders) of the church will lead humble souls, who are seeking to study God’s word, to reject the role of Sister White and make her writings of non-effect.
I pray I am not one of those who will lead souls to reject her writings which Christ gave to the Church or even personally reject her counsel for my life.
No wonder, Apostle John, under divine vision, saw this battle ahead of time against the Last day Church and he wrote:
“Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time . . . And the dragon (the Devil) was wroth (furiously Angry) with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Rev 12:12, 17.
Note this clearly: The Dragon, the devil, is specifically at war, not with any other set of people, but with those who keep the commandments of God (both Ten commandments and all Christ’s commandments) and those who have (possess) the testimony of Jesus Christ.
The commandments are understandable, but “What then is the Testimony of Jesus Christ?”
But Revelation 19:10 gives the answer: “testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
Most Adventist will say, Ellen G. White. But she is not the testimony of Jesus Christ. She is only a vessel through which the Holy Spirit communicate the testimony of Jesus Christ. You see, the Testimony of Jesus is the Gift of Prophecy that the Holy Spirit gives to the remnant Church of Rev 12:17 which the Dragon is at war with. The bible and the writings of Mrs. White comprises of the Spirit of prophecy. The many in adventism are against both the bible and writings of Mrs. White.
Note what John wrote about those who possesses this gift:
“And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren (Brothers) that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Rev 19:10
Then later on the Angel that spoke to John repeated this same statement when John was about repeating the same act of worship. The Angel said:
“. . . See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the PROPHETS . . .”
Nobody can claim this gift if they were not called into the prophetic office. You may teach prophecy but this is different from the prophetic role. Teaching prophecy on its own is a gift but not the same as having the prophetic gift like that of Mrs. E. G. White. I for one don’t intelligently understand why many Adventist hate the prophetic office of Mrs. White?
THE CHALLENGE:
I challenge all Seventh-Day Adventists (Those who do not believe or believe in the prophetic role of Ellen White) to test Ellen G. White prophetic role by reading just three of her books this new year.
The three books are Desire of Ages, Steps to Christ and The great Controversy.
If you don’t have, just send be your email, I will send then to you in PDF format so long your computer or tablet phone or any phone you are using has Adobe PDF reader.
IS MICHAEL JESUS CHRIST?
Unless we understand that Jesus took certain titles or names for the roles He played, especially in the plan of salvation, certain titles such as archangel which mean a chief angel or the commander of the army of angels, will indeed seem derogatory of Jesus and we will miss the whole point. Concerning God’s warning in Isaiah 28:9-10 which says “Whom shall He teach knowledge? And whom shall He make to understand doctrine?” and the childlike humility of being “weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts” (v. 9) and the patient studious caution of placing “precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, and there a little” (v. 10), few topics warrant this solemn instruction from God as the topic of the pre-incarnate personality of Jesus Christ. The question “Is Michael Jesus Christ?” that has caused several divisions amongst God’s end-time people is a question we can find satisfying answers to from the Bible. This short write up is written to shed more light on this topic.
One of the truest ways of knowing who someone is or who a figure is in the Bible is to simply know the roles they played or their job description. When we think of a boy that took care of his father’s sheep and went after a lion which took a lamb out of the flock, we immediately think of David, and whether this man is somewhere else referred to as “The Psalmist”, we know it is still David based on the evidence of the role he played. When we think of a man who stretched out his hand over the red sea and drowned Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen, we think of Moses, and whether this man is somewhere else referred to as “God’s servant”, we know it is still Moses based on the evidence of the role he played. When we think of a man that fiercely persecuted the disciples of Jesus Christ and later became a foremost apostle himself, we think of Paul, and whether this man is somewhere else called “Saul”, we know it is still Paul. Whether Satan is called “The devil” or “The Serpent”, or “Lucifer”, we know is still the same person based on the evidence of the role he played in Scripture. Now, considering the topic of this write-up, let us look at some evidence and examples from the Bible.
Let’s begin here. Take a look at Joshua 5:13-15
13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? 14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? 15 And the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.
