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It’s easy for us to forget the astounding grace of God. We who live in America and are part of western civilization have been so blessed and – frankly – have lives that are generally free from true hardship, that we take for granted all that God has given us. What amazes me is that despite this, our culture is growing exceedingly dark because we’ve turned from God’s generous mercy. In doing this, we create our own sufferings.

God’s template for us is simple: Trust in and obey Him. When we do this, He blesses us because He loves to give good gifts to those who become His beloved children. When we reject the sacrificial gift of Jesus Christ and the salvation He brings, we open up a whole can of serpents.

Rather than living lives that cause God’s face to shine upon us and which curry God’s favor, more and more people turn away because they want to do life their way. Of course, this isn’t new. It began in the Garden and carries to this very day. The extent of our rebellion varies, but between the sin in our souls, the lure of the world, and the thrusting knife of Satan who wishes to twist our loyalties and priorities toward his, many people think it’s a good idea to build their own tower of Babel in the hope of controlling their individual destinies.

This is why we see the fulfillment of 2 Timothy 3:1-9 all around us:

“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these. For among them are those who slip into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

“Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, worthless in regard to the faith. But they will not make further progress; for their foolishness will be obvious to all, just as was that also of Jannes and Jambres.”

Yet, knowing this is the human condition, these last days sins are simply a continuation of those which have been with us since the beginning. They can lead to extremely dark places. It’s not hard to see someone in the grip of these nineteen iniquities. Cain certainly qualifies with the murder of his brother Abel. Let’s pick a couple of these characteristics with which to label him: ungrateful, without self-control, brutal, holding to a form of godliness. There are others that surely led to his rash act, which had such extreme consequences. Do you think, based on the believing loyalty God required in Old Testament times, that Cain made it to heaven? Only if he truly repented, which I don’t know that we see in the Biblical text.

Another intriguing situation centers upon the two thieves crucified alongside Jesus. The text indicates that initially, both cursed Him. But then, something happened to the one.

John MacArthur, in his Study Bible Notes for Mark’s Gospel, indicates that these men probably had committed worse crimes than thievery. Theft wasn’t a capital punishment per the Roman laws. It’s likely that these two may have been fellow murderers along with Barabbas. Perhaps if things had turned out differently, Barabbas would have been one of the three crucified on Calvary that day with Jesus going free. That wasn’t God’s plan, so Jesus was placed between these two desperately wicked men. Initially, they showed their true colors in their curses.

What happened? What changed for the one? Close to death, the one man’s sins flooded over him. From our above list, he could have exhibited the following: arrogant, disobedient to parents, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, conceited, led on by various impulses. Take your pick. He saw the extent of his evil life. The Holy Spirit convicted him of his eternal destiny. In an act that only God could do, this man acknowledged his transgressions, believed in Jesus as the Son of God, and called out to Him for salvation. In His great mercy, the Lord granted this murderous thief what only He could. God gave him paradise rather than hell. He was transported immediately from the deepest darkness of Satan’s pit of despair to blinding brilliance in the presence of God.

In an act of supreme irony, this man’s crucifixion – the worst thing that ever happened to him – turned out to be the most wonderful. How’s that for what God can do?

He didn’t need to go through twelve steps for reconciliation. He didn’t have to be baptized. All he did was repent, ask for God’s mercy, place his confidence in Christ, and it was granted.

Many people today have a past that is every bit as despicable as this man on the cross. Some have partaken of Satan’s blood and caroused with demons. It doesn’t matter. If such a person is truly repentant and asks God for the return of his soul, He will grant it. The question we have to ask is: How might that which is horrible in our life benefit us just like the one who hung there beside Jesus?

What’s incredibly important for a person like this – and really for every single one of us regardless of our past – is that upon receiving God’s grace in our lives, we become obedient to His commands. It is only through our obeying what the Lord tells us to do that we demonstrate our true conversion. When we stop rebelling and follow hard after God, what a difference that makes! It opens up the pathways for Him to bless us.

Do you think God will pour out His favor and blessings upon the disobedient? Yes, rain falls on the just and unjust, but God’s favor is something else entirely.

When we trust in Him, it likely causes a big smile to crease God’s face. He can point to us and say, “That’s My child!” Just like with Job, when we show our believing loyalty through obeying Him, it doesn’t matter what comes our way; God will see us through it. More than that, we will realize untold blessings. They may not be of the physical variety that God blessed Job with in the second half of his life – I’m not talking about prosperity as it’s been corrupted these days. No, we have the Lord’s promise of eternal glory in His presence.

Before then, while we’re still here in this life, He may pour out wealth of some kind upon us or the healing of our infirmities, but that isn’t at all the objective. Our eyes should be upon Jesus. When they are, He will do what He’ll do for us in this natural realm. But this isn’t our home. Who cares about riches that corrupt and moths destroy, or even this physical body?

What should be our prayer? Lord, Thy will be done!

What an amazing result that brings!

