General Articles

He Is Our Peace :: By Nathele Graham

Published on: by RR7

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14).

Tomorrow is something we look forward to. It’s always ahead, but it never arrives. Peace is as fleeting as tomorrow. We all want peace, but can we really define peace? Is it a lack of troubles? Or is it found sitting by a mountain creek happily running over stones on its way to a larger stream? Is peace the absence of noise? No sirens blaring or horns honking?

The Hebrew word for peace is “salom,” pronounced “shawlome” and means “completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, safety, health, tranquility, contentment.” The Greek equivalent is “Eirene” (pronounced i-ray-nay).

In order to have perfect peace, we must live in union with Christ. “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace” (Ephesians 2:14-15).

Through Jesus, the separation between the Jewish people and the Gentiles was mended. More than that, through Christ we can have peace with God. If we can’t be at peace with Him today, how can we expect to be peacefully happy with Him in Heaven for eternity?

The quest for God’s peace goes back to the beginning. Adam and Eve were the only ones to know the tranquility of dwelling in a Paradise untainted by sin. Satan’s lies are strong, and the peace of God’s Garden was forfeited when Eve listened to the lies of the serpent, and Adam chose to follow her in sin. The peace that comes from living in obedience to God was shattered. God’s peace was gone. God has always wanted peace with His creation. After the Fall of Man, there was no peace at all. Satan works hard to move humanity farther and farther away from God. Nevertheless, God has always been busy opening the way for peace to be restored.

Abraham was called out of his pagan life to be the father of God’s chosen people, but much strife continued. Eventually, God’s chosen people went into captivity in Egypt. This was God’s plan to protect the Jewish nation from famine. They stayed in Egypt for centuries, and when the time was right, Moses was called to lead the Israelites out of captivity. Moses was to lead the people, and his brother Aaron would be ordained as the priest. The Lord directed Moses to teach Aaron and his sons a blessing for the people.

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The LORD bless thee, and keep thee. The LORD make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee: the LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace” (Numbers 6:22-26). God wanted them to have peace.

Peace has always been elusive. Wars have raged non-stop; disease and natural disasters have always been issues. Are things really getting worse? Yes, things are becoming worse than they have ever been. That doesn’t mean that God is surprised. Christians should find great comfort in the fact that God knows what’s coming and has forewarned us. This forewarning is called “prophecy.” I don’t mean the type of “prophecy” found in a fortune cookie or imagined by Nostradamus. Biblical prophecy was given by God to His chosen prophets and recorded in Scripture. By studying God’s word, we can know for certain that, even though things look bleak, God has something better in store for us.

“Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is none else: I am God, and there is none like me. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it” (Isaiah 46:9-11).

We must remember former things… history. By studying all of Scripture, we can see how God was always with the Israelites through their troubled times as well as times of peace. He foretold their captivity in Babylon, and He told of the return to their land. He also foretold of the Messiah, who would bring peace and reconciliation to all of humanity, even the Gentiles. Contrary to what many people preach, Israel is still God’s chosen people, and they haven’t been replaced by Christians. Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, fulfilling prophecy. He was born of a virgin, fulfilling prophecy. He was crucified, fulfilling prophecy. Christ’s birth and His death fulfilled many, many prophecies.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

Jesus was born to a human woman, a virgin named Mary (a child is born), but He was conceived by the Holy Spirit (God gave His son). Faith in Him will bring peace like no peace you’ve ever known. His peace comes from the assurance that no matter what happens in this life, as a Christian, you are assured eternal life with God.

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2).

Too often, we forfeit the peace we can have because we fight God. Instead of seeking Him and letting Him lead, we try to take the reins from Him and do things our own way.

I don’t think anybody can be completely content in the world today. There’s so much turmoil and pestilence everywhere, but none of this surprises God. Jesus said to expect these things. “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

We need to learn to lean on Him and trust Him in everything we do. We need to stop blaming Him for the troubles and understand that Satan is behind all evil. God has seen the events of today and told us what’s coming. Could He stop it from happening? Yes, but by allowing it all to take place, He allows us our free choice to accept the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for salvation. Instead of forcing it on us, we have a choice to find peace through Him. If we totally surrender to Him, we will find His peace in life.

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3).

