Nothing Wasted :: By Edwin Tan

“And now, because you have done all these works,” says the LORD, “and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you, but you did not answer” (Jeremiah 7:13).

The works the Lord is referring to are actions and activities of wickedness. Did the Lord just let them do as they pleased and did not bat an eye? Not the case!

He has indeed made the decision not to hear any prayer or intercession from them. “Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession for Me; for I will not hear you” (Jeremiah 7:16).

The ‘them’ Jeremiah was writing about were the chosen people of God who decided to rebel. They did about everything that displeased the Lord and provoked Him to anger. They went way overboard, to the point whereby the Heavenly Father could not have it anymore. So He severed all communication links with the Jews of that day.

In real-time and occurring at an incredible speed, all that was recorded before the birth of Christ is imploding before many eyes across the continents. That which is detestable, diabolical and truly an abomination in the eyes of the Lord is rearing its ugly head. Lawlessness and unrighteousness are being celebrated – no longer a myth but morphing into what is deemed as acceptable!

I am moved to write about this because of the way very young children are being treated by those claiming to have their well-being as a labor of love. The word love is no longer applicable; it is all about satisfying the desires of the flesh with quick money thrown in. Blatant child abuse is not penalized but promoted, all under the beastly banner of gender fluidity which is certainly a concept from the pit of hell. A boy cannot be a boy, and a similar predicament goes for girls. It is being forced upon them whether they like it or not. Interference at a tender age ultimately disrupts the developmental process; this paves the way for dysfunctional individuals that are a societal deficit.

The end result will be people with confused personalities identical to schizophrenics. It boils down to a frontal assault on the God-given blessing that comes from marriage and family; this institution has indeed accounted for social stability, as many are familiar with.

Another disturbing trend concerns one fundamental God-given right for all humanity – sufficient food to ensure that every hunger pang on the planet is satiated. Under the ludicrous drumbeat of climate change, there are calls from the cabal that is currently pulling the strings around the world to curtail food production. Hunger, poor nutrition, and famine are given the thumbs up by the so-called global elite. There are countries pushing hard for an end to farming, a move that puts many livelihoods in jeopardy.

These evil people envisage a future whereby food options would be limited to processed creepy crawlies. Here is the reason for recent devastating fires that have decimated many giant food processing facilities – placing them out of operation. God gave humans a variety of foods through His blessings. He certainly did not limit the choices for the dinner table!

Only very recently, the anti-God movement has gathered much wind in the sails. There is a push for only one narrative that bestows worship of the creation versus the Creator. It has gotten to the point where there is open talk of placing everything in the Word of God under the fake news classification.

All these clear and present evils are only revving up as I write. It could get a whole lot worse come the new year. It is engineered and driven by the devil; he knows there is only a short time to make war with God. These people, which the evil one has a firm grip on, have made up their minds; they are so hardened. Repentance is out of the question! “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil” (Jeremiah 13:23).

Of late, the concept of a reprobate mind or being given over has been quite a buzz in many of the faithful’s ears. It is all New Testament lingo in Romans 1:25-28. But it really goes back to the time of Noah and Lot. In Noah’s day, almost the entire planet had been deemed reprobate because of their immense wickedness. With the exception of Noah and his loved ones, the entire population of the planet was not spared from God’s righteous judgment. The same was so for the evil inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot being the exception. God only took the righteous ones out of the cesspool of unrighteousness. He said nothing about praying for repentance simply because the line was crossed!

The battle lines are clearly drawn for all to see. As for believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, the case is crystal clear – they remain steadfast and true to their Redeemer. They have to resist the enemy, minions and underlings included. These individuals that ramp up all the unspeakable shockers are indeed the underlings in a heinous hierarchy headed by the evil one. Praying for them is as good as repeatedly whacking one’s head against reinforced concrete!

Time is of the essence, this being so for the salt and light of a fast-decaying planet. Our prayers must be directed at those on the receiving end, the ones who suffer because these workers of iniquity have their way. Think of the countless little ones that are brutalized and mentally maimed by all those needless procedures. While they scream out in pain, their parents and even grandparents are part of the anguish. Then there are those in many parts of the world having barely enough on the plate, all because of a ridiculous cover story. This lie causes many to forgo their lifelong livelihoods, the efficacy of being breadwinners being in serious doubt!

There is more than a mouthful on the prayer list. Most important of all, these victims of uncalled-for oppression need the grace and mercy of God, the only way by which the suffering can be alleviated. These folks truly need the way, the truth, and the life, so pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will speak to them in the midst of the turmoil. In this way, the peace that surpasses all human understanding will come to them.

