The Lord's Delay

 The Lord's Delay

A Word on Prophecy

Verse " But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."---Matthew 24:48-51

When Jesus ascended to heaven,  a promise was made that He would return and get us. ( Acts 1:9-11, John 14:3,)

When He returns, we who are saved will go to meet Him in the clouds. (1 Thess 4:17)

This is the rapture, which will occur when He returns. We do not know the time of His coming.( Matthew 24:36)

But, that has not stopped people from trying to figure it out.

One such view is the pre-tribulation rapture. This idea holds the belief that Jesus will return in secret, before anything bad happens and snatch away all the believers. But then He will come again, at His real return, And get another group of believers called the "Tribulation Saints" who happen to get saved without the Holy Spirit...

So, basically pre-tribbers believe in two second comings and two raptures. And that people are saved by obeying the Law without the Holy Spirit. Which scripture plainly rejects.

They believe the church will be taken out, because the Holy Spirit is allegedly taken out so we go with Him. They see the Holy Spirit as the Restrainer. So the restrainer must be removed and this removal happens at rapture because the Holy Spirit is in the Church..  (2 Thess. 2:1-12)

They believe that the Antichrist and all the destruction cannot come till the Holy Spirit and Christians are removed.

Ok?

Basically, this is like date setting without actually setting a date. 

Believers await His coming. But pre-tribbers expect it to occur before certain events.

So, when we look at this verse above in Matthew, we see that certain believers will say "my Lord hath delayed His coming."

If you read the whole verse in context. Matthew 24:29-51. You will see the words AFTER THE TRIBULATION.  Then, you will see a description of what seems to be the rapture. Then, Jesus takes a step back in time before the rapture description and warns about servants saying "my Lord hath delayed His coming."

It seems that these believers have witnessed something that makes them think Jesus has delayed His coming.

Only people who have date set, or believe in a pre-trib rapture would say this. All other believers are patiently waiting and expecting tribulation and persecution.

So what happens?  The Four Horsemen. They bring terrible destruction and the beginnings of what happens later.

Because of them and human behavior, things get worse and worse. Wars, crime, economic collapse, famine, disease, disasters and death because of these things.

Then, comes persecution. we see this in Revelation. (Rev. 6:1-11)

Believers probably get blamed for the destruction brought by the Four Horsemen and are persecuted. 

Then many pre-trib.believers who say"my Lord hath delayed His coming" will join in with the persecution. They beat the men servants and maid servants, because they were never saved. They bought into a false belief and a works based doctrine.

They cannot abide in Christ, to endure persecution. They have no oil (faith..). So, they attack and betray true believers.

Now we must clarify something. The church is full of unsaved people. They are believers in God, just like the demons of Hell believe, and tremble. But, they have never truly confessed Jesus as their Lord. They have not given themselves to Him and trust Him alone for salvation. They trust in works and self righteousness. But, they never knew Him. Yes, it splits hairs, but it is very important.

So, why do I call them believers?

Because they believe in A type of Christ, and go on to form the Apostate Church. An apostate, believes, but rejects.  Like the demons of hell. The demons of hell know God is real. But, they are in rebellion. They refuse to confess Him as Lord. People who have spent their entire faith on escaping the tribulation will not be able to stand against what's coming. They will be devastated that Jesus has not come to get them out. When they see friends being killed, and people losing jobs, and see the wars and famines, and the Anti-Christ rising up. They will think they were wrong, and were deceived. Many will fall away. This is the great falling away. (2 Thess 2:3) Falling away always occurs with persecution. They were never saved. But, they believed. See?  You can be a believer in wrong things.

The Apostate Church will call itself Christian. They will believe in God and follow rules. But, they will not truly believe that Jesus is God who saved them. This same thing can be seen in the Chinese church today. The government sanctioned church sees Jesus as a good moral teacher. The underground church confesses him as Lord and is persecuted.

Remember "Anti-" in "Anti-Christ" Does not mean against Christ. It means "Instead of" Christ. So the Apostate Church will be "Christian". But, they will worship the Anti-Christ. The Instead of Christ.

The false brethren who create the Apostate Church will call the true believers extremists and join in persecuting them. The world is already being prepared to go against "extremists".

The real believers will be persecuted and beat down and things will get so bad that even the elect will wonder, and almost fall away into deception.

Then, when the real church is at its weakest. The Anti-Christ will become public. Because the restrainer (The Holy Spirit in the Church) will have been effectively removed or made of no account, through persecution. As it says in Revelation and Daniel "And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them." (Revelation 13:7, Dan 7:25)

Do not be deceived by the doctrines that set times and dates on the Lord's return. Put your total faith in Him. He will come when God sends Him, not when we think He should come. Just turn to Him and build a relationship and trust in Him. You'll need it.

