Truth in HD October 2012

7/29/2019 Truth in HD October 2012

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As for you, you were

dead in your transgres-

sions and sins, in which

you used to live when you

followed the ways of this

world and of the ruler of

the kingdom of the air, the

spirit who is now at work

in those who are disobe-

dient. All of us also lived

among them at one time,

gratifying the cravings of

our sinful nature and fol-

lowing its desires and

thoughts. Like the rest, we

were by nature objects of

wrath. But because of hisgreat love for us, God,

who is rich in mercy,

made us alive with Christ

even when we were dead

in transgressions it is by

grace you have been

saved. Ephesians 2:1-5

(NIV)

I think God shows usways to discern spiritualtruths practically based

on things that we do andsee on a daily basis. It iseasy for me to think ofmy spiritual walk in termsof music. It is obviouslysomething that is a part ofmy life every day. Imsure there are many ways,if we stop and give itsome thought, that thingswe all encounter everyday can be understood asa picture or analogy of

spiritual truths.

I wish I could change myguitar strings every threedays. Of course, this is anidealistic thought. Butthere is nothing worse, inmy mind, than playing aguitar that has deadstrings. In my estimationstrings are dead afterabout one week. They justdont sound the same.They are just missing thebrightness in tone, theyare almost lifeless. Sure

the strings still functionand are still able to beused. The majority ofpeople would really haveno idea that the strings aredead. But the one usingthe instrument knows. Avital piece of the instru-ment is dead or dying. Inthis way the instrumentcan function but not liveup to its full potential.

I think sometimes this isthe picture of the spiritualwalk. We can function.We can accomplishthings. There are count-less things we can do,tasks we can complete,and call them good, butthat doesnt mean that weare living up to our fullpotential in Christ. Theword of God says that weare to be alive in Him!

For as in Adam alldie, so in Christ all

will be made alive.

There are timesthough that we go forlong periods of timeliving as instrumentsthat are not able tofulfill their potentialbecause we have vitalparts that are dead or

dying. The majority ofpeople never notice. They

would have no idea theconflict we have inside,but they also have no ideawhat God could accom-plish through us if wewere an instrument thatgave up every part of our-selves so that He couldmake us alive if we spenttime alone allowing Himto refine us. Nothing hap-pens well musically with-out preparation. The in-strument has to be proper-

ly cared for by the instru-mentalist. I could easilyspend $15,000 on guitarsand pedals and amplifiers.But it all means nothing ifI dont spend the hoursneeded to get familiarwith, and gain an under-standing of, the equip-ment, or if I dont spendthe hours its takes toproperly maintain every-thing.

As Jesus and His disci-

ples were on their way,

He came to a village

where a woman named

Martha opened her home

to Him. She had a sister

called Mary, who sat at

the Lords feet listening to

what He said. But Martha

was distracted by all the

preparations that had to

be made. She came to

Him and asked, Lord,dont you care that my

sister has left me to do the

work by myself?

Continued on back

page...

New Life by Josh Wilson

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn 2

The Church You Can Believe In Today: Whats

Really Real?

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Carrying the Truth 8

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Volume 2, Issue 10

October 2012


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Blessed are those who mourn, for they

shall be comforted.

-Matthew 5:4

The Beatitudes outline for us the cul-

ture set in place by Jesus Christ at theestablishment of the Kingdom of God.These values go against those of theworld and show us a set of prioritiesthat focuses on the spiritual part of ourlives, the eternal aspects, rather thanthe things of this world. It almostseems paradoxical at times to say thatwe will be happy, or blessed whenthese traits begin to take hold of ourlives through the power of the HolySpirit. Maybe the most paradoxical ofthese statements is the second of the

Beatitudes, Blessed are those whomourn, for they shall be comforted.What does it mean when Jesus tells usto mourn? And how can we possiblybe blessed by mourning?

The word mourn literally means, thefeeling or act of grieving. There arethings in our lives that cause us togrieve. The death of a loved one, or adifficult circumstance can sometimesbe grievous events, but this is not themourning to which Jesus referred as He

preached to His disciples. Jesus is call-ing His people to grieve over the verythings that grieve Him. He pronouncesa blessing on those who will mournover the things that cause anguish inthe heart of God.

Scripture tells us that evil grieves theheart of God. The Lord saw that thewickedness of man was great in the

earth, and that every intention of the

thoughts of his heart was only evil con-

tinually (Gen. 6:5). God mourns overthose who have turned their hearts fromHim and set their sights on gaining forthemselves all the things the world hasto offer. Man has convinced himselfthat living a decent life will be enoughto get him to heaven in spite of thegreat commandment given by Jesus tolove God with all that we are. Settingour hearts on the things of the world isnot good sense, or taking care of our

families or doing what MUST bedone, it is evil. There is no wayaround it and no excuse for it, turningour affections to anything less thanGod is simply evil. This evil grieves

the heart of the God who loves us.