The man that appears to Joshua here says he is the captain of the Lord’s hosts. Do you know this is what the name Michael signifies? But this is a title that correctly applies to Jesus Christ only. In the same account, quite similar to Moses’ experience at the burning bush (see Exodus 3), notice that Joshua was said to have worshipped this man and called him my Lord in godly reverence. One thing is clear; angels do not accept worship of this sort or of any sort.
We have two accounts in Revelation 19:10 and Revelation 22:8-9.
Revelation 19:10 King James Version (KJV)
10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Revelation 22:8-9 King James Version (KJV)
8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. 9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
The response of the angel here is pretty much clear in that angels are chiefly servants or messengers. They like us are created to worship God; not to receive worship (Revelation 4:11). The inevitable implication of this is that the man that appeared to Joshua couldn’t be a created being; he is whom he says he is; the captain of God’s hosts and he is whom Joshua calls him; the Lord. Now take a look at Matthew 16:27 and see a job description of a captain of the Lord’s hosts. Here is Jesus.
Matthew 16:27 King James Version (KJV)
27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
This is talking about the return of Jesus Christ. Also see:
John 5:28, 29 King James Version (KJV)
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
Now compare this:
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 King James Version (KJV)
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
If you have more time, you may also compare this with 2 Thess. 1: 7-9. This job description of a Captain of the Lord’s hosts, which entails the second coming and the resurrection, amongst many others in the Scriptures is certainly those of Jesus Christ. Yet, the man in the form of an angel that appears to Joshua with a sword drawn in His hands, says he is the Captain of the Lord’s hosts. Who else could He be but the pre-incarnate Christ, the Son of God, appearing in the form of an angel? We know that another job description of Jesus Christ is that He is the high priest and minister of the sanctuary in heaven after the shadow of the sanctuary service in the old dispensation.
Hebrews 8:1-2 King James Version (KJV)
1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; 2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
(Also see Revelation 1:12-20 for more evidence of Christ’s ministration in the heavenly sanctuary). Yet, in Revelation 8, we see an angel in verse 3 and 4, performing Christ’s role and we can know this is the heavenly sanctuary because it happened right before the throne of God (Vs. 4), which we know from the old dispensation is in the most holy place of the sanctuary (Isaiah 37:16; Psalm 99:1; Exodus 25:19-22). Concerning the sanctuary in heaven, we know no created being could perform this priestly role to which man’s redemption is intricately connected (for this is what the sanctuary services were all about), thus this ‘angel’ in Revelation 8:3-4 was definitely Christ and the word ‘angel’ here would suffice as a minister or servant, which describes Christ’s ministry and service in the heavenly sanctuary. No angel can perform priestly services unto to God on behalf of the human race; only Jesus Christ. These are some of the many evidences in the Scripture that for certain purposes, such as seen in the experiences of Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Daniel, and John the Revelator, that the Son of God appears in the form of an ‘Angel of the Lord’, for if He truly appears in His pre-incarnate glory without taking this form, these feeble men, He would have destroyed by the brightness of His glory. And the roles afore-described, are the roles of Christ; never the role of the Holy Spirit or the role of some created being as some have deemed Michael to be. (You may also compare Jude 9 and Zechariah 3:1, 2 to see that Michael, though God, has always been subject to His Father, even before He became the incarnate Jesus Christ). Concerning Daniel 10:13, which pose some challenge to some, we know that there are ranks of angels in heaven based on their roles; the ones closest to the God’s throne, being the highest in rank. These high ranked angels are ‘princes’, and Lucifer, who was also a covering Cherub before his fall, was actually a ‘prince’ too, even been compared to a wicked earthly king, the king of Tyre in Ezekiel 28. And he still retains his princely title even after his fall, being referred to as the prince of the kingdoms of Persia for his role in hardening the hearts of the kings of Persia (Cyrus and his Consuls) against God’s purposes through Daniel. So though Michael was referred to as one of the chief princes in this passage, He is ultimately not of the same status as the highest angels/princes of heaven, but He is the Christ, the prince of princes, the great prince (see Daniel 12) whose job description in Daniel 12:1-3, which entails the second coming, the resurrection of the dead and a resulting executive judgement (compare Daniel 12:1-3 & John 5:27-29) is essentially, as seen all over the rest of Scriptures, that of Jesus Christ.
