The Environment of Church

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."

The environment we live in is vital, but I suppose it's easier to care for what we physically see, than for the UNSEEN spiritual environment in our churches. Yet still it is by what we see from those churches that reflects on the spiritual, for it is "by their fruits that we shall know them."

The churches of our day have become supremely worldly, and have adopted the world's ways of doing business, and attracting members. The Bible tells Christians to separate from worldly ways and impurities, even down to the smallest fly speck of dirt.

But the attitude of the professing Church today seems to be that if even things with gross impurities have ANY good in them, then they will hold on to all of it, without discrimination. By adopting such practices, they actually end up embracing the direct opposite of what the Bible tells them to do! The scripture tells us to get rid of even the tiniest of impurities, or it will contaminate the whole; but today it's common to think that it's worth keeping the impurities if there's a chance of some good coming from it.

Yet in the book of Job 14:4 we read; "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one." And a strong stance of opposition appears later in Galatians 5:12 which says; "I would they were even cut off which trouble you." In other words, don't mess around with evil impurities! Cut them off altogether! We can see that way back from the book of Haggai, even a scant touch of the unclean upon the holy, will make all of that which was holy impure. Haggai 2:11-14 says;

"Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying, If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No. Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean. Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean."

Typically, today, there is a rationale based upon scripture to justify the behavior of compromise with the unclean, and we find it quoted from the 2^nd half of I Corinthians 9:22, which says; "...I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." Yet by focusing on only one small part of the passage, they write off the entirety of it, and also ignore the testimony of the whole Bible, as well (Matthew 4:4). This is only meant to justify their behavior, rather denying themselves, and crucifying the flesh; it is also well-pleasing to men!

"For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged." -I Corinthians 11:31.

"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." -Luke 9:23.

"For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ." -Galatians 1:10.

The passage from I Corinthians 9:19-23 gives examples of what it means to be "all things to all men," and the overriding focus of God's Word is that when we are saved we become new creatures in Christ , who must seek to separate from the world as much as possible.

''Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." -2 Corinthians 5:17.

It really couldn't be clearer in the New Testament of the Bible, when it tells us that evil communications are corrupting (I Corinthians 15:33), that we mustn't be yoked together with unbelief (2 Corinthians 6:14-17), and not even to touch that which is unclean. We're also told not to love the things of the world (I John 2:15,16), and if we are the friends of the world, we've become God's enemies.

"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." -James 4:4.

There are numerous examples I could use, but the Lord will give us discernment for each situation through His Spirit, and by applying God's Word. Yet within the Bible itself we find examples to learn from, and in Acts 8:18-20, Simon the sorcerer offered money to Peter in order to get the power of God within himself, and we see that even today some ministers offer God's gifts to the people who will first commit to giving them money.

"For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness:" -I Thessalonians 2:5.

But a more serious account is found in I Corinthians 5, and I encourage you to read through it yourself, for it's only 13 verses long. Fornication was happening in this church, and even though it was known to all, it was being accepted without rebuke. Paul's judgment was to "deliver the offender to Satan, for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit of the church may be saved."

It is here we are reminded that a little leaven will leaven the entire lump, and the old leaven must be purged out (v.6&7). The chapter ends with the command "to put away from yourselves that wicked person." Have you ever heard of a church doing that? In view of the many "All Welcome" signs, and programs designed to entice the world into churches, the goals of holiness and separation for God's people have taken a distant backseat.

If you've been involved in the clean-up of church property, you can appreciate concern for the outer environment we are subjected to. But the churches need to remain diligent and alert for the inward environmental pollution of men's spirits, which aren't so obvious. And if we do that, and find them, we must be ready for the clean-up God commands us to do (Matthew 18:15-17, Titus 3:10).

Each of us should first begin this clean-up within our own selves, then we'll be outfitted to help our brethren with their cleanliness (Matthew 7:1-5), if we can find the resolve we need to reprove the wrongs we see (Ephesians 5:11). The pollutions must be removed, or the contamination will only grow. Stay close to the Lord, cleave to the truth of His Word, and He will set you on a path that in time you will find to be the very center of God's will.

