A Study of Eschatology

Revelation 22:17-21

The Last Call to Faith in Jesus Christ

Every Book in the Scriptures calls for each person to look at faith in God as God's answer for mankind to find victory over sin and death. From Genesis to Revelation it is God calling men and women to be reconciled to Him. God leaves the choice up to men and women, “whosoever will” or “whoever desires” let him or her come and freely partake of this grace gift. The Plan is awesome. The call is simple – (The Faith of God that man will respond and the Faith of Jesus Christ to go to the Cross). Galatians 2:16 Apart from this truth there is no salvation.

The Reason: Revelation 22:17

Revelation 2:17 is a verse of two offerings of grace from God, the first offering is one to come and quench your thirst. People are physically prone to be dehydrated most of their lives and as a result they live thirsty. Physical thirst opens the body to all sorts of disease. We tend to treat our physical needs, with products like soda, alcohol and meds that do little to quench our thirst and heal our health. The eyes darken and the bones become brittle.

Our spiritual conditions often reflect the physical. We thirst and hunger for righteousness, and when we cannot find it we mask the thirst with drugs, alcohol, sex, and other worldly substitutes and our souls become darkened and brittle. Religion resembles the living waters, but when tasted it is nothing more than man's attempt to change the living waters of Meribah. Numbers 20:13 and 24, in other words; religion gives you a glimpse of the promise land, but it is not righteous enough for God to allow you in.

Another way of observing this is to take a quick look at Adam who was created in the image and likeness of God. Genesis 1:26-27 and Genesis 5:1-3. Mankind was created in the image of God as God planned. Man reacted with a will of his own and this resulted in man being remade in his own likeness, the likeness of sinful flesh. This caused a great vacuum in physical man in that his spiritual likeness of God died and man became a natural being.

The Restrictions: Revelation 22:17

Search the scriptures until your eyes fail you, but you will not find one verse that calls for a limited number of people who can have salvation by grace through faith. Many people teach that salvation is limited, but this verse alone, and if it were the only one in the scriptures it is enough to show that the invitation to come to God is unlimited. Here are a few more verses: John 3:16; Hebrews 9:27-28; Isaiah 55:1-3. So salvation of the elect is God's call, not man's, we are command to preach the Word in all seasons and at every opportunity. 2 Timothy 4:2

The Responsibility: Revelation 22:17

It is impossible to teach people into the kingdom of God. What? Academically a person cannot learn to be saved. Also, a person cannot be won into the kingdom of God by argument. Why? Because salvation is not a problem of the intellect. Also, a person cannot be emotionally promoted into the kingdom of God since emotion alone is not enough. (Matthew 13:3-9 and 18-23) So how does a person get saved? A person gets saved by an exercise of his or her will. In Luke 15:18 the prodigal son recognizes that his life and security of living was in shambles. His self-will reject the teaching of his father will and all argument to lead him to living in his self-will failed to produce a satisfactory life-style. His emotions were like touching an electrical charge. Thus the bible says that the man came to himself, or came to the awareness of his circumstances and he came home to his father. This if you think about it, is how you and me were saved too.

The Requirement: Revelation 22:17

God does not participate in the great deeds of mankind, in other words there is nothing that you or me can do to gain God's favor. God has done one great deed for mankind. It is the only work that pleases Him. As we read earlier in Isaiah 55:1-3 it is not our deeds He is interested in. Throughout the bible God calls and throughout the bible God says. “He who has an ear, let Him hear” So the soul of mankind is void of every spiritual attribute and characteristic, because it is dead. Yet, the ear of the soul that hungers and thirsts for righteousness is very much alive. Now, even so; this passage of scripture is speaking to the nation of Israel. When God was calling me and I was hearing Him this is one of those passages that I heard. Isaiah 1:18.

Well there is much more that we can say about these matters, but we have come to the end of the study. God loves us and He is not willing that we should perish and if we do it will be by the choice of those who close their ears to the gospel... for God so loved the world, and the work of His Son is enough proof. John 3:13-14.

The Devotional

Papa “J” says

So who can keep up with the day ahead? Seems to me that just as soon as one fills in the day planner, its time to turn out the lights and think about tomorrow that never comes.

