No Where to Hide - Part 11

The Bible has warned that in the last days, good will be called evil and evil will be considered good. It seems like all around us, what would have caused us to be a bit taken back is now being embraced as courageous, the ability to share what people have kept hidden for so long is now being accepted as the 'new normal.' Transgenders, homosexuals, and literally everything in between is being applauded that these life styles are now not only being brought in front of the public eye, but every organization and company is now supporting their cause. Everything that is, except for Christianity. It is the one thing that no matter what else is being accepted in this world, Jesus Christ, is still being pushed further and further in the closet and those that want equal rights with all the other groups are being labeled as intolerant.

Even in the midst of the Corona Virus pandemic, churches are being labeled as non-essential while abortion clinics are being kept open as an essential businesses. Suicides and domestic abuse are on the rise during this time and there is no one who can help them. Even doctors offices are closed and they are watching people die in their homes because they are too afraid of getting the virus. Even early detection for heart and cancer issues are being left untreated because of the lock down as well.

People continue to extinguish the light, so that they can continue to dwell in the darkness and not be ashamed by what they do. The Bible reminds us that men love the darkness more than they love the light. It's because the light exposes things and shines a bit of prominence on them. We have to remember that we are not in this world to become a part of it, but to bring a part of our world to this one and show the differences in what could be. That is our mission. If we continue fellowship with Him the light will continue to burn brighter and brighter. Our challenge in this life is are we maintaining fellowship with God? Lord may we spend sweeter time with you, more challenging time growing with You. We are longing to spend more time with Jesus as the time grows shorter before He will come again. We need to ensure we are spending time growing closer to God during these dark days ahead instead of walking apart from Him.

Revelation 22:16 ~ "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star." (NIV).

What is the bright and morning star about? Light! He is the announcement of a new day coming, a brighter day! Just before the dawn, when things are the darkest, the bright and morning star appears, Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:19 ~ "And we have the world of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to is, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." (NIV).

Jesus is with us and He is with us as our High Priest.

Revelation 1:13a ~ "And among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest."

As John sees Jesus, he attempts to describe him among the seven churches.

Hebrews 4:15 ~ "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are- yet without sin."

The reference that John is making in how He is clothed in a robe reaching down to his feet, is addressing His priestly robes. No longer an earthly priest, no longer in the temple, no longer in a confessional, or a pulpit, Jesus is wearing a priestly robe. But why? Because He is our priest. He is the only one we need to confess our sins too, not to another man dressed in a robe, or a collar. Jesus is our high priest and we have direct access to Him at all times.

Hebrews 4:16 ~ "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

1 Timothy 2:5 ~ "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,"

John said he saw someone "like a son of man" Jesus Christ is man, Jesus Christ is God.

Hebrews 10:21-22 ~ "and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." (NIV).

We don't need to tip toe into the presence of God, nor do we need to boldly walk in without any respect either like we own the place, for that would be blasphemous, but you can walk in and call Him Dad, Papa, Abba, I need to talk to You. Just like when your kids come to you telling you that they need to talk to you, no appointment is needed. Do we enter into the presence of God wanting to talk to Him with boldness? God invites us to do just that.

The reference to Jesus being referred to as the "Son of Man" is used to describe Jesus over 70 times in both the Old and New Testament. Jesus, refers to Himself as the Son of Man, it is His title. Just like King in the gospel of Matthew, symbolized as a lion, an animal of nobility. In the gospel of Mark, Jesus is referred to as a Servant, symbolized as an Ox, a beast of burden or ministry. In John's gospel, Jesus is referred to as the God the Son, symbolized as an Eagle, an animal of glory and splendor. But it isn't until Luke's Gospel that we see Jesus referred to as the Son of Man, symbolized as the face of a man, Christ becoming human for us.

We see John describing Jesus, the Son of Man, dressed in a robe down to His feet, and it makes reference of that in Isaiah 6:1 ~ "I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exhalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple."