—

Gary Ritter website: books & blog
http://garyritter.com/

Kindle Vella story: Tribulation Rising
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First of all, who did Jesus claim to be? It is without argument that He claimed to be the second person of the triune Godhead, i.e., God the Son. In other words, He claimed to be God by His actions and His very words.

In John 14:6-11, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him. Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.’ Jesus said to him, Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.'”

If that isn’t strong enough for you, consider what Jesus says in John 10:27-30, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.” (emphasis mine)

In John 8:58, Jesus says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

If you recall, when God told Moses that he was to go to Egypt and bring God’s people out of Egypt, Moses said, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” (Exodus 3:13).

Do you remember God’s reply to Moses in the very next two verses? “And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ Moreover God said to Moses, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations'” (Exodus 3:14-15).

Jesus claimed equality with God in forgiving sins and raising the dead. He actually did raise the dead, if you recall: Lazarus, the daughter of Jairus, and the son of the widow at Nain. By the way, these are the only three mentioned, but I personally feel there were probably many more (John 21:25).

Jesus’ followers recognized Him as God and worshiped Him as God. Stephen called out His name while dying (Acts 7:59). The demon-possessed man in Mark 5, the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15, the ruler in Matthew 9, and James and John’s mother in Matthew 20 all worshiped Him, just to name a few.

These are only a few brief examples of Jesus definitely claiming to be the one and only God by His words and His actions. Is Jesus God? Is He now in Heaven as the Bridegroom preparing to return for His bride, the Church? All who have ever put their faith in Him know He really is God. I know Jesus is God because He is my God, my Lord and my Savior. Millions of others can echo these same words today.

Jesus does not need me to defend Him. The only thing that can change a person’s thinking is to have a change of heart, and that can only come through coming to Jesus with a repentant heart and asking Him to save them.

That being said, I would like to provide something to think about for those who are “riding the fence,” so to speak.

There were over 300 prophecies (some say 375) that Jesus fulfilled in relation to His first coming when He paid our sins upon the cross of Calvary. Obviously, I cannot list that many and comment on them in a short article such as this. So, consider the few shown below if you please.

OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES FULFILLED BY JESUS:

Genesis 12:1-3, 7; 17:19; Numbers 24:17 (Galatians 3:15-18) prophecy that Jesus will be of the seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is fulfilled in Matthew 1:1-2.

Genesis 49:10 prophesies that Jesus will come from the tribe of Judah. Fulfilled in Luke 3:33.

Isaiah 9:6-7 says that Jesus will be heir to David’s throne. Fulfilled in Luke 1:32-33.

Micah 5:2 states that Jesus will be born in Bethlehem Ephrathah. Fulfilled in Luke 2:4, 5, 7.

Note: There were two towns named Bethlehem at that time. One was in the region of Judea (Bethlehem Ephrathah), and the other was to the north in the region occupied by the tribe of Zebulun. Matthew 2:1 and Luke 2:4, 5, 7 fulfill Micah 5:2 to the letter.

Daniel 9:25 prophesies the time of Jesus’ birth, and it is fulfilled in Luke 2:1-2 (a historical fact).

Isaiah 7:14 says that Jesus would be born of a virgin, and that is fulfilled in Luke 1:26-27, 30-31.

Hosea 11:1 tells of the flight to Egypt. Fulfilled in Matthew 2:14-15.

Zechariah 11:12 informs us that Jesus would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. Fulfilled in Matthew 26:14-15.

Psalm 34:20 says that Jesus would have no bones broken. John 19:32-33, 36 fulfills this prophecy.

After reading just these eleven prophecies out of over 300 that were prophesied, if Jesus was not God, how did they all come true? They all have been fulfilled to the letter because Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be. He is God. Think about the following questions.

Have you ever known anyone who could determine:

Who would be included in his bloodline,
Which tribe he would be born in,
Which king’s throne he would sit on,
Which locale he would be born in,
When he would be born,
That his mother would be a virgin (ever known anyone else born of a virgin?), and
His parents’ flight to Egypt?

When Judas betrayed Jesus, he made that deal on his own [30 pieces of silver], and when Jesus was hanging on the cross, He was at the mercy of His executioners [no bones broken].

When Jesus came to earth the first time, He came to die for the sins of the world and offer eternal life to any who would believe upon Him. When He returns, He will be coming as Judge. If you have not put your faith in Him, now is the time to do so. It will be too late after He returns or if death takes you to the grave beforehand.

If Jesus was not God but just an ordinary man, there is absolutely no way he could have fulfilled the outcome of the prophecies I mentioned, much less all the other prophecies that are recorded of Him.

Also, ask yourself why would His followers die for a lie? His apostles and other followers died horrible deaths, except the apostle John. All they had to do was keep quiet and go back to fishing or other trade, and they would not have suffered. Why didn’t they do that? Why did they choose to suffer and die for their belief in Jesus? It is because they all knew that Jesus was exactly who He claimed to be.

Jesus is God.

Grant Phillips

Email: Phillip5769@twc.com
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
Rapture Ready: https://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html

Deepest Darkness to Blinding Brilliance :: By Gary W. Ritter

Is Jesus Who He Claimed to Be? :: By Grant Phillips