Disobedience to His commands (whichcomes from evil in our hearts) is anoth-er source of the mourning for God.King Saul was an example of this. Hehad every advantage that anyone couldhave ever asked for. He was hand-picked by God Himself to be the kingof Israel. He had power and authorityand wealth, but he did not have a heartto follow all the commands of God.The result of Sauls disobedience is not

simply a slap on the wrist, but anguish,and regret in the heart of God. AndSamuel did not see Saul again until the

day of his death, but Samuel grieved

over Saul. And the Lord regretted that

he had made Saul king over Israel (1

Samuel 15:35).

Some never make it as far as disobedi-ence of what God has revealed becausethey just do not believe. This unbelief,or denial of God, is acause of His grief. De-

spite the efforts He makesto reveal Himself thereare people who live inrefusal to believe thatthere is something higherthan themselves. Theycontend that man is the highest form ofevolution, and that someday the humanrace will evolve further into a higherform; life originated as part of a ran-dom series of events and whateverform of life happens to the most power-ful will survive (this belief is hard toreconcile with the fact that those whohold it also go to great lengths to pro-tect animals that are dying off ratherthan adhering to their view of naturalselection). This kind of unbelief causesgreat discontent with God. The full-ness of His power and love is neverseen because of this utter disbelief inHis existence. Jesus went so far as tomarvel at this attitude when He taught

in His home of Nazareth. And hecould do no mighty work thereand he

marveled because of their unbelief

(Mark 6:5, 6).

These attitudes and lifestyles were notexclusive to the time of Jesus. Peoplestill live the same way today. There arethose who will turn their hearts fromGod to the things of the world, thosewho will completely disobey His Wordand still others who flatly deny Hisexistence. If we make the claim to loveGod will all our hearts and we realizethat these things cause Him to mournthen how do we react to them? Whenwe look around the world and see suchlittle value placed on human life, the

dire consequences of the sin and evilthat runs rampant through this world,and even the church Gods people turning their back on Him how do werespond? Does it really grieve ourhearts to see churches shut down forthe summer because people just donthave time for God right now? Whetherwe will admit it or not we know it ishappening, and more often as the yearsgo by. Does it cause any kind of an-

guish within our soulswhen even those who

are supposed to be thechurch have abandonedthe biblical teaching ofcreation in favor of anunproven theory ofevolution?

Whether we realize it or not, we haveample reason to mourn. The sin thattakes place in the world around us isalmost more than the sensitive Chris-tian heart can bear, and the acceptanceof this sin into society is astounding.Never before has a society embracedthe things that happen around us on adaily basis. Unborn children are sacri-ficed with the blessing of politicianswho promise prosperity, wealth, andfairness. Thoughts of God are few andfar between, and the world rages on at atorrid pace to hell. We convenientlyforget that the sin of the world affectseach life, including those of the chil-

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Blessed Are Those Who Mourn by Nick Wilson

Does it really grieve our hearts to

see churches shut down for the

summer because people just dont

have time for God right now?

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V OLU ME 2, IS SU E 10

dren for whom many are responsible.We can try to the best of our abilities toignore it and explain why it isnt reallyso bad, but Scripture still says, Thewages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23)

Too many times we look at sin as anabstract issue. We acknowledge thatits there but never realize how it isaffecting lives. Scripture tells us thatsin holds people in bondage. Truly,Truly, I say to you, everyone who com-

mits sin is a slave to sin (John 8:34).

The sin that takes place today is keep-ing people from walking with God. Itobscures their ability to see Him workand understand the reality of His love.It keeps them from understanding His

word and holds them in place even asGod tries to draw them near to Himself.Jesus calls us even today to mournfor the sin of the world.

We cannot stop by mourning for sin,however, we also mourn for the lost.Jesus offers us a blessing each time weshed a tear or travail in earnest prayerfor those who do not know Him. Welive in denial of the fact that so many inthe world around us are headed for hell.Leonard Ravenhill wrote, An unprece-

dented tidal wave of commandment-breaking, God-defying, soul-destroying

iniquity sweeps the ocean of humanaffairs. Never before have men in themasses sold their souls to the devil atsuch bargain prices. Does this botherus at all? The fact that it is taking placearound us is undeniable, but what willwe do about it?

You are of your father the devil, and

you will is to do your fathers desires

(John 8:44) Some of our family

and friends and closest acquaintancesBELONG TO SATAN, and nothingshort of Gods work through themournful hearts of His people willclaim their lost souls. These people arecondemned to a lost world while wemerrily go about our business. We willtalk to them, and play ball with them,and work with them and do anythingthey want, but we too often REFUSE to

intercede for them. God may wellspeak of us as He spoke of the peopleof Israel through Isaiah, He saw thatthere was no man, and wondered that

there was no one to intercede (Isa.

59:16)

Maybe the greatest source of mourningfor Gods people today should be clos-er to home than the sin of the world oreven the lost. It should quite possiblybe for the church herself. The effect ofthe sin of the world has not been lim-ited to the lives of those who do notknow God, but its results are seenclearly within the church. We havebeen given a great responsibility thatgoes largely ignored in the busyness of

our lives and the bustle of the world.Jesus commanded His people to gointo all the world and make disciplesbut the only reason we go into theworld today seems to be to satisfy ourown personal pleasures.