While in the Navy I had a tour of duty at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. I was assigned to the Navy Overseas Air Cargo Terminal there. Our normal day was shipping and receiving all sorts of material and goods, to places like Midway Island, Guam, the Philippine Islands and Vietnam. On one occasion a box about one foot square came to the terminal. Marked in bold letters were the words. Forty thousand U.S. Dollars, signature required. The box had a destination of Midway Island, but at each stop along the way someone had to sign for the box and send it on to the final destination. Some said that it was the Navy's way of; “to catch a thief” and the Air Force people could not believe that the Navy would do something that would provoke a temptation to steal. The box made it to Midway, hand delivered by the pilot who had last signed for the money when it left Hickam. Integrity! Not required, since a trail of accountability was so strong even a thief would, for the event be honest. We live in a relative society and that is the absolute truth. It is what I call and “oxy clean moment, in a moron world!”

Psalms 7

Psalm 7:1-2 Do you meditate personally with God each day? I hope you do, you know God is interested in you and always seeking your very best comfort and peace. We need to trust Him since it is He who delivers us from persecution. David cries out to God since the words of Cush of the the tribe of Benjamin have been threatening to David. Cush is a kinsman, an Israelite and friend, turned enemy. When people who are close to us go on the attack, we feel that there is none deliver, but there is, He is God who never fails.

Psalm 6:3-5 There always is a need for integrity. What good would it be to ask God to pulverize someone whom was seeking peace from me and I was being evil to them. This is a critical issue, often we are bent on retribution even when it is our own hands that have been the ministers of evil. We want God to step in and clean up our mess and have Him shift the blame.

So herein is where accountability works. First of all accountability comes from within the heart and not from some outside influence to make us accountable. Integrity means that I must first examine my purpose. If it lines up to the plan and purpose of God, then I should seek God's deliverance. If it does not then I should be willing to face the enemy and reconcile.

The Devotional

Papa “J” says

I enjoy having a letter opener in my hand! To me, it represents an opportunity to open the mind of another and see from their perspective – Whats going on!

The mind races, I should have done this! Or, Jesse! You did not handle that matter to well. The opportunity is gone and your effect is of, no effect. Yesterday I went to the grocery and as I pulled into the lot to park I went by a young woman holding a baby of less that a year old, the woman I thought was placing groceries into her trunk. After parking I headed for the store and the lady called out to me. “Yes”, I said; “can I help you?” She replied! “Will you buy these groceries for $30.00 cash?” “Hmmm, I studied her face, it told me she was a crack user. I'm sorry ma'am but I do not have $30.00 dollars cash on me. Besides it would bother my conscious to do what you ask.” My brain was spinning, but it settled on nothing else to say. “I need gasoline more than I need groceries and I have plenty more groceries.” All did not add up and finally I said, “Ma'am, I cannot help you and moved on into the store. By the time I got into the store she had packed the groceries back in her trunk and left the lot. Some would say, you did what I would have done, or say; whatever you did you did so forget it and move on. Yet there is this reoccurring thought. Ezekiel 18:4. (This paragraph was repeated for those who read the email only version).

Psalms 6

Psalm 6:1-3 How many times have you visited God in the capacity of this Psalm? I do not need to hear your answer, it really is between you and God. When our faith is in distress, it is normally do to the lifestyle we are seeking to maintain. This means that there is more than sin going on. What can be more than sin? Attitude, depression, anxiety, stress and a host of other life altering conditions. Sin is the root cause resulting in a breakdown of faith.

Psalm 6:4-7 There is good news though! If you are saved by the grace of God, there will be that point when the conditions of life will be so overwhelming that your soul will cry out to God. “How long, will you stay away LORD?” Herein is where our God of mercy and comfort, meets with our spiritually defeated soul and begins to revive it. His tender care for our soul which He loves will bring healing and vitality to our weakened flesh.

Psalm 6:8-10 But of course the battle is not over, really its only begun. The breakdown of faith in our lives means that we have taken on some friends of the enemy. Workers of iniquity! These folks are not easily disposed of. First – they do not what to go away. Second – our flesh may falsely desire to keep them at arms length, and lastly – we may not want to upset the applecart. Well, the applecart is already upset. Letting God move you away from these fleshly enemies will not only help you, but it will also help to convict them, maybe even convert them. God Bless your day.

The Devotional

Papa “J” says

What ever happened to good ole hardball? You know that fast pitch that can be hit a mile because it came at you true! Today it seems that everyone has perfected the slider, looks to be hard and true but, it is full of deception.