These clearly show us that Michael (which also means Prince; compare Daniel 12:1 with Revelation 1:5), a crucial figure in the Old Testament, who appeared to many of God’s servants in the form of an “Angel of the Lord”, is indeed Jesus Christ.
Friend, what are your thoughts? Kindly leave a comment below.
This article first appeared in http://sofidimaye.org/is-michael-jesus-christ-2/
WRITTEN BY S. O. FIDIMAYE
BEYOND THE TRINITY MYSTERY: WHY YOU CAN TRUST THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY
While it is easy for many to come to terms with the teachings of the Bible, some find it confounding the idea of a triune God. Many believe God is one and there is no other, and thus, they find it hard to accept the idea of a God in three Persons. Moreover, the term ‘Trinity’ does not even appear in the Bible and many have traced the origin of the Trinity doctrine to paganism, an argument which is justified in that the idea of triune gods were prevalent in pagan religions. Yet, even though it is true that the Bible does not use the term “Trinity” anywhere, it is equally true that the Bible does expound it, as we shall see.
The term “Trinity” is not alone in the category of unused terms in the Bible; the Bible also does not mention terms such as rapture, monotheism, and millennium, but it does teach them clearly. So to disregard the doctrine of the Trinity on the evidence of the non-usage of the term will inevitably amount to a total disregard of the weight of Scripture which when considered as a whole, speaks of God as one, yet three Persons. And while it is true that the doctrine of the Trinity share similarities with the pagan teachings of triune gods, so much so that many believe it was from there the Christian Trinity doctrine originated, it is equally true that the doctrine of the Trinity as found in the Bible is self-sufficient. The Trinity doctrine of the Scripture is that of a God that manifested Himself in three Persons, and although the three Persons of the Trinity are God, based on biblical proof, the Bible yet speaks of God as one, in a similar sense to how it spoke of a man and woman as one; a union, and not in any other sense than a union (Genesis 2:24; John 17:10, 11).
When we study the Bible as a whole, and understand the plan of salvation for mankind through Jesus Christ, which has been highlighted in previous posts under the ‘Exclusive Features’ category, the doctrine of the Trinity becomes very meaningful. A perfect scenario is the fact that the Father had to resurrect the Son and the Son had to send the Holy Spirit as His representative on earth, after His resurrection. During the closing stages of Jesus’ earthly ministry, Jesus promised His disciples that when He gets back to heaven, He would send them “the Helper” who, interestingly, will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement (John 16:7–11). This is a revealing statement, considering that this is exactly how God speaks of Himself in Jeremiah 9:24, that He is the Lord, “exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.” The manner in which Jesus Christ describes the work of the Holy Spirit in comparison to God’s mission on earth as seen in Jeremiah 9:24, is striking. It reemphasizes the whole concept of the plan of salvation for mankind through Jesus Christ: God the Father exercising lovingkindness, judgement, and righteousness on the earth; God the Son coming down to the
earth to manifest lovingkindness, judgement, and righteousness; and God the Holy Spirit taking the work from there till the end of the world while also convicting the world of sin, because they do not believe in the redemptive sacrifice of the Son. This is basically the purpose of the Trinity, and it is quite unfortunate that the same ones for which God manifested Himself in three Persons, are the same ones who think it is a foolish concept of God.
Arianism, subordinationism, monotheism, as taught by other faiths, and other doctrines of God save the Trinity, as thought by the Bible, will totally undermine the plan of salvation, or suggest the lack thereof, no matter how shrewd and rational they may be.