God has created poten-tial within the churchthat is far beyond whatwe could ever imagine,but it goes largely un-tapped because we are

enamored with the dis-tractions of the world.When Gods peoplecame together in Scrip-ture the ground was shaken and mightyworks were done. Today we are luckyto get Gods people together. Congre-gations all but shut down for the sum-mer because we are just too busy.Jesus promised us the keys to thekingdom of heaven and great power todo mighty works through the HolySpirit, but we would much rather catcha big fish or play a good round of golfor any number of other things. If weare going to mourn for anything today,let it be about the impotence of thechurch in this sinful world. God hasplaced us here to spread a culture thatoriginated in heaven, but we do the bestwe can to bring the culture of the worldback to the church.

If we look around the world and hon-estly assess the sinful things that aretaking place we have to admit that agreat deal of this is OUR FAULT.When the world needed people to take

a stand against sinful things we joyfullyjoined them in what they were doing.When they needed direction from GodHimself we ignored His word and toldthem that we would go along withwhatever they wanted to do as long asthey dont bother us. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote, If we have no sense ofresponsibility for the condition of hu-manity at this moment, then there isonly one thing to say if we are Chris-tians at all we are very poor ones. Ifwe are only concerned about ourselves

and our own happiness, and if the mor-al condition of society and the tragedyof the whole world does not grieve us,if we are not disturbed at the way inwhich men blaspheme the name of Godand all the arrogance of sin well,what can be said about us? If the

world is to know thepower of God and expe-rience a fresh work ofHis Spirit it will bethrough the mournfulhearts of Christians.

When we feel a griefover sin, and understandin our poverty of spirit

that we have no innate power or abilityto fix the evil of this world, somethinghappens within our hearts that turnsattention from our own frailty to thelimitless power of our Holy God. Thefacts about His character are broughtforth from our memories and we cometo the realization that God must judgesin. The character of God does notchange, and while God loves us, Hemust also judge sin if the Scriptureholds true, For I the Lord do notchange (Mal. 3:6) Through thefervent intercession of His church thejudgment of God on those who are dis-obedient and live in disbelief can beaverted. They will be given opportuni-ty to return to God through the prayersand outcry of those who would stand

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If we have no sense of

responsibility for the condition of

humanity at this moment, then there

is only one thing to say if we are

Christians at all we are very poor

ones. -Martyn Lloyd-Jones


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before God as mediators.

When our grief-stricken hearts arehumbled to mourning God will releaseour friends and loved ones from the

bondage of sin that holds their hearts inchains. But it takes our soul-anguish tobring about these cries for the power ofGod. Tozer reminds us, When theLord releases a man, he is free; anduntil he is released, you cannot singhim free, you cannot pound him free,you cannot preach him free and youcannot get him free any way known tomortal man. Yet the Church spendsmillions of dollars every year puttingon religious stuff in order to try to getpeople free. One simple act of the Ho-

ly Spirit will free a man; free him for-ever and turn him loose. And you cango to God and get bold about it.

The church that mourns ushers thepower of heaven and the culture ofGods Kingdom into a darkened, sinfulworld. When our hearts surrender toGods will His power will begin tomove through those humbled spiritsthat have become His vessels. TheLord is with you while you are with

him. IF YOU SEEK HIM, he will be

found by you, but if you forsake him, hewill forsake you (2 Chron. 15:2).When we have placed ourselves in aposition where all we want is to see thepower of God invade this world we willsee Him move. You will seek meAND FIND ME, when you seek me with

all your heart (Jer. 29:13). Scripturepromises us that God will move whenwe set our hearts to find Him in themidst of all the turmoil and strife ofthis world.

And as unlikely as it may seem, thismournful spirit does not cause us towalk through this life with no hope.Jesus promised that those who mournare blessed and that they will be com-forted. As we see our families andfriends drawn to our Lord and livingthis great counter-culture we find com-fort in knowing that the cry of ourhearts has been answered by the hand

of God. His work becomes evident inthe world around us, and we experiencefirst-hand the saving power of JesusChrist as it works directly through us inthe lives of those who so desperately

need Him.

As we see God work in this way ourmourning gives reason for great joy. Itgives us a hope of something greaterthan we have yet seen. God told usthrough Jeremiah, Then shall theyoung women rejoice in the dance, and

the young men and the old shall be

merry. I will turn their mourning into

joy; I will comfort them, and give them

gladness for sorrow (Jer. 31:13). Aswe see Gods might working in the

world to overcome the sinful values ofthis society, we can cry out with thePsalmist, You have turned for me mymourning into dancing; you have

loosed my sackcloth and clothed me

with gladness (Psalm 30:11) If wewill humble ourselves, and turn ourattention to God as we lament the stateof the world, and even the church, to-day, we will find great joy as we seethe work of God take place in our livesand communities.

One of the greatest weaknesses in the

church today is a defective, deficient

understanding of sin. We no longer

understand that the wages of sin isdeath. The church that models the

Culture of the Kingdom weeps and

mourns for such a society, for those

who have been lured by its relativistic

attraction, and for the church that has

compromised to meet its standards.