"But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother." -2 Thessalonians 3:13-15.

I also have a YouTube video on this subject at https://youtu.be/SsfBYoovCpk

When Christians Face Uncertainty

 "All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean..." -Ecclesiastes 9:2A.

Times of uncertainty will be present in every person's life, regardless of their relationship with Jesus Christ. We can see from our opening scripture that one event happens to all, and will happen to the righteous and the wicked alike. Job found out the hard way that walking perfectly with God was no guarantee against trouble; in fact, it made him a target for our enemy (Job 1:6-21).

And so if you are a Christian facing uncertain times in your life, you're in good company! The Bible says that, we are as "Fish caught in an evil net, snared in evil times that fall suddenly upon us" (Ecclesiastes 9:12). The devil will also try to isolate you, and make you feel alone, but these will only be more lies from the father of lies (John 8:44). The Bible tells us that temptations we face are COMMON to man (I Corinthians 10:13), that God will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5,6), and that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord;

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 8:38,39.

We can read a good bit about the uncertainty other God-fearing people faced in the Bible; David had already been anointed King, but the uncertainty he faced from Saul's trying to kill him, caused him to flee into the land of the Philistines, Israel's enemy (I Samuel 27:1).

When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were facing a furnace in Daniel 3:17,18, they were unsure if their God would save them, but they obeyed Him anyway.

Even the Apostle Paul shared uncertainties, by which we now take comfort in knowing that we are truly not alone in our struggles. In Philippians 2:23, Paul writes, "...so soon as I shall see how it will go with me," by which he indicates that he didn't know. In I Thessalonians 2:17 &18, he tells the Thessalonians how much he had tried to visit them, but Satan hindered the attempt. And in Philemon 22, Paul instructs Philemon to prepare a lodging for him, trusting that by Philemon's prayers he would be able to come; yet we KNOW this didn't happen, and Paul remained a prisoner at Rome. God simply hadn't shown Paul all of the path his future journey would take.

Remember that for now we only see in part, and know in part (I Corinthians 13:912), and Jesus promised His disciples that they would have tribulation in this world (John 16:33); but their peace would rest in Him, through His overcoming power. Part of this tribulation is the uncertainty which surrounds our lives, and James says well what our attitiudes should be in James 4:13-16;

"Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that." Bold type added for emphasis.

To say such things with sincerity reflects a life that is surrendered to God's will, even when the Lord's way is unknown to us. It also reflects well the prayer of our Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane just before His crucifiction, in which He says,

"...Father, if, thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." -Luke 22:42.

God's relationship with us will be one in which we are growing into Christlike perfection;

it is a process that takes a lifetime, for we could not bear all of that change at once (John 16:12). God's ways are infinitely higher than our own (Isaiah 55:8,9), and we trust in Him who gave His Son to spare us from the wrath we deserved.

And 2 Corinthians 4:8 plainly tells us that we will be perplexed at times, but we won't be in despair. And still later on in that same chapter, we are simply reminded that we must keep our focus upon the eternal things, which we cannot see physically (2 Corinthians 4:16-18), for these temporary afflictions we now have shall quickly pass away, and they will work for us an eternal weight of glory we cannot lose.

In this world we won't always be rewarded, nor will we always immediately understand what God is trying to accomplish through us. But if we love our Lord Jesus, we'll do our best to follow His leading; no matter the cost, or the apparent outcome (John 7:24). Jesus told us that we should consider it in this way;

"So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do." -Luke 17:10.

Remember that we are laying up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19), which cannot be taken from us, and we should rejoice in the goodness the Lord has laid up for us, and we are saved by His grace, never by our own flawed works.

" Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." -Romans 8:33,34.

I have also posted a YouTube video on this subject. You can follow the link here https://youtu.be/DzaSLqkonLI

Tribulation Time Table

 "Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." -Proverbs 30:5&6.

The end of the world, and the return of Christ have been topics of great interest to believers, as well as points of serious stumbling. In light of such challenges, and the mysterious nature of it all, I think many Christians consider this subject to be bothersome, rather than helpful.