The precise purpose for which Satan introduced his own version of the Trinitarian government into the pagan religions of old is left to be unraveled, but we know that Satan has always wanted to be like the Most High God (see Isaiah 14). Could it be that Satan wanted to create his own government on earth as seen in heaven from whence he came? Having failed in his rebellion against God in heaven, and being a covering cherub, which meant he was in close proximity to God’s government more than the other angels, could it be that he intends to achieve his purpose on earth by establishing a similar government to God’s, where he makes the people worship the mystery rather than the Most High God? By captivating the minds of men with a three in one god system as seen in the worship of the sun god amongst pagan religions of old, he is inevitably able to accomplish his purpose of making people idolize the mystery while bastardizing God’s true government. And as always, just as in the case of the Messiah, a solemn truth that the devil tried to topple over by introducing his own versions into the pagan religions of old before the Messiah arrived, there is a craftiness and deception to making God’s government look like an ambiguous three in one, rather than a God who manifested Himself in three Persons, who are one for unity’s sake. Like any counterfeit, the devil’s version of the trinity as found in pagan religions of old is a scathing insult to God’s government, and believers, rather than allow the devil to topple them over, ought to be aware of the subtleness of their adversary. Moreover, the Bible alludes that adherents of these religions will be judged because they had some revelation of the true God, saying, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:19–22).
Christianity is not a mystery religion for the presence of mysteries. Christianity becomes a mystery religion when the mystery is worshipped rather than God, or when God is worshipped for the sake of the mystery rather than for the sake of love, as found in the worship of the sun god; the reality to which believers today must awake, and know that this is exactly what the devil has done to Christianity, to the extent of the corruption of the Scripture, where the devil, using his agents, has strived to make bare what needed not to be, and thus, has set up an idol to captivate the minds of God’s children with the mystery of the Trinity, rather than with the God of the Trinity. In rather extreme cases, he has made many to disbelieve in God, on the grounds that the Trinity is a doctrine that cannot be explained. Yet, where God came from is a mystery and so is how He made the universe and all that is in it within six literal days. That Jesus Christ is both the lamb and the High Priest that was portrayed in the Old Testament sanctuary services is a mystery, and even so, a priest according to the order of Melchizedek; a non-Levite king of Salem, whose genealogy is not recorded in the Scripture, hence, having no father and mother nor beginning or end of days, since his genealogy is not known (see Hebrews 7).
So, when we study the Bible as a whole, and understand the plan of salvation for mankind through Jesus Christ, the doctrine of the Trinity becomes very meaningful. Download the PDF document of this article sofidimaye.org-BEYOND THE TRINITY MYSTERY WHY YOU CAN TRUST THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY. Friend, what are your thoughts? Kindly leave a comment below.
Written by S. O. Fidimaye
The article first appeared on:
http://sofidimaye.org/beyond-the-trinity-mystery-why-you-can-trust-the-doctrine-of-the-trinity/
*The content of this post is based on my new book, “The Believer’s Dilemma: Questions that beg for answers” which is available on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N044LKV and Smashwords
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/671686 and other major online retail stores.
CHRIST DOES NOT SET US FREE, HE MAKE US FREE.
CHRIST DOES NOT SET US FREE. HE MAKE US FREE.
“Wait a minute Mr. Preacher,” Someone might possibly say, “Are you saying Jesus does not set us free from sin? Didn’t you read in your Bible that “ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free . . . If the Son therefore shall set you free, ye shall be free indeed John 8:32, 36?” I will reply by saying, the Scripture didn’t say “the truth shall set you free” rather the Scripture say, “the truth shall make you” and “the Son shall make you free.” That is why we need to use a good Bible translation. It will be advisable to make us of the KJV translation. The NIV translated it as set free, but in the KJV it is translated as make free. In fact no where can we find the phrase set free applied to Jesus or salvation, it is always make or made free. Someone might possibly ask, “Why is this so important? It doesn’t matter if Jesus set us free or make us free, all that matters is that we are free.” To such person is this article written.
The Mission of Christ
Jesus mission into this world is to save His people from their sin. It is written of Him.
“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21.
He was also revealed to save His people from the works of the Devil and the works of the Devil is the works of the flesh.
“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8.
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told [you] in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21.