We rightly grieve and mourn today, not

over worldly things, but over those

things which grieve the heart of God.

When is the last time we grieved over

sin? Or over the world around us? Or

for the state of the church?

Page 4

When the Lord releases a man, he is free; anduntil he is released, you cannot sing him free,you cannot pound him free, you cannot preachhim free and you cannot get him free any wayknown to mortal man. Yet the Church spends

millions of dollars every year putting onreligious stuff in order to try to get people free.

One simple act of the Holy Spirit will free aman; free him forever and turn him loose.

And you can go to God and get bold about it.-A.W. Tozer

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There are, and always have been, coun-terfeits to most everything. Fakes,things that appear to be real but reallyare not. Like the emails we sometimesreceive when someone says they are

giving lots of money away and tryingto seduce us into believing that if weput a couple thousand dollars in anaccount for them, they will bestow up-on you or I thousands. Not real!

Then there is reality TV. I think if wecould ever get a look behind the scenesof some of those shows we would see adifferent kind of reality than what isseen on the screen after editing.

Even in religious circles (and I use thatterm loosely) there are counterfeits, insome preachers and lay people alike.There are some that profess one thingand live or do another. And there arethe perceptions of what the churchlooks like, or what people think thechurch is, and often times the percep-tion is based on the thoughts of thosewho do not have any kind of under-standing regarding the Church of theBible, Oprah being a modern example.

Theres not much from the worldsperspective that we can really believein today regarding the church becausethe church we are seeing in our societylooks as if it is influenced by societaltrends, opinion polls, the thoughts ofthe influential, the aspirations of politi-cians, some who simply call them-selves the church and others who onlyprofess to be Christian. Even the loftyideas of pastors can lead to a misunder-

standing of the true church.

How can we possibly discern whatsreally real?

Recently, on a trip home from Win-chester, Kentucky, we were listening toone of the great preachers of theChurch of God who has gone on toglory, Boyce Blackwelder. He said that

on a Saturday morning in his study hereceived a call from a man asking himwhere to find his churchs headquar-ters? Brother Blackwelder said,Heaven, to which the man responded,

Thats not the one Im looking for!

The man was looking for a church, butnot necessarily the true church. Thereis however, ONE TRUE CHURCH!The church of the Bible and her nameis the Church of God! The church thatwas born in the heart of God! If therewas ever a time when people need tosee the true church it is in our day, inthis society. I have a deep convictionthat there is a need to know whats re-

ally real with respect to Gods truechurch, and a burden for professingChristians to see her. In this day weneed a fresh vision from God of Hischurch. The book of Revelation pro-

vides such a vision.

The word, revelation, comes from theGreek apokalupto which means takeoff the cover, i.e., disclose. Coupledwith this word is a second Greek word,apokalupsis meaning disclosure. It is

transliterated or rendered as appearing,coming, lighten, manifestation, be re-vealed, revelation. The combining ofthese words then means; the uncover-ing, orto take the cover off, to reveal

and make known.

The Scripture says Blessedis the onewho reads the words of this prophecy,

and blessed are those who hear it and

take to heart what is written in it, be-

cause the time is near (Rev 1:3 NIV).

It would be hard to be blessed by some-thing you could not understand. It iswritten for our understanding. ManyChristians today dont even try to un-

derstand the Revelation.

There is one key to the interpretation ofthis book, aclear understanding of

the symbolic nature

of the book and the key to interpreta-tion. In verse1 of chapter 1 we read inthe KJV and the NKJV only, The Rev-

elation of Jesus Christ, which Godgaveunto him, to shew unto his servantsthings which must shortly come to

pass; and he sentand signifiedit byhis angel unto his servant John (Rev

1:1 KJV), and also The Revelation ofJesus Christ, which God gave Him to

show His servantsthings which must

shortly take place.And He sent andsignifiedit by His angel to His servant

John(Rev. 1:1 NKJV).

The word signified, only used in theKJV and the NKJV. The Greek word is

smain (say-mah'ee

-no) From, ,

sma, which means, a mark, a sign, toindicate. God gave the revelation insign form. From the very first verse ofthe very first chapter, we are madeaware of the way to interpret this mes-sage. The Book of Revelation is a bookof symbols and is not to be understoodin a literal way with respect to the in-

terpretation.

An examination of chapter 14 verses 1-

5, 9-

10 gives us Gods vision of thechurch. Then I looked, and there be-fore me was the Lamb, standing on

Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who

had his name and his Father's name

written on their foreheads (Rev 14:1

NIV). The Lamb is Jesus Christwhowas standing on Mount Zion. MountZion is symbolic of the New Testamentchurch (Heb 12:22-23).Mount Zionbecame the symbol of the house of Godin the Old Testament and the church of

God in the New Testament.