Studying Scripture will disclose that there will be an end to all of the upset in this life, but it also discloses that as we draw closer to the end, life will become more and more unsettling. There will be a final seven-year period of time when God’s wrath will be poured out upon the unbelieving world. There will be a one-world government, a one-world economy, and a one-world religion. Peace will be taken from the earth by the rider of the red horse (Revelation 6:4).

Can you see the pieces falling into place today? I do. It gets worse. There will be a man, who will seem like a good guy who’ll solve all the troubles of the world, but he will be totally evil. He will force everyone to take his mark. Anyone who hasn’t taken the Mark of the Beast won’t be able to buy or sell. If you think the lockdowns and restrictions of the past year were bad, you haven’t seen anything yet. If you take his mark, you cannot be saved. You will spend eternity in the lake of fire.

“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name” (Revelation 14:9-11).

No peace will be found in the lake of fire, and, according to Revelation 19:20, that’s where the beast, the false prophet, and all who receive the mark will spend eternity. Although the stage is being set today for the mark of the Beast, it won’t be forced upon anyone until at least 3 ½ years after the Rapture.

How can you avoid God’s wrath and be taken in the Rapture?

There’s only one way: place your faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross. That may sound a little too easy, but God doesn’t want anyone to end up in the Lake of Fire, so He took our sin upon Himself. Salvation is easy for us, but it cost God His Son.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17).

None of us want to rush death, but it’s certain that everyone will one day pass from this life to the next. Jesus promised that He was going to His Father’s house to prepare a place for His followers (do a study of traditional Jewish weddings to see how important this is and how it supports a pre-tribulation Rapture). When Thomas said he didn’t know the way, Jesus gave him the answer.

“Jesus saith unto Him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14: 6).

Now you know the way. I suggest you be sure to get on the right path today. Accept Jesus for salvation before it’s too late. Study Biblical history and learn how God takes care of those who follow Him. Study prophecy and find peace in these troubled times.

“And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

ron@straitandnarrowministry.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

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Jesus Christ: The Messiah, Not a Meal Ticket :: By Dr. Donald Whitchard

Published on: by RR7

 

Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:1-14, John 6:22-40

Summary: When Jesus fed the five thousand, as recorded in all four gospels, He demonstrated what He taught about God being the Provider of our needs (Matthew 6:25-34). Most of the crowd, however, wanted food, not faith.

The Lord Jesus never taught anything about the nature and character of God the Father that He Himself did not demonstrate or model before either His disciples or the people who followed and listened to Him. When we first read of this miracle, mentioned in all four gospels, we see the Divine power of Jesus on display along with His compassion, concern, orderliness, provision, and the further opening of the apostles’ spiritual sight and senses as to Who He was — God Incarnate among His people, fulfilling the prophecies spoken of by Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the other prophets of Scripture.

His feeding of the crowd is a display of what He had taught in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). He had taught the people not to worry about where they would get food and clothing along with their other needs, as God would provide for them as He does for the animals in the wild. In feeding the people, He not only filled their stomachs with natural food but also opened the door for them to understand that God feeds the soul as well with His Word.

Now, some people were spiritually sharp and saw Jesus as not only Provider but the Promised Savior of His people, while some saw this miracle as a means of obtaining a free meal every day and as part of a plan to seize Jesus, force Him to be King, and use His miraculous powers not only to keep Israel well-fed but also healed when they would fall wounded from the battle that would surely come with the oppressing power of Rome. They were certain that He would conquer and slay the hated soldiers of Caesar, driving them from the land of Israel once and for all, restoring the nation to an independent Kingdom ruled by this descendant of the great and wonderful David of old, or so they thought.

He put a stop to that plan in its tracks the day after the event, as recorded in John 6:22-40. The crowd wanted bread from Him, but when He offered them Himself as the Living Bread and to submit to Him as Lord, they dispersed to where He had no one except His disciples and a handful of authentic followers afterward.

What bothers me when I watch movies about the Lord Jesus, especially when the filmmakers show the scene of the feeding of the crowd, is that it always seems to resemble a mob scene where the food is almost thrown at the people, or they are scrambling for the fish and bread that Jesus miraculously provides. We see none of this in the Scriptures. Jesus organized the crowd, had some of the people help the apostles with distributing the food and collecting the leftovers after everyone had eaten, ensuring that the apostles would also get a chance to enjoy the best fish and bread they ever ate.