Jesus came into this world to make us free from sin. Jesus is in the making free business and not the setting free business. It is true that sin is like a cord that binds us to Satan and the world and we become his goods or his slave. But one cannot be bound up with a cord or chain without first being captured or entrapped as a slave.
Proverbs 5:22 clarifies this: “His own iniquities shall take [entrap] the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.” First we are entrapped or taken before we are held with the cords of our sin. Sin destroys the image of God in us and when tasted leaves us spiritually dead, lifeless and in bondage. Those who are bound by the cord and chain of sin are slaves to sin; they are regarded as slaves to another power stronger than them. Jesus made this clear in John 8:34-37 when he was speaking to the Jews:
“Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: [but] the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.”
The word servant in verse 34 literally means bondservant or slave. A slave is one sold to another person called master or lord. Paul further made it clear in Romans 7:14 where he wrote that he is carnal “sold under sin.” The master is sin or the sinful practices which we indulge in either openly or secretly. Satan, through the fleshly passion of our carnal heart, binds us to himself that we may do his bidding and makes us is rightful captives. Satan, through the sinful passions or sinful practices, becomes our master or what Jesus calls the strong man of our life.
The strong man and the Stronger Man
Jesus gave a parable about the strong man and the Stronger Man that overcomes him in Luke 11:21-22.
“When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.”
The strong man that is armed and that keeps his goods is Satan. His goods is man, those that are under his slavish power, those who have committed sin and are in bondage. The Stronger Man is Jesus who will come upon him and overcome him and rescues the slave from his armour and he will then destroy his power. But it is interesting to note how the Holy Spirit further explains this in the account of Mark. In Mark 3:27, the Holy Spirit explained to us how this Stronger Man was to rescue or save His good from the bondage of the strong man.
“No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.”
The Bible says, the first thing the Stronger Man will have to do is to first bind the strong man before he can spoil his house. This means, before Jesus, the Stronger Man, will begin the cleansing of the soul, the soul that was once in bondage to sin, He would have to first bind up Satan, the strong man, under whom we were held in bondage through our sinful passions, lustful desires, fleshly desires and the evil of our nature. If Jesus does not first bind up the strong man [the power of Satan through the fleshly and sinful passion of our nature] we cannot become free from sin.
It should be noted that the binding of Satan in this regard should not be mistaken to be the same as the binding of Satan during the 1000 years millennial reign of the saints with Christ in Revelation 20:1-3. Again it is imperative to note that the binding of Satan in this article is the binding of his power over us. Satan’s power over his subject is found in the sin that they commit. This sin reside in the carnal heart of man. Jesus said out of within proceed every evil things such as murder, adultery, hatered, lies, fornication etc. [Mark 7:21-23]. Those are partake in the sin that resides in the heart or cherish them are partakers of the nature of Satan. Therefore they are of Satan and they are his rightful goods which are guarded with arms and weapon. Apostle John make this clear in 1 John 3:8 that, “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning.” Only Jesus has the power to deliver from the hand of this strong man because we are naturally weak and dead in sin.
If Jesus sets us free without first binding the strong man, the strong man will rise up again to hold us in bondage. The way of Salvation is not to set us free but rather to make us free. We are made free when the old man, the flesh, the body of sin or the power of sin is bounded up by the power of Christ while the chain and cord of sin is consumed by the consuming fire of God. In order for the Stronger Man, Jesus, to make us free, He would have to first bind the strong man and then do the cleaning up of the house as we cooperate with Him. The strong man have to remain bound and dead before we can receive our salvation from sinful habit and sinful life style.
Can we be entangled again by Sin?
Definitely yes! Jesus bind the strong man but He does not bind our will power of choice. When the power of sin in the flesh are bound up by the power of Christ divine nature which is imputed and implanted into us, we are immediately made free from the power of sin and death but this freedom in Christ does not mean our choices are taken away from us. Paul wrote: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1. That mean it is possible to be entangled again with the bondage of sin.
Someone may ask, “How is this possible? But I thought the strong man was already held bound by the power of Jesus?”