Our faith will grow and the chaff will be removed. Confess Jesus as your Lord, and do not trust in Pre-Tribulation Raptures. Trust in Him to see us through, as he sees fit.  Just like He protected the Israelites in Goshen during the plagues of Exodus.

Now, understand that I have many friends who are pre-tribbers. I love them. I think they are saved. But, it is a dangerous place to put all your eggs in the basket of pre-tribulation doctrine. When the time comes, there will probably be a terrible temptation and spiritual attack of the devil to get people to fear and turn from Christ and say "My Lord delays His coming." Their mind will be darkened. Fear will take over.

The Bible says we are not afforded unto wrath. But, do not be deceived. God's wrath is poured out in ONE day. Not over seven years. Also, Gods wrath is the Lake of Fire. His wrath is eternal. He doesn't just kill the body, He kills the soul forever in hell.

 

Real Believers are not facing the Lake of Fire. Only Rebels. Only the devil, his angels, and human slaves who have rejected Christ. Understand, that those who "fall away", were never saved. They never knew Him, no matter how many good works they did at church. No matter how nice they are. They never trusted Him alone for salvation.

You cannot lose your salvation. Once you know him. You are known of Him. He has you. Forever.

-----

Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called "The Future is Coming" and is a collection of dystopian short stories.

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

Buy a cup of Coffee

Support the work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13514235&fan_landing=true&view_as=public

The Sins and Signs of Saul

 The Sins and Signs of Saul

A Word on Salvation

 

 

 According to Scripture, (1 Samuel 8:1- 1 Sam. 31:13) Saul’s sins were,
1. Not completely destroying everything in an evil city in Israel. He allowed the king and the livestock to live.
2. Not waiting on God’s Man, Samuel to come and do the sacrifice,
3.  And by going to a witch with a familiar spirit for guidance, instead of going to God.

        I have always felt sorry for Saul. It seems like he is judged harshly by God for his sins. He loses the kingship, and he is killed by his enemies along with his son and ultimately his family. (1 Sam. 31:1-13) I look at my own life, and I have done so many things, that it makes me feel as though I have done worse than Saul. So, if God treats Saul this way, how will He treat me?

      

     Now, over the years I have heard preachers use this story of Saul to preach a works based doctrine of salvation, saying that Saul was slain for disobedience, so you better obey too, or you’ll be slain or suffer. I have also heard this text being used to claim that a person can lose their salvation.

      

     But, as I studied Saul’s life, I believe the Lord showed me that this story is actually a picture of all of our salvation experiences, and that Saul never really accepted the Lord. This story is a picture of someone rejecting Christ. Yes, Saul disobeyed, but his disobedience was in specific areas that spell out something bigger. It is not that Saul sinned, we all sin. But, Saul sinned in such a way that it paints a picture, and God uses that picture to show us something.

    

      First, Saul is called by God to be king, not because of anything Saul has done. God Himself chose Saul, after the people called for a king. Likewise God calls us. He calls all humans to come to Him and to have an inheritance, and to rule with him as priest/kings. It’s not because of any good we have done, or any special thing about us. We can accept or we can hide and reject. It can be argued whether Saul really accepted or not. He became king. But, did He accept the Lord? Did he confess God as his King? (1 Sam. 8:1- 10:27)

     

      Second, Saul did not wait on God’s man Samuel to show up to do the sacrifice. He let the world around him dictate what he should do, instead of what he knew to do. So, he did the sacrifice himself. (1 Sam. 13:1-14)

      

     This is a picture of a person who seeks to save themselves instead of letting God’s man Jesus Christ save them. Jesus Christ is the sacrifice that washes away all sin, give it to Him. You cannot do the sacrifice. You cannot save yourself. The fact that you think you can save yourself or help God save you, or rid yourself of sin, is proof that you do not realize how wretched you and I are. Saul did not see the depth of the evil in the people who corrupted the land, and he did not see the reason why he could not do the sacrifice for himself. You do not want to stand before God, doing the sacrifice for yourself.

       

     Next we see that Saul went forth to battle; as king his main job was to remove the evil from the land, especially as it resided in the Canaanite people who lived there before. Their past associations, with demonic entities, and demonic bloodlines utterly corrupted them, and Saul was to totally destroy them, and everything about them. If he left anything it would become a thorn in the side of the people of God. But, Saul did not do it. (1 Sam. 15:1-34)

      

     Likewise, we are to be broken by our own past sin and wickedness in our “land” or lives. We are totally depraved and evil. We are in the camp of the Enemy, and associating with demons. We are to realize this about ourselves, as God reveals it to us. We are to desire to get rid of this within us, even though we do not know the entire depth of our evil. We are to want God to wipe it out and cleanse us. Just like cleansing out the evil in the land. We want all of it gone and killed off. If we try to keep our pet sins, those things will grow up as a thorn in our side, and plague us.