His glory fills the entire temple! The Bible also refers to his chest being girded about in a golden sash, in Revelation 1:13a, it is an announcement that He is God, He is man, and that He is priest forever! This is very important to us, because Jesus came down to earth from Heaven, He is God. He is also man, born from the flesh of a woman, Mary, in the child of Jesus Christ, but this God, this man, came to die for us, risen again from the dead to be our eternal priest. He is the priest forever and He has the golden sash across His chest. signifying His priesthood, one of the Levites, who also had a band across their chests with golden thread woven in it. Jesus' band across His chest is solid, a symbol of His glory.

He is the Jesus who is for us in verses 14 and 15.

Revelation 1: 14-15 ~ "His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters."

We see this Jesus as one who has judged our sin. "His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire." His head and his hair were white like wool, symbolizes His great authority. His head, his hair, white, glowing and emanating the light of glory. It is Jesus alone, that possesses all authority, according to the Bible, and perfect judgment. They still do this in England in Parliment, where the justices come out wearing white wigs, because they represent authority and judgment, or righteousness and of power.

Matthew 28:18 ~"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been give to me."

The Jesus that sits on the throne in heaven is sitting there in all authority, power, glory and righteousness, perfected in the glorious light of heaven. The one with the authority to judge. The good thing is that He is there for us. He has judged our sins at the cross. Yet the book of Revelation is dealing predominately with the Second Coming of Christ, and when He comes back, He will be doing so to judge the earth and their sins. All because they refused to accept Jesus Christ, as their Savoir, as their Messiah, and their Lord and King.

The scripture goes on to describe his eyes were like blazing fire. Remember it's not that Jesus eyes were blazing fire but that they "looked like blazing fire."Fire speaking of absolute and perfect judgment. He sees all things, dreams, thoughts, visions, emotions and motives, and knows why we do and say what we do, and there is no where we can hide that Jesus can't see. Those flames speak of His perfect insight into our souls and motives. He knows the motives of our actions.

Psalm 44:21 ~ "would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart?"

It's like being in a courtroom where the judge knows everything. He knows why you did what you did, what your motives were and what you were thinking. No one will be able to stand before Him and hide anything from Him. He will know it all before they utter one word. And they will know there is no one they can blame or an excuse that will get them out of where they now stand before Jesus.

Daniel 7:9 ~ "As I looked, "thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze."

2 Cornithians 5:10-11 ~ "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad, Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it also plain to your conscience."

John 5:22-23 ~ "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. "

A lot of Christians forget that we don't have to live in fear of losing our ability to get to heaven. You and I will have to stand before the judgment seat of Christ, where he will judge us for what we have done as Christians and for what we haven't done as Christians. We will have to give an account for what we did with the time we had as Christians before Him. This is what Kathleen did with her money, this is what Kathleen did with her time, this is what Kathleen did with her witness, and the Bible states that we will receive the disciplinary action of Christ or the blessings of Christ. It has no bearing at all, on my eternal destination as a Christian, neither will it have on yours as long as you are a Christian. This is the only judgment for believers. We will not stand before the Great White Throne Judgment mentioned later in Revelation.

You can fool the entire world but you can't stand before Jesus Christ and attempt to fool Him. Jesus is with us in those moments when the shades are drawn, when no one is around. Jesus sees it all. There is no where we can hide what we do from Him.

Tomorrow, we will wrap up all of Chapter 1 before heading into the seven churches! Hope you'll join me and be sure to share with others you might think will be blessed. 

Is Your Name in the Book of Life?

I remember growing up, whenever I got a book whether for a birthday or Christmas gift, the first thing I did was put my name in it. It was to show that it belonged to me. Now I cringe whenever I think about writing in any of my books, but now that is simply a personal preference.

There may be confusion as I was for so long about the difference between the Book of Life and the Lamb's Book of Life as well as the books, plural, that will be opened on the day of judgment which non believers in Jesus Christ will have to face, otherwise known as the Great White Throne Judgment.

Let's get started with the first one. The Book of Life, not the movie, but the one mentioned in the Bible.

Revelation 20:15 ~ "If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 3:5 ~ "I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father, and his angels."

Exodus 32:31-33 ~ " So Moses went back to the LORD and said, "Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. But now, please forgive their sin - but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written." The LORD replied to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book." (NIV).

Psalm 69:27-28 ~ "Charge them with crime upon crime; do not let them share in your salvation. May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous." (NIV).