Lastly, we need to pray for all who are of the Body of Christ. For as long as the “salt and light” stays on planet Earth, there needs to be constant prayer for one another. It is not plain sailing for every participant in the Good Fight; the opposition is not a piece of cake. “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15).

Remember this verse from the Gospel of John; it is the cornerstone of prayer in the times we live in, for as long as we have here to be salt and light!

Yours in Christ

Edwin

Contact me at edwinuk13@gmail.com

Hebrews Study: Our Anchor for the Soul, Part 2 :: By Sean Gooding

Continuing Study in Hebrews 6:13-20

19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Last week we explored the security we have in Jesus. He is the anchor of our souls, and God has saved us forever. In the process of looking at these verses, we come across the mention of a man named Melchizedek. It has been a long time since he was even mentioned. The very first time we meet him was a brief encounter between him and Abram all the way back in Genesis 14. This meeting would have happened more than 1,500 years before these verses in Hebrews were penned. What, then, does this man have to do with Jesus and our salvation? First, let us take a look at the encounter between Melchizedek and Abram.

  • Abram and Melchizedek and Jesus, Genesis 14:18-21

“Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said: ‘Blessed be Abram of God Most High Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 And blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.’ And he gave him a tithe of all” NKJV.

This short meeting was a profound and important meeting. Here we notice an interesting thing. Melchizedek is both the King of Salem (King of Peace) and the High Priest of God. This was not a part of the Old Testament covenant. The tribe of Levi was the priestly tribe. Aaron, for instance, was from the tribe of Levi as were all the subsequent priests. And Judah was the tribe of the Kings of Israel. Only Saul, who was from the tribe of Benjamin, was not of Judah as far as the kings of the united and then southern kingdoms. Jesus will rule on the throne of his father David; Jesus is from the tribe of Judah.

So, God separated the offices of the High Priest and King. But in Melchizedek, we have a man who is both. But in Hebrews 9:19-20, we are told that Jesus entered behind the veil, referring to the veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple. Jesus, we are told, entered there for us. He went behind the veil for us. When did He do so? Well, we know for sure that He went to Paradise when He died; He promised the thief on the cross that He would meet him there:

Luke 23:42-43 “Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise'” (NKJV).

Then we see another verse in Matthew that tells us what happened in Jerusalem when Jesus did resurrect:

Matthew 27: 52-53 “The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After Jesus’ resurrection, when they had come out of the tombs, they entered the holy city and appeared to many people.”

When Jesus was resurrected, people left the place called Paradise and came and visited people in the city of Jerusalem. But a strange thing happens early in the morning when Jesus meets Mary Magdalen. It is recorded in John 20:17:

Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God'” (NKJV).

Jesus was going to the Father. He had not yet gone to see the Father after the crucifixion, because He was in Paradise in the heart of the earth. He did not go to Hell as is often preached by many prominent preachers. Now, what was He going to the Father to do? He was our forerunner; He, according to Hebrews, entered behind the veil in Heaven for us. The veil on earth was torn at the end of His life here on earth. In Hebrews 9:12, we are told that He entered there with His OWN blood:

He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption” (NKJV).

Jesus performed the office of our High Priest, and we know that He was and is the King of Jews. The King of Peace, the King of Salem (later called Jerusalem). Wow, Jesus is both our King and our High Priest, and God set this out before the Law, before circumcision and Abram, paid tithes, and was blessed by the High Priest King of Salem.

We will learn more about Melchizedek in the next lessons, but he is one of the most fascinating characters in the Bible. He set out a precedent that only someone who was the King of Jerusalem could do, who was also our High Priest. This means that salvation could only come through a very, very specific person. Jesus is the only living heir to the throne of David. He is the only one who has the rightful and legal claim to the throne of Israel, and one day soon, He will come to claim it.

In the time that we wait, Jesus has performed the High Priest’s office on our behalf, and He has covered our sins in His blood, and God can no longer see them. “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.”‘ Here are a few verses for you to look up: Romans 4:7, John 1:29, Hebrews 9:22, 1 Peter 1:18-19, and Hebrews 10:10. I can go on and on, but you get the point.

Is Jesus your High Priest? He is mine. Is He your King? He is mine. He must be both to us, and it was God who established this. But you say we are not Jews; Abram was the father of the Jews. Paul tells us in Romans 4: 11-12; we find that Abram is the father of all who believe, for he believed before the Law, by faith in God’s Word:

And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but has not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.”

God bless you,

Dr. Sean Gooding

Pastor of Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church
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