My opinion is this; the Lord's return will mark the end of history as we have known it, and it is vitally important. It's SO important that the Lord reveals the timing of it plainly, so that we will be ready, without confusion. It is also my opinion that the pre-tribulation rapture view comes from the private interpretation of prophecy, such as we were told of in 2 Peter 1:20;

"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation."

What follows are scriptures from the King James Bible which show us plainly the timing of the Lord's return; please consider them carefully. It's my hope that some will acknowledge the message scripture shows us, even though it isn't as comfortable as a pre-trib view.

The danger is this; that while we are expecting to be "raptured" at any moment, that the Antichrist comes; he poses as God, and signs & wonders will be with him. This is potentially a great deception for many to be taken by. It will be far better to study the Word, prepare for the worst, and hope for the best.

First, I will tackle this simply, but afterwards in more detail. We know that the rapture of Christians comes after the tribulation, Matthew 24:29-31. Next, we can know the approximate time of Jesus' return, Luke 21:29-31, I Thessalonians 5:2-5. We know that we must wait for the Antichrist to be revealed before the day of the Lord. It's also clear that God's rescue of His own, and the judgment He will bring happen on the same day; NOT 7 years apart, Luke 17:26-30. We know that the Antichrist reigns 3 1/2 years, Revelation 13:5, and he is overthrown when the Lord returns, in 2 Thessalonians 2:8. So we now wait for Antichrist to be revealed, and then a countdown to the approximate time of Jesus' return. That's the simplicity, and now comes greater detail...

There are 3 main points I see in the way the Lord's return is now popularly portrayed; first, Jesus could come at any time. Second, the time of Christ's return is unknowable. Third, He will rapture His church before this last tribulation period. The Bible has a contradictory view on these points, however.

The time of Jesus' return is knowable:

Matthew 24:32-34, Mark 13:28-30, Luke 21:29-31; I Thessalonians 5:1-6 (4)

The Rapture comes AFTER the last tribulation period:

Matthew 24:29-31, Mark 13:24-27, Luke 21:25-28, Revelation 16:15, 19:6-15

When that time will come:

Matthew 24:3-31, Luke 17:26-30, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10, 2:3-6

Reference to a 3 1/2 year period, not 7:

Daniel 7:25, 9:27, 12:7,11,12, Revelation 11:2,3, 12:6,14, 13:5

THE TIME IS KNOWABLE;

"Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." -Matthew 24:32-34.

Jesus' disciples had asked Him about the end of the world, and His return in the verses preceeding these, and the Lord told them about the condition of things that would come. He tells them plainly that when they would see these things happening, they would KNOW the end was at hand. The passages in Mark & Luke echo the same conclusion.

It should be noted here that many try to stand on Matthew 24:36 in order to declare that the time is altogether unknowable. Yet the testimony of this entire passage is showing that we will know with certainty the season of the end, but the exact time will be hidden from us.

"For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober." -I Thessalonians 5:2-6. Bold type is added to emphasize.

THE RAPTURE COMES AFTER THE TRIBULATION;

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." -Matthew 24:29-31. The underlining has been added for emphasis. The passage in Mark also directly says "after," and the verses from Luke identify the same time period, without saying after.

"And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:" -2Thessalonians 2:8.

The Lord's return, and the destruction of the Antichrist come the same day; obviously at the end.

WHEN THAT TIME WILL COME;

"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time." -2 Thessalonians 2:3-6. Bold type is added to emphasize that the Antichrist must first be revealed before Jesus' return.

The Lord's return, and God's judgment fall on the SAME DAY;

"And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." -Luke 17:26-30. Bold type added.

"And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day." -2 Thessalonians 1:7-10. Bold type is again added. You can see in this verse that God's vengeance is the same day He will be glorified in His saints.

Matthew 24:3-31;

"And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" -Matthew 24:3. Bold type is added to emphasize the setting, that Jesus is with His disciples alone, and that's how the answers given in the next 28 verses should be taken. This setting will also apply to the accounts in Mark and Luke, even if not mentioned there.

When we note the Lord's answers here in context, we see that disciples of Jesus are