Nobody left hungry or dissatisfied over what they had received that day. It goes to show that Jesus is not only the Provider of our needs if we would but trust Him to do so, but He also sees to it that we get everything we need in order to be satisfied, full, and thankful for His bountifulness. He does give everyone the ability to work for their food and provisions as He pleases, but there are times when we have all fallen under some kind of hardship, and He was there to give us what we needed, oftentimes in an unexpected way. The Psalmist writes of God’s care for His people even when it looks like nothing is on the horizon (Psalm 37:25-26).

At one time, my wife and I were members of a friendly but liberal-leaning church in central Louisiana. I was in a Sunday School class where the teacher, upon reading of this account, said that it was not so much a miracle of Jesus, but a sense of guilt and shame that came over the crowd when they saw the child give his meager lunch over to the LORD to use to feed everyone, and they brought out their provisions and shared with everyone as a result of this act of selflessness. I do not see that in any way, shape, or form when I read this story. This was an attempt to downplay the obvious Divine work of the Lord Jesus and show a type of arrogance and self-imposed “wisdom” that tended to know better than the witnesses who were there and gave credibility to the event.

What liberal and progressive so-called “Christian” pastors and teachers now tend to do is question and bring into doubt the very Word of God and its supernatural origin and structure (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Peter 1:19-21). Some people simply cannot bring themselves to believe or even consider that God is Who He says He is in the Bible and that what we have in our possession is the authentic record of His words, deeds, and plan of redemption that He put into place before the foundation of the world (John 1:1-4; Ephesians 1:3-14; Colossians 1:15-18).

People will flock to the latest guru, teacher, motivational speaker, philosopher, celebrity, or skeptic and swallow what they have to say without question or comment. But they will do everything in their power to downplay, discredit, blaspheme, and mock the very God who has done nothing but love and warn them of the wrath to come and has given the free offer of salvation made available through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins and the ONLY way to God the Father (John 14:6).

Our own laziness and spiritual apathy have done nothing to alleviate the world’s prejudice and has turned a lot of people off of the message of the Gospel by our hypocrisy and lack of enthusiasm in telling others of the Good News of salvation in Christ. We tend to act as if it is nothing more than a mindset or code of ethics that are no different from what the world offers. If this describes your current condition before the LORD, now is the time to stop where you are and repent of your apathy and indifference and have Him renew your soul this day.

Other world religions, cults, and occult powers tell their followers that they have to do certain deeds or say the right words in order to appease the deities or leaders if they want a chance to get into their idea of heaven or paradise, nirvana, Shangri-La, Shambala, or wherever they think they go when they assume room temperature. Jesus says to everyone, “Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you REST for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-30).

What do you have to do for Jesus to assist you or give you help, guidance, and supply your needs? Just come to Him freely, as you are. He will change you into the person you were meant to be for His glory and grace. Bring Him your wounded heart, your hungry body and soul, your pain, your grief, your sin burden, and lay all of it at His feet. Surrender your life to Him and confess that He is Lord (Romans 10:9-10). The hunger and thirst for righteousness and peace that many seek will never be filled, choosing instead to feast on the junk food and slop of the world, flesh, and the devil until the day of their last breath, when it will be too late.

According to the Scriptures, the redeemed of all time will be a part of the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, where there will be an abundance of not just the pure food of the LORD, but the abundant reunion we will have with our loved ones as well as the eternal fellowship we will have with the LORD. Jesus told the story of the Wedding Feast where the “high society” folks made up a bunch of lame excuses not to have dinner with the nobleman. So he told his servants to go everywhere and bring everyone to the feast, no matter who they were or where they came from, and enjoy the bounty that others refused (Matthew 22:1-14; Luke 14:15-24).

Jesus invites you to be fed, physically and spiritually. He cares for you (1 Peter 5:6-7) and is waiting to receive you with open arms and a menu fit for a king. What more do you need to know? Dinner’s ready.

donaldwhitchard@gmail.com

www.realitycityreverend.com

Join me for “The Reality City Daily Review” weekday mornings at 10:00 CST on YouTube (USA). It will then be posted on Facebook and on my website. My main area of discussion will be on the basics of the Christian faith but will also deal with prophetic issues and other topics as the Lord impresses upon me to handle.