Random Thoughts on the Really Good News

“…the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whoever He will.” (Daniel 4:17, 25) When I was younger I was passionate about a lot of things that seemed of great importance to me at the time. As I have grown older I have become less so, and have reached the conclusion that passion may be good at times, but in most cases it is a fleeting zeal that soon becomes a thing of the past. It has been kind of fun to feel passion for a political candidate again but…. I just reviewed some of my posts with regard to Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. Those posts were written with passion and I honestly feel that, from my perspective, what I wrote was correct. And I would like to see if either of them, if elected, could turn the tide of our drift toward Socialism. However, when measured by the above passage of Scripture I must admit that the winner of the next election is not is the hands of passionate people, but in the hands of a sovereign God. And assuming the bible is true… "…...

The books of the New Testament written by the Apostle Paul are a complete Bible in themselves. In his earlier writings he gives us God’s solution for the destiny of the human race, and in his later writings (Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians) we have the destiny of the entire universe. The destiny of the human race according to Paul… “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive…that God may be All in all…We once were foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by th...

“Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like… an image formed by the art and thought of man…God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should REPENT, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:22-31) Paul is speaking to the educated Greeks in Athens and tells them plainly that ALL of them and everyone else are children of the one true God unknown to them. The Greek word translated "repent" is " metanoeo" and means to change your mind.   All Greeks worshiped a god of some sort at the time. These false gods had images made up by men and were depicted as needing to be appeased with gifts in order to avoid their wrath. Paul says it was time for mankind to change their minds with regard to the idea of a god we must appease or suffer his wrath. He does NOT tell them to repen...

“He is not here: for he is risen, as he said” (Matthew 28:16) Jesus died about 3:00 in the afternoon (Matthew 27:46-50) He was raised AFTER 3 days from the time he was KILLED. (Mark 8:31) He was to rise from the dead IN three days from his BURIAL. (John 2:19) The bible says in several places that visits were made to the tomb on various occasions on the FIRST day of the week (Sunday morning) and the tomb was ALREADY empty. (Matthew 28:16) Jesus said he would spend three days and three nights in the earth…72 hours. (Matthew 12:38-40) Therefore, contrary to popular opinion, Jesus died on a Wednesday at 3:00 p.m., was buried three hours later just before sundown - about 6:00 p.m.. He was raised exactly three nights and three days later just before sundown on Saturday. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were three nights. Thursday, Friday and Saturday were three days. This is not rocket science, just reading and believing the Bible rather than the traditions of men. There was not a “good...

The question of all questions...asked by Job "If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my struggle I will wait Until my change comes." (Job 14:14) Jesus gives the simple answer... “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26) The simplicity of those words are overwhelming to me. And the fact that almost all Christians fail to see the simple truth is equally overwhelming. But they read into those simple words the idea that one must believe in Jesus before the resurrection in order to be among those who never die after the resurrection. The Bible says no such thing. “I am the resurrection and the life” Jesus says that the life mankind receives after resurrection is from him. “He who believes in me, though he may die” Jesus says that those who believe in him now will die. “And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die” All that ...

“The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:56-57) What does that mean? “The sting of death” simply means that the cause of death is sin. Paul puts it this way in his letter to Rome… “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23a) “ …the strength of sin is the law” simply means that the law of God is the reason we all sin. If God had not given any laws to obey, there would be no sin. And if no sin, there would not have been any death. Paul is saying that the responsibility for sin lies squarely on God. For he created us the way we are and He created the law which we could not keep. Paul puts it this way in his letter to Rome… “I would not have come to know sin except through the Law…for apart from the Law sin is dead. I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in l...

“But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples were saying to him, We have seen the Lord! But he said to them, Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." (John 20:24-25) Such is the condition of most of humanity, maybe all, including those of us who call ourselves Christians and piously claim salvation as our exclusive possession, condemning everyone else. If we are honest, we would admit that not until we see the resurrected Jesus will our hope become sight, and only then will we, like Thomas, without any doubt whatsoever….believe! “After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, Peace be with you. Then he said to Thomas, Reach here with your finger, and see my hands; and reach here your hand and put it into my side; ...

"Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:18-19) Paul tells mankind that they have been reconciled to God through Christ. Not that they can be, but the whole world has been reconciled. Those of us who hear and believe this good news are the share it with others as ambassadors. "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:20-21) God is reconciled to the world. But most of the world doesn't realize it yet because few are telling them about it. The church doesn't do it. It f...

"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:-12-13) The Greek word for love in the above passage is "agape". There are two other Greek words in the New Testament translated love which are "phileo" and "storge". Just to be clear, in this post I am talking about "agape" (unconditional gratuitous love - like God loves). It is indeed rare, if ever, that a human being loves that way…I have never met one yet, although some come closer than others. We see glimpses of it from time to time, but eventually, given enough time, all who appear or give the impression that they possess this  unconditional “agape” prove it is merely an illusion. You hardly ever see the Greek word "agape" used in Greek literature outside of the Bible. The highes...

“There will come one day a personal and direct touch from God when every tear and perplexity, every oppression and distress, every suffering and pain, and wrong and injustice will have a complete and ample and overwhelming explanation.” Oswald Chambers That day is known as the resurrection when we all stand before the throne of the Savior of the World and hear him say... "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest...you will find rest for your souls". (Matthew 11:28-29)