In December on 2008 we began a series in Sunday School that is ending this Sunday. We took a look at Eschatology, a study of end times. Our basic reference material was the Book; The Revelation of Jesus Christ and the four volume series of study material by Dr. David Jeremiah, Escape the Coming Night. Years before, I had sought to study this subject but the door had always been closed by the LORD and I never got past the first chapter. Yet, by the grace of God and the humble permissive will of my pastor, here we stand on the threshold to exit the study. So this is really a moment of thanksgiving and confession I think: First to thank Dave for allowing me to share with his congregation information of at least two different theologies regarding end time events; and secondly to say that while I remain a pre-tribulationalist, I also realize that the a-millennilist can make a strong case for their theological understanding as well. I think the bottom line to all of this is: Acts 1:7-8, this is what counts and if you do not have this theology correct, you may well miss the boat when it leaves harbor for the New Heavens and Earth at the end of the season.

Psalms 5

Psalm 5:9 Uprightness of heart. Now who has that? Not many of us today even know what it means. The inward part of man; that which each of us see in ourselves but is invisible in the eyes of the person in front of our face. That inner man is most always covered over by the flattery of the tongue. Thus the tongue is much like the lid cover over the tomb of evil and disturbing thoughts in our heart. Matthew 15:16-20

Psalm 5:10 A good thing is that God through Jesus Christ and the Power of the Holy Spirit can change that heart in those believing people who grow and mature in Christ. The bad thing is that people you rub shoulders with everyday are not on the Bible Bus (J. Vernon McGee) with you. These according to David in the Psalm are guilty and still belching from that tomb of destructive rebellion. Asking God to help is the right thing to do since there is a time when turning the other cheek is not fitting.

Psalm 5:11-12 We like victory and joy, it seems that when these two spiritual attitudes are functioning in our life our soul is at peace. God equips us with spiritual power to overcome the enemy, yet there are times when the enemy can be overpowering and we need additional help. Prayer to God, even fasting is not out of the picture. Our time spent in prayer to the Father is time well used since God keeps watch over all things. Proverbs 15:3

The Devotional

Papa “J” says

Usually the outward appearance of people is a perfect picture of whats going on inside the heart. Unfortunately we are so busy with our own self image we fail to know the heart of others.

The mind races, I should have done this! Or, Jesse! You did not handle that matter to well. The opportunity is gone and your effect is of, no effect. Yesterday I went to the grocery and as I pulled into the lot to park I went by a young woman holding a baby of less that a year old, the woman I thought was placing groceries into her trunk. After parking I headed for the store and the lady called out to me. “Yes, can I help you?” She replied! “Will you buy these groceries for $30.00 cash?” “Hmmm, I studied her face, it told me she was a crack user. I'm sorry ma'am but I do not have $30.00 dollars cash on me. Besides it would bother my conscious to do what you ask.” My brain was spinning, but it settled on nothing else to say. “I need gasoline more than I need groceries and I have plenty more groceries.” All did not add up and finally I said, “Ma'am, I cannot help you and moved on into the store. By the time I got into the store she had packed the groceries back in her trunk and left the lot. Some would say, you did what I would have done, or say; whatever you did you did so forget it and move on. Yet there is this reoccurring thought. Ezekiel 18:4.

Psalms 5

Psalm 5:4 For me as the years advance sort of rapidly I seem to be reminded daily of God's definition of righteousness and how well I seem to fall short of it. My thoughts are not His thoughts and neither are my ways like His ways. So, I say to myself and to Him; “LORD, how can you love me? Ever, read in the Old Testament, a person is condemned unclean and has to remain outside the camp for seven days of cleansing. Under those conditions, none of us would ever be able to see, touch or walk with our kin. Many today deserve just that!

Psalm 5:5-7 Today, God's economy for the kingdom of heaven at hand is Jesus Christ. Songs and books are written: Jesus paid it ALL. And the truth is: JESUS PAID IT ALL. There is so much joy in the soul of a person who knows Jesus, that at times it is inexpressible. How I long for my family to know this truth. The good news is that I know that many are saved, the bad news is that I know that they are trapped like so many others in this fallen world by the economy of the devil.

Psalm 5:8 Like the woman earlier, she has a mom and dad no doubt. She is a mom herself, at least it appeared so. Evil may not dwell with us, but truly it is all around us. If it approaches you daily, then it approaches your children, your grand-children and the very door step of your home. Sometimes we participate in the evil. Our hope is in the LORD, He will set a path for each of us to follow, the path is called: God's Righteousness through faith. Romans 3:21-26.