      

     Saul was not totally grieved and totally opposing the enemy in Israel. He did not see how corrupted the Canaanite people were, so he allowed evil to continue. We need to desire for God to cleanse us of all unrighteousness, and remove it all from us. Things we leave behind can get worse and make us worse.  Here is where preachers will preach works. Yes, you need to struggle with the things in your life that is not pleasing to God. He often leaves those things for us to struggle with and grow from, and to keep something worse from coming upon us. But, you must realize that you cannot get rid of Sin yourself. Only He can do that. Only he can kill it all. Give it to Him. Like Paul’s thorn in the side, His grace is sufficient for us. There are things we won’t get rid of, but we must still desire for it all to be gone.

     

      The fourth thing is that Saul went to seek help or instruction, or salvation from something other than God. He sought help from the enemy or demonic entities, not God. (1 Sam. 28:1-25)

     

      Likewise, we humans often seek salvation, help, wisdom, comfort, peace, or anything else from things other than God. If your help comes from anything other than God, then you have rejected Him, and embraced the enemy. I’m not saying that we cannot study many subjects, but it needs to be under God’s guidance, and be looked at through the lens of what He wants us to know to be true. We reject God in many ways in our lives. We sin. We have idols. But, that is not the same as totally rejecting God. Just turn back to Him, and tell Him about it, asking Him to forgive and save you.

     

      So, that’s the bottom line. Saul is a picture of a person who God has called, and even did miracles for, but he never really accepted God. The person never saw how wicked they are, or to have the evil removed from the ‘land” of their life.  He is a picture of someone who sought to solve the problem of sin for himself instead of trusting God, and letting God make the sacrifice through Jesus Christ.

      

     He is a picture of someone who sought salvation everywhere but with God, and found the Enemy and death instead. We must realize how utterly evil we are and throw ourselves on God’s mercy confessing Jesus is the Lord, and letting Him save us. Anything else would be like Saul. (Romans 10:9-10)

     

      I would like to add that Saul is an example of God using His Word to show us layers of truth. Because, while everything I said above is 100% true. It is also true that Saul is a picture of the Anti-Christ to come. It is a picture of what is coming upon the Earth, before the return of Jesus.

      

     First, like Israel in the story, the world will be lawless, and the people will reject God, and desire a King to rule over them. God will let them have their own way, and the King that they elect will be the Anti-Christ. He will be anointed as their savior in times of trouble. He will prophecy, and have a form of godliness, and spirituality, but not from God.

      

     Second, he will stop all efforts to remove evil from the land. He will oppose all that’s good, and make war with the saints, and overcome them. He will let the evil one have his way, and grow.

    

      Third, he will make the sacrifice himself, in the temple of God. He will claim to be God most high.

     

      Finally, he will open himself up to an evil Spirit, which will be Lucifer himself. And he will be destroyed in battle.

      

     These things are coming quickly. Be determined in your work to serve the Lord, and lead people to know Him. Get on fire, and step out. He will be with you.

-----

 

Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called "The Future is Coming" and is a collection of dystopian short stories.

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

Buy a cup of Coffee

Support the work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13514235&fan_landing=true&view_as=public

Photo by the Author. The Bald Knob Cross of Peace in Southern Illinois.

A Higher Power

 A Higher Power

 

In 12 step programs they speak of a higher power.

I know this works for some people in thier effort to get clean.

But, I cannot speak in terms of a higher power about someone who has saved me.

He is a person and He walks with me. He was there before my birth. He was there as I grew and failed and failed again. He protected me and cheered for me to succeed.

He was there when I became an addict and wept through the pain with me.

He was there as I chose to do the things I did, and He protected me in my bad decisions.

Then, when it was time. He destroyed my life. He broke up my failure of a life. And began to create a new one.

He allowed me to destroy myself so I could be in a better place. He allowed my marriage to fail, and protected them.

He walked with me through prison. Protecting me and blessing me.

He restored my life and has given me more than I could ever hope for. He promises a hope and a future. An abundant life and He has delivered, and is delivering.

His yoke is easy and His burden light. He helps me with all my struggles.

He is always there. And will always be there no matter what.

He us not just a higher power. He is the Lord. He is God. He is Jesus. The Great I Am. The Alpha and Omega. Yesterday, today. And Forever.

 

---

 

 

Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called "The Future is Coming" and is a collection of dystopian short stories.

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

Read His Spiritual Writings on Blogspot: https://chrisbunton.blogspot.com/

Buy a cup of Coffee

Support the work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13514235&fan_landing=true&view_as=public