Verse 1 goes on to say, and with him144,000 The 144,000 symbolizesthe number of Gods people. How?Twelve is the number of Gods people,there were the twelve tribes of Israel,the twelve Apostles, and they representall of Gods people. The number twelveis used 128 times in the NIV, many

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The Church You Can Believe In Today: Whats Really Real?by Bruce Wilson


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times as symbolic (Rev. 7:4-8).Twelve squared (144) shows us thefullness, or perfection of Gods people.One Thousand is the number of heav-enly perfection (Deu 1:10-11). Thus the

144,000 meaning all of Gods people.

Verse 1 concludes with, who had hisname and his Father's name written on

their foreheads. Now it is God who

makes both us and you stand firm in

Christ. He anointed us, sethis seal of

ownership on us, and put his Spirit in

our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing

what is to come (2 Cor. 1:21-22).

And, Nevertheless, God's solid foun-dation stands firm, sealed with this

inscription: "The Lord knows those whoare his,"and, "Everyone who confesses

the name of the Lord must turn away

from wickedness (2 Tim. 2:19)."Againthese are all of Gods people that havebeen symbolically marked to show that

we are Gods very own.

And I heard a sound from heaven like

the roar of rushing waters and like a

loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard

was like that of harpists playing their

harps. And they sang a new song be-fore the throne and before the four liv-

ing creatures and the elders. No one

could learn the song except the 144,000

who had been redeemed from the earth

(Rev 14:2-3). Those that sang a newsong are those who have been re-deemed by the blood of the Lamb.They are the true Saints of the LivingGod. The only ones who can sing theNew Song are the Saints of God, thesaved in Jesus Christ. We are the144,000. Only those who worship theLamb of God who is without stain or

blemish, but pure and holy, are the oneswho can sing a new song.

These are those who did not defile

themselves with women, for they kept

themselves pure. They follow the Lamb

wherever he goes. They were pur-

chased from among men and offered as

firstfruits to God and the Lamb. No lie

was found in their mouths; they are

blameless (Rev 14:4-5). Woman is asymbol of the New Testament church."At that time the kingdom of heaven will

be like ten virgins who took their lampsand went out to meet the bridegroom

(Mat 25:1). A great and wondrous

sign appeared in heaven: a woman

clothed with the sun, with the moon

under her feet and a crown of twelve

stars on her head. She was pregnant

and cried out in pain as she was about

to give birth (Rev 12:1-2), referring tothe beginning of the Gospel day. Thetwelve stars were the twelve Apostles,One of the seven angels who had theseven bowls came and said to me,

"Come, I will show you the punishmentof the great prostitute, who sits on

many waters. With her the kings of the

earth committed adultery and the in-

habitants of the earth were intoxicated

with the wine of her adulteries."Then

the angel carried me away in the Spirit

into a desert. There I saw a woman

sitting on a scarlet beast that was cov-

ered with blasphemous names and had

seven heads and ten horns. The woman

was dressed in purple and

scarlet, and was glittering

with gold, precious stones

and pearls. She held a

golden cup in her hand,

filled with abominable

things and the filth of her

adulteries. This title was

written on her forehead: MYSTERY

BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTH-

ER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE

ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. I

saw that the woman was drunk with the

blood of the saints, the blood of those

who bore testimony to Jesus. When I

saw her, I was greatly astonished (Rev

17:1-6). Revelation chapter 12 shows

us the vision of the pure and holychurch; this passage in Revelation 17shows us, in contrast, a vision of thefalse church. A system that is filledwith everything God hates. Those withwhose blood the woman was drunk, arethose who have succumbed to falseteachings, to man rule in the life of the

church, to the church having been insti-

tutionalized.These are those who did not defile

themselves with women, for they kept

themselves pure. They follow the Lambwherever he goes. They were pur-

chased from among men and offered as

firstfruits to God and the Lamb (Rev

14:4). I am the good shepherd; I

know my sheep and my sheep know me

(John 10:14), and also, My sheeplisten to my voice; I know them, and

they follow me (John 10:27). This isGods true church; the Saints of Godare pure and holy according to Scrip-ture and contrary to those who say thatit is impossible for Christians to live aholy life. Let a holy life tell the Gos-

pel story, I am a child of God!

A third angel followed them and said

in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the

beast and his image and receives his

mark on the forehead or on the hand,

he, too, will drink of the wine of God's

fury, which has been poured full

strength into the cup of his wrath. He

will be tormented with burning sulfur

in the presence of the

holy angels and of the

Lamb (Rev 14:9-10).

What is the beast andhis image? The book ofRevelation is a continu-ation of the prophecyof Daniel. There were

visions of beasts in Daniel and Godgave Daniel the ability to interpret thevisions/dreams. In Revelation 13 wefind God gave John the vision of twobeasts, one coming out of the water andone coming out of the earth. In The OldTestament beasts are used to represent

systems of government. Daniel saw avision of four different empires repre-sented by four different wild beasts, alion, a bear, a leopard, and a nonde-script creature not found in nature. Ifthe beasts Daniel saw representedstructures of government, those Johnsaw represent the same type of struc-

ture.

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And I heard a sound from heaven

like the roar of rushing waters...