It is possible to be entangled again to sin when we, through the choices that we make, set loose the evil passions of our sinful nature that Jesus had previously placed in bondage. It is truthful said: “You cannot defeat the demons you enjoy playing with.” When we give ourselves as instrument of unrighteousness we are going back to bondage and we are setting free the strong man which was previously held bound by the power of Jesus. For it is written in Romans 6:13, “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” This means that it is possible to yield our members [body, mind and desires] as instruments of unrighteousness or instruments of unrighteousness.
Jesus will make you free
Jesus will make you free, if you allow him to bind the strong man in your life. So long the strong man is bound up and remains in this state, you will walk in liberty and freedom and in victory. How does Jesus accomplish this act? It is through the cross. The strong man is bound up by the crucifixion of the flesh on the cross. The flesh must remain on the cross in order for us to experience victory daily. For us not to serve sin, the body of sin must be crucified and remain dead. It is written in Romans 6:6-7, 12:
“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin . . . Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.”
For us not to obey the lust of the flesh, sin must not reign in our mortal body. For sin not to reign in the mortal body is to be kept impaled on the cross. This impaling of the flesh on the cross is done by reckoning ourselves dead to sin by faith. Through crucifixion the sinful flesh is held bound and man is made free. Freedom in Christ is the same as being made new in Christ Jesus; we are no more slaves of our sinful passion or to Satan or the strong man, but we are now slaves of Christ, the Stronger Man. “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” Romans 6:22; 2 Cor. 5:17.
Summary and Concluding Remarks
If Jesus sets us free from sin while the strong man, old man, the sinful passions, the body of sin, the carnal mind and the evil heart is not held bound by impaling it to the cross, we will certainly not have victory over our sin and we shall be living believing we are in saved. But if Christ first binds Satan, who works through the strong man, the old man, the sinful passion, the body of sin, the carnal mind and the evil heart then the Stronger Man, Jesus can take his time to make us free, to make us new and make us a new creature. Jesus is able to put under his power the strong man in order to make us free. When He makes us free, we are free indeed and remain so as long as the strong man or old nature or sinful flesh remain on the cross crucified and dead. Are you willing to be made free in Christ Jesus while the sinful passion is held bound, or are you willing to be set free from sin while the sinful passions is let loose and free to harass you over and over again? The choice is your today to make.
THE POWER AND MYSTERY OF LOVE
Agur son of Jakeh spoke these words:
“There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the WAY OF A MAN WITH A YOUNG WOMAN.” Proverbs 30:18-19 (NIV)
You will never understand how these four works. Perhaps you might end up understanding the first 3, but verily I say unto you, the fourth will stand out as a mystery.
Rumi, a poet, once wrote these powerful words:
“However much I might try to expound or explain LOVE, when I come to love itself, I am ashamed of my explanations . . . LOVE alone can explain the mystery of love and lovers.”
Martin Luther once said:
“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend”
How does a man fall in love with a woman he has never seen before, a woman he didn’t grow up with, a woman that had not imparted anything to his life prior to that point he fell in love with her? This is surely a MYSTERY OF LOVE.
No wonder, Ellen Kay, a Swedish writer, once wrote:
“Love, as life, will fortunately remain an eternal mystery which no science will be able to penetrate and which reason cannot rule.”
MATCHLESS LOVE OF GOD
No greater love has been revealed to humanity than that which was revealed at Calvary. Apostle John, overwhelmed by the surpassing understanding of this love, exclaimed:
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” 1 John 3:1
Mrs White, under inspiration, wrote:
“But “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Oh, what love, what matchless love! Christ, the Son of God, dying for guilty man!”- Selected Messages, book 3, p.193.4
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
God will always remain God. All glory to His holy name.
No mater how mysterious the love of a man to a woman is or vice versa, it can never be compared with the infinite, matchless, unselfish and powerful love of Christ to this undeserving sinful world. THIS IS LOVE ETERNAL!
“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. . . But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6, 8.
Isn’t this LOVE?
THE MISSION OF HOLLYWOOD
If i may ask, “DO YOU KNOW THE MISSION OF HOLLYWOOD?”