Revelation 17:8 ~ :The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when the see the beast, because he once as, now is not, and yet will come." (NIV).

Psalm 139:16 ~ "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." (NIV).

So we can be assured, that there is a Book of Life that the Bible mentions and your name can be removed from it, or blotted out. This is the book that every single person who has every lived from their creation in the Garden of Eden until the very end of the world is written when they come into being is written in the Book of Life. Yet it can be blotted out or removed when you make the choice to forgo following Jesus and instead make your own choice to follow in whatever path you make. Only by following Jesus will your name remain in the Book of Life.

The consequence for not having your name in the Book of Life is quite clear, in Revelation 20:15, "If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." (NIV). 

What this means is that God doesn't send anyone to Hell but we go by our own choice. Remember that. There are no second chances once you die and get to the Great White Throne Judgement.

So now let's look at what the Lamb's Book of Life is. When you have made a choice to follow Jesus Christ, as your Lord and Savior, your name is also written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Once it is written there, by your own choice again, it can NEVER be blotted out, despite what you may have been told. Once you are savED, notice past tense, you can't go back to being unsaved, if your salvation was genuine. You can fall away, back slide, whatever spin you put on it, but your salvation is assured. You just have to deal with Jesus at the Judgement Seat of Christ if you die in your backslidden state, but your salvation is assured. You don't want to try and get saved and then go back to your sinful ways, remember God knows your heart and knows what your true intentions are, so don't think you're going to trick Him.

But it does give the believer and follower of Jesus Christ, assurance and security that our name can NEVER be blotted out. You truly want your name in the Lamb's Book of Life. It's like Jesus personally keeping track of all His true followers so when we face our judgement, Jesus simply opens the book in front of His Father and says, Nope this one is mine. We belong to Him and we enter into Heaven.

Revelation 21:27 ~ "Nothing impure will ever enter it, not will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life."

Revelation 13:8 ~ "All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast - all whose names have NOT been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world." (NIV).

Luke 10:20 ~ "However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." (NIV).

Malachi 3:16 ~ "Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name." (NIV).

Just like in Ancient Rome, if you were a citizen of the Roman Empire, regardless of where you lived, your name was written on a scroll. This gave you all the benefits that were entitled to a citizen of Rome. However if you committed a crime against Rome, your name was removed or blotted out. You lost all your rights as a citizen of Rome. 

But this is not the case with Jesus. Once He has captured your name in His Lamb's Book of Life, your name can never be blotted out or removed, no matter what you do. You belong to Him.

Matthew 10:32-33 ~ "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge before my Father in Heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown before my Father in heaven." (NIV).

Jesus makes it pretty clear, that unless you follow Him and make a public declaration, You are not going to heaven. There is no greater advocate to have on your side when you die and stand before God, than Jesus. Once He opens the Book of Life and the Lamb's Book of Life, you want to make sure YOUR name is in there. There is NO other way. You can't earn your way to Heaven, You can't get there through any other god, but Jesus.

Jesus himself makes that 100% perfectly clear.

John 14:6 ~ "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (NIV).

In the book of Revelation there are also other books mentioned.

Revelation 20:11-15 ~ "Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dad, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.: (NIV).

What these "books" are might be the records of everything you did in your life. All the times you were told about Jesus, and refused to accept him. Every thought you had, every word you ever said. It states it pretty clear that nothing we have done in our life on earth will be kept from God and we will face judgment for it. Remember that this judgment is not for the believer and follower of Christ. The following scripture is the end result of the believer and follower of Christ from 2 Corinthians 5 where Paul was sharing what awaits us when we get to heaven. This doesn't apply to non believers of Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:10 ~ "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."(NIV).

We will face our own judgment with Jesus the very moment we die and enter into heaven as we stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Think of it like a court room with God as the judge and Jesus as our defender. No matter what the charges are against us, Jesus defends us, covered with His blood and God no longer sees that sin in our life. Pretty fantastic isn't it.

Time to make some decisions in your life. You won't have a second chance if you die today and don't know Jesus. You have been told, just reading this. So what will you do? Your eternal destination is really up to you. Choose Jesus and Know Life or Reject Jesus and No Life.