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The beast and his image mentionedhere, in Rev. 14:9-10, is a system ofreligion that came from the RomanEmpire and its government that origi-nated under Papal influence. THE

SYSTEM OF MAN RULE. This sys-tem ruled with an iron heel and an ironfist and replaced the Word of God withits own edicts and papal bulls. Theleadership of the Holy Spirit was re-placed with the position of a man, thePope, as the head of the state church.This left a bad taste in the mouths ofmany of the Saints and some began tocry out against this travesty which grewinto the Sixteenth Century Refor-mation. The image of the beast is Prot-estantism. THE SYSTEM OF MAN

RULE, MAN MADE RELIGION thatgrew out of the Papal rule. The reform-ers had pure hearts in trying to get backto the New testament Church. MartinLuther saw abuses that were takingplace in the Roman Catholic Churchand wrote what is called the 95 Thesis.As early as October 27, 1521, the chap-el at Wittenberg, Germany began toturn away from private Masses, in1522, much of the city began celebrat-ing Lutheran services instead of theRoman Catholic services. Luther's pop-ularity grew rapidly, mostly due to thegeneral Roman Catholic Church mem-bers' dissatisfaction with the corruptionand "worldly" desires and habits of theRoman Leadership coupled with thepreaching of what was perceived asBiblical truth as opposed to Catholicideology. Sadly in the process and alltheir efforts, the reforming turned intoforming creedal statements and denom-inations. (Scenes from the Throne

Richard Bradley)

F.G. Smith, in his book Prophetic Lec-

tures on Daniel and Revelation states,With the examination of the primitivechurch, we are now prepared to under-stand what changes were introduced inthe great apostasy following. Evangeli-cal experience come through thepreaching and acceptance of evangeli-cal doctrine; so when the word of Godwas supplanted by the commandments

and traditions of men there was gradu-ally introduced into Christian thoughtanother definition of the word church.Instead of being regarded as a spiritualorganism (entity) containing in its

membership only those who are divine-ly inductedinto it by new birth achurch that cannot be humanly orga-nizedthey began to conceive ofchurch as a humanly organized, self-governing society, practically synony-

mous with the Roman Empire itself.

When the term church is thus expandedso as to include in its membership allkinds of persons, there is no use to ex-pect charismatic or divine governmentin such a group. Divine organization

and administration, Spirit-dominion,

are possible only with those who havethe Spirit: those who discern the truthand know how to respond to Spirit pro-cesses. When the life of the Spirit with-in was no longer regarded as a suffi-cient bond of union between Christians,the demand for an external unionthrough human organizational methodsbecame imperative. And thus therearose into prominence a great institu-tion called the church, patterned afterthe kingdoms of this world; for it was a

vast centralized system under humanheadship, possessing legislative, ad-ministrative, and judicial functions;operating under its own self-maderules; fixing its own standards, doc-trines, practices, and conditions ofmembership. What a change from thepure, holy church of God in the morn-ing!(F.G. Smith, in his book PropheticLectures on Daniel and Revelation pag-es 145-146)

The conclusion is this: The church is

only defined by God in His Holy Word,His inerrant Word. God gives us thevision OF the church throughout Scrip-ture. There is only one church in theworld today, the church of the Bible!The Church of God! Theres no doubtthere are many counterfeits, fakes andthose that look like the church, but ifwe do not live up to the Bible standard

and what God says regarding theChurch, we are not the true church atall. Only those who have been re-deemed by the blood of the Lamb arethose written in the Book of Life and

are a part of the family of God.

Dear friend, do you see the Church?

Page 7

These are those who

did not defile

themselves with

women, for they

kept themselves

pure. They follow the

Lamb wherever he

goes. They were

purchased from

among men and

offered as firstfruits

to God and the

Lamb .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wittenberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutheranhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutheranhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wittenberg


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Joshua 3:1-6; 14-17In his final letter, the Apostle Paul toldTimothy that the day would come whenmen would not endure sound doctrine.He said they would find teachers who

would tell them whatever their itchingears want to hear. When Paul made thatstatement he understood that the worlddoes not have a high tolerance for objec-tive truth. Man has a tendency to livehowever he wants to live, and justifywhatever lifestyle he chooses. The phi-losophy of our day is, if it feels good doit. George Barnas recent (2011) re-search shows the extent to which this

philosophy has taken hold of our society:

43% of Americans believe that itdoesnt matter what religious faith

you follow because they all teach thesame lessons.

50% of Americans believe that allpeople are eventually saved or ac-cepted by God no matter what theydo.

In spite of the pluralistic views taught inthis present day, the words of Os Guin-ness still ring true, If truth is truth, dif-ferences make a difference. Whether weacknowledge it or not, the truth revealed

by God in His Word truth about God remains. This truth cannot be explained

away, or overcome by the philosophy ofman. It is our objective standard, it doesnot change and is not subject to our ideas,opinions, or the values of whatever cul-ture we happen to be a part of. The truthis always the truth. It originates with aGod who transcends all these things.