I came across some mind boggling and startling statements today written by Bertrand Russell in his book which I downloaded today titled, “The Scientific Outlook” published 1931, page 158. According to Bertrand, the mission of the cinema, media, hollywood and entertainment industry is to achieve uniformity in the world. Through the media the world will unconsciously and consciously wonder after the beast, make an image to the beast and readily receive the mark of the beast as prophesied in Revelation 13:11-16.
Take time to read what this great philosopher wrote over 86 years ago about the media.
He wrote:
“Perhaps the most important of all the modern agents of propaganda is the cinema. Where the cinema is concerned, the technical reasons for large-scale organizations leading to almost world-wide uniformity are overwhelming. . . . The great majority of young people in almost all civilized countries derive their ideas of love, of honour, of the way to make money, and of the importance of good clothes, from the evenings spent in seeing what Hollywood thinks good of them.”
Here comes the most startling statement from this great philosopher. It is imperative to note that this not Ellen White speaking through her inspired writings, this is not a quote from the Bible, rather this is a philosopher and a Nobel prize winner who little or not to deep relationship with God, although he believed in God.
He said:
“I doubt whether all the schools and churches combined have as much influence as the cinema upon the opinions of the young in regard to such intimate matters as love and marriage and money making. The producers of Hollywood are the high-priests of a new religion”
No wonder we were told that Daniel 3 will repeat itself to the letter. It was the music and entertainment that brought unity to all men in the world which made it easy for them to worship the the golden image to the beast and to receive the mark of the beast. It was the also the false prophets or lamb-like beast of Rev 13:11,12 which is a Protestant America that will seek to use spiritualism and all the abominations of the world to deceive people to make an image to the beast and to receive the mark of aliegence. Rev 16: 13, 14; Rev 19:20.
The battle field is the mind
The mind is the battle field and from it proceed all the issues of life. This is what Mrs. Ellen G. White wrote over 117 years ago about the media and entertainment of her time:“I feel alarmed as I witness everywhere the frivolity of young men and young women who profess to believe the truth. God does not seem to be in their thoughts. Their minds are filled with nonsense. Their conversation is only empty, vain talk. They have a keen ear for music, and Satan knows what organs to excite to animate, engross, and charm the mind so that Christ is not desired. The spiritual longings of the soul for divine knowledge, for a growth in grace, are wanting.
I was shown that the youth must take a higher stand and make the word of God the man of their counsel and their guide. Solemn responsibilities rest upon the young, which they lightly regard. The introduction of music into their homes, instead of inciting to holiness and spirituality, has been the means of diverting their minds from the truth. Frivolous songs and the popular sheet music of the day seem congenial to their taste. The instruments of music have taken time which should have been devoted to prayer. Music, when not abused, is a great blessing; but when put to a wrong use, it is a terrible curse. It excites, but does not impart that strength and courage which the Christian can find only at the throne of grace while humbly making known his wants and, with strong cries and tears, pleading for heavenly strength to be fortified against the powerful temptations of the evil one. Satan is leading the young captive. Oh, what can I say to lead them to break his power of infatuation! He is a skillful charmer luring them on to perdition.” Adventist Home, 407.
“All should guard the senses, lest Satan gain victory over them; for these are the avenues of the soul.” Adevntist Home, p. 401.
“Satan and his angels are busy creating a paralyzed condition of the senses so that cautions, warnings, and reproofs shall not be heard; or, if heard, that they shall not take effect upon the heart and reform the life. My brethren, God calls upon you as His followers to walk in the light. You need to be alarmed. Sin is among us, and it is not seen to be exceedingly sinful. The senses of many are benumbed by the indulgence of appetite and by familiarity with sin.We need to advance nearer heaven.” Adventist Home, p. 401.
The Question we all need to ask ourselves is, what is in my heart? Is christ abiding or satan through the nonsense of hollywood?
I live you with this questions and with this quote:
“If Christ is not abiding in us, the Satanic will appear in our words or actions.” Review and Herald, Dec. 22, 1885.
