Daydream believer

As human beings we tend to play out scenarios in our mind. You know what I’m talking about! What I would do if I had been there, that type of thought. Maybe a news story we have heard becomes a screenplay on the stage of our mind. Maybe a co-worker is robbed, or a friend suffers an injustice. Maybe it’s a search for a missing person, or a plane hijacking. This event will play in our mind and we will thrust ourselves into the story as the hero. We will play out a scenario where we somehow become the center of the story, or save the day and avert the disaster we have just heard about.

As Christians this type of scene will play for us when thinking about the night Jesus was tried or our presence at his crucifixion. Maybe even a scenario where we see Him for the first time after He rose from the grave. We will think of the day when we meet Him face to face and what we will do when we stand before the throne of God for the first time.

Then there is the darker vision of the Christian that looks into the future and sees the time when the beast and the false prophet are in power on the earth. That person sees a scene where people are waiting in line for a mark and more specifically of themselves, at gunpoint, being given a choice to either deny Jesus and receive the mark, or die right there on the spot. They see themselves refusing the mark and giving a glowing testimony concerning Christ. Sometimes they envision a martyr’s death that causes everyone around to convert. Sometimes they see a conversion of the official that is offering the choice and then miraculous events happening to see them through the tribulation. While this scenario may play out similar to the daydream of the Christian, it will probably not happen that way at all.

Satan has been around a long, long time. He is a mastermind at getting what he wants from demons and people alike. I cite the angelic rebellion in Heaven and the Adam and Eve incident as proof. He was crafty then and is working to improve his deceit with each passing moment. The scenario to get people to take his mark and worship his name I think will blindside most Christians. I do not think it will be a scenario where denial of Jesus will even be mentioned. That is far too much of a frontal assault and wouldn’t snare near as many people. It will come as more of a common sense decision. Well, we are being offered health care, food, ability to continue making purchases and participate in business. We can still have electricity, running water, gas for our cars, clothes for our families and see our friends. All we have to do is have this chip imbedded in our hand or forehead, with all our personal and financial info. Makes sense, no more credit theft, no more robberies, no more cash to be taken. Just swipe the chip and all paid. After all, our leader can do all of these other great things. Or we can not take the chip and starve to death along with our families. Hmmm! It will be subtle and crafty and will condemn millions to hell. That is Satan’s plan; take as many of mankind with him as he can.

Christ offers another scenario; one where He provides our every need. Where He is trusted to be our health care plan, to feed and clothe us, to care for every detail. No chip, just trusting Him as our Savior first, and then trusting Him as our provider daily. Doesn’t make much sense to say we trust Him with our eternal soul, but we can’t trust Him to feed our temporary body. Hmmm! It as simple as saying Lord Jesus I believe, help my unbelief.
This was the same test that took place in the garden, do we believe and act on what God has said, or do we no believe and follow another voice. Read the account for yourself in Genesis 3. As for what God has said about that mark, he that has ears to hear let him hear.

1And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names.
2And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion, and the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.
3I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed and the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast;
4they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?"
5There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him.
6And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.
7It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.
8All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.
9If anyone has an ear, let him hear.
10If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.


The Beast from the Earth
11Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon.
12He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence and he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.
13He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men.
14And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.
15And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
16And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,
17and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.
18Here is wisdom let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.

Empty tombs and witnesses

A quick question on this Resurrection Sunday. If Jesus didn't rise from the dead, then why didn't the people that were following Him just go back to their everyday lives? Why didn't they get mad over being duped by a madman? Why would they commit their lives to a lie and not recant that lie as they were being tortured and executed? Why would they choose to be enemies of the countries they lived in and remain loyal to a myth? These weren't people that were believing some second-hand story or pie in the sky promise. They were people who had lived alongside Jesus everyday. They had eaten with Him, walked countless miles with Him, slept on the ground in the cold, dusty desert alongside of Him. If He had not risen from the dead, they would have slipped quietly away and denied Him, just like they did the night He was tried. They would have stayed hidden away and disappointed, just like they did the day He was crucified. But instead, they went to every place they could reach, telling people of the hope that was to be found by putting faith in Jesus Christ as the saviour, by trusting Him for the forgiveness of sins. Of the original 12 disciples, 10 were martyrd. They were given the choice to recant their story about Jesus or die. They all chose death. The 11th killed himself, because he had sold Jesus out to the authorities and then realized that he had chosen the wrong side. The 12th, the Apostle John, died in exile on the isle of Patmos, he wouldn't recant his story either, but God kept him alive so he could write the book of Revelation as an old man. By the way, the man that replaced Judas, the traitor, was a man that was one of those authorities that sought Jesus death, Saul of Tarsus. We know him as the apostle Paul. He wrote the majority of the New Testament. He was a learned man, in line to be a ruler in Israel. But, on the way to kill some Christians, he saw Jesus. He was convinced and never looked back. He was beheaded by the Romans because he wouldn't deny that Jesus had risen.
The law of God requires two or three witnesses in a criminal case. This is so the facts can be established. One of the ten commandments deals with those that would be false witnesses. God is serious about legal proceedings. The Bible provides us with the information that over 500 people saw Jesus alive after His resurrection. Yes, He is alive and He is seated at the right hand of God the Father. His work was finished. He will return and if we believe that He is the Christ, the Savior of the world, then we will live with Him. But in His own words "if you believe not that I am He, then you shall die in your sins". There's no other time like the present to believe what God has testified of His Son.

Agape', Huh?

You are not a very loving person! Can you hear this phrase spat at Jesus or Paul or Peter or one of the other apostles? If they appeared here in our time and our churches they would hear it constantly. Along with several other words and phrases, it would be branded onto them as a label. They would be avoided and cut down behind their backs. Love has been unjustly transformed into a romanticized and flowery concept instead of an action. Contrary to popular belief, love is not a feel good proposition. When practiced it generally gets you ostracized and even persecuted. It cries out against the harmful and extols the good and helpful. It says no to its’ children and stands firm in the face of all the arguments presented, even when it is in danger of being hated and despised. It dies on a cross while the objects of its affection stand around and laugh and mock and say they’re glad it is dead and gone. It then endures the accusations that its work was all a fraud and done for personal motives. It patiently waits for those accusers to realize the truth and turn and embrace it. It doesn’t tell those accusers that they are going to be ok traveling the dangerous path they are on. It doesn’t depend on acceptance of the masses for it’s worth.
If you were speeding down a road and suddenly I was standing in your way, telling you that a bridge was out and you were seconds from plunging to your death, would you be grateful? Or would you speed on past and curse me until you were over the brink? Think of that next time someone who loves you tries to interject themselves into your self-destruction. And for Heaven’s sake don’t accuse them of hatred or bigotry. Just thank God that He sent them to help.