The purpose of all God does in the life ofman is to reveal this truth, which showsus the character of God. It clarifies andconfirms His love for us, and teaches Hisdesire to be an active part of our lives.This revelation is what gave the patri-

archs, and those who have followed God,the faith to live by His command. Thisrevelation is what empowered the peopleof Israel to follow Joshua into a hostileterritory based solely on Gods promiseto His people. During these times, thetruth was represented by the Ark of theCovenant, or the Ark of Testimony.

The Ark was a part of every movement

that the people of Israel made. It was notsimply an object used in worship, but itrepresented the truth that the nation wascalled to carry into the world when Abra-ham was told, through you all nations

shall be blessed.

It reminded the people of Gods authoritywhen they thought of the staff of Aaronthat was contained there. When the peo-

ple began to question the authority ofthose whom God had called to lead His

people the staffs of the leaders of thetribes were taken into the tabernacle. Theelders of each tribe sent a staff, and Aa-ron also placed his with them. The nextmorning the staff of Aaron was growingleaves and even budding. It producedfruit, and proved that God had indeed

given authority to those who lead Hispeople.

The ark also reminded them of Godsprovision. The jar of manna containedinside reminded the people of the provi-sion Jehovah made for them as they wan-dered through the wilderness. No matterwhere they went, or what they did, if theyfollowed Gods revealed truth He always

provided everything they needed.

They were also reminded of the terms ofthe covenant they made with God. The

law that had been given to Moses wascarried by Israel to remind them of theGod they served, and the promises thatthey had made to Him. This truth definedhow the people lived, and was the exam-

ple of what separated them from the othernations of the world.

The testimony of these things was carriedeverywhere the people went. When the

pillar of cloud moved from the tabernac-le, the people packed up their camp andmoved wherever God had gone. The

priests covered the ark in animal skin and

moved the ark. The people of Israel wentwherever this reminder of truth ledthem. It was a constant part of their lives.Those who carried this truth affectedwhere they went, and the speed at whichthey would travel. These priests carriedthe tangible evidence of God for all tosee.

While the law written on tablets by the

hand of God are not a part of our wor-ship, or our lives today, Gods truth stillneeds to be carried for all to see. It must

be carried as a light in this world dark-ened by sin. This role given to the priests

of God so many years ago remains essen-tial to Gods people the church today.We are each called to be priests, and nomatter who we are there is a purpose forus. God has placed the truth before eachof us, and it is our responsibility to an-swer the call to place our shouldersunder the Ark of the Testimony of Godand carry it into the world in which welive.

If you havent noticed, the world aroundus is in desperate need of truth. If welack anything in the church, it is those

who are willing to pick up the truth ofGod and carry it wherever He calls us totake it. The truth remains, the need of theworld is great, will we carry the truth ofGod?

Those who carry the truth of God must beprepared to move when Gods callcomes. The Ark was intended to be mo-

bile, so that Gods Testimony and truthwould forever be a presence among the

people of Israel. They shall make an arkof acacia woodYou shall overlay it with

pure goldyou shall cast four rings of

gold for it and put them on its four feetYou shall make poles of acacia wood and

overlay them with gold. And you shall

put the poles into the rings on the sides of

the ark TO CARRY THE ARK BY THEM

(Exodus 25:10-14). God has alwayscalled man to WALK WITH HIM, not tosimply sit with Him. This life is a jour-ney, and adventure of faith and holinessaccording to Kenneth Jones.

Gods truth has not been revealed to usonly for our own pleasure and enjoyment.It is to be carried into all the world for

every generation. There has never been aculture or society to whom the truth ofGod does not apply. It is good for everyage and each generation. Thats whyScripture commands us to DO SOME-THING WITH Gods Word. We arecommanded to TEACH others what Godhas revealed:

Go therefore and make disciples of

all nations baptizing them in the

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Carrying the Truth by Nick Wilson

T HE T RU T H IN HD


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name of the Father and of the Son

and of the Holy Spirit, TEACHING

THEM to observe all that I have

commanded you (Matthew 28:18,

19)

And what you have heard from me inthe presence of many witnesses en-

trust to faithful men who will be able

to teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2).

Each generation requires more than theexistence of the truth. They need peoplewho will take up the Ark and carry thetruth into their lives. Those who willanswer Gods call to teach them to bedisciples and who will,Preach the word,be ready in season and out (2 Timothy

4:2). This generation requires each of usto carry it in some way. There are some

who are called to deliver Gods truth totheir Sunday school classes, or Biblestudies, or even small groups. Others arecalled to leave their homes and go intothe missions fields and the far reaches ofthe earth to deliver Gods word to man.Still others are called to teach and preachthis truth to the church. To continuallyremind us of the character and work ofGod that has been revealed in Scripture.To help us remember to apply this truthto the lives we live.

Those who choose to carry this truth must

be prepared to walk by faith. When thepeople crossed the Jordan River thepriests were commanded to take up theArk and walk 2,000 cubits ahead of the

people. Thats almost equivalent to half amile, and into hostile territory! They hadto trust that God would provide the wayfor their safe passage, and that the peopleof Israel would follow. They would beleft alone in the land of their enemies ifthe people did not come after them.

Sometimes carrying the truth is unpopu-lar, and at times it will be lonely. The

people of God proved throughout the OldTestament that they did not always truthHis truth. But if they were going to carrythe truth into the land God was givingthem someone had to lead the way.Someone had to set the example of truthin God and His promises as they showeda confidence that God would do what Hesaid He would do. Joshua told the peoplethat they would see God do wonders on

that day, but before they would be seenthe priests who carried the Ark had to bewilling to take a step of faith.

Now to him who is able to do far more

abundantly than all that we ask or think,according to the power at work within us

(Ephesians 3:20) God still works inour day. He still does wonders and per-forms the miraculous in the lives of His

people. But if these things are going tohappen in the world today, someone hasto be willing to follow God BY FAITH.We look for His works, and long for thedays when the church has an effect on theworld rather than the world changing us,

but how many are really willing to followGod by faith?

Gods work ALWAYS ADVANCESwhen people who claim to believe Histruth begin to ACT LIKE they believe it.In all of history, God has never failed inanything He has ever done. The onlyfailures in Gods work have come as aresult of men and women who were notwilling to truth His Word and surrenderthemselves to His guidance and truth.They know what the Bible says, and whatGod has commanded us, but when thattruth seems improbable or does not meetthe standard of our reason and logic theyrevert to their own ideas.

Sometimes the call of God to carry thetruth seems impossible. It doesnt makesense to us, and we just cant see how itwould be possible to do what the HolySpirit is leading us to do. But Godswork will never be done, and entire gen-erations will never receive His truth, ifwe do not take up the truth in spite of ourreservations and fears. To carry the truthrequires our faith.

Those who carry the truth realize that thisfaith is possible because God Himself

travels before them. Nothing in all ofcreation can overcome the power and

promises of God. Jesus said, all powerand authority has been given to me and I

am with you always God told Isaiah,No weapon thats fashioned against you

will stand (Isaiah 54:17) God toldJeremiah,I am with you to deliver you(Jeremiah 1:8) If we really have thefaith we claim to have, then there is noth-

ing to fear when God calls us to take upthe Ark.

What fears might be keeping us fromcarrying this truth today? Sometimes the

opinions of family or friends keeps usfrom pursuing Gods call. Its not always

popular to take up this Ark. Many timesits fear of the commitment it would taketo follow Gods call. For some a fear ofthe unknown, and a sense of uncertaintykeeps them from following where God isleading. ALL OF THESE THINGS re-flect on our faith in God and His truthand each obstacle can be overcome if weare willing to follow God. For God gaveus a spirit not of fear but of power and

love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7).These fears can be overcome as what

seemed like certainty is revealed to us asnew and exciting paths given by God anddirected by the Holy Spirit.

Those who carry the truth will constantlywalk new paths into uncharted territory.The priests of Israel carried the Ark into aland where the people had never been. Itwas a new experience for all who fol-lowed. Consider the faith of Gods peo-

ple to go into new lands. Abram wascalled to a place he did not know, and tofollow a God he could not see. Moseswas called to lead people who had no

home of their own. Joshua led them toconquer the land into which they were

passing. John the Baptist proclaimed agospel nobody had yet heard.

Where might Gods call be leading youtoday? There may be some who arecalled by God to pastor congregations.There are some who will be called to themission field to carry Gods truth to thefurthest ends of the earth. Others maynot be called so far. There are Sundayschool classes, Bible studies, and chil-drens ministries that need the truth.

There are people around us who need tosee Gods truth as its carried in the livesof believers. Some may be your familymembers. Many may even live in someof our own homes. God wants more thananything else to reveal Himself, and Histruth, to this lost and dying world. TheArk of the Covenant is gone, but the truthremains. Where are the priests who willcarry it?

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THE TRU TH IN HD

the opportunity she had and was notgoing to allow anything to get in theway.

It is His desire to make us alive in Him.He desires to move in to the depths ofour heart and renew us so that there isnew life. It takes our full surrender. Wehave to make a choice to follow afterMary in understanding that there isnothing that is more important thansitting at the feet of Jesus. Spend sometime thinking about your life and howconsistently you spend time at the feetof Christ. Do you spend enough timewith him to actually get to know Himin an intimate way? Or do you followafter Martha allowing the things of thisworld to keep you busy while Christsits waiting for you?

Tell her to help me! Martha, Mar-

tha, the Lord answered, You are

worried and upset about many things,

but only one thing is needed. Mary has

chosen what is better, and it will not be

taken away from her. Luke 10:38-42

NIV

Mary was confronted with a decision.Would she spend time at the feet ofChrist? Or would she go on about herlife, staying busy with good things, but,missing opportunities for her Savior torefine her? She chose to pursue an inti-mate understanding of Him. She decid-ed to spend time getting to know him.When we make the same decisions inlife trouble will come, but the life ofChrist will manifest itself in us becausewe have spent hours at His feet seekingknowledge and insight and just wor-shipping Him. Time with Christ wasnot an afterthought. It was her highestpriority at that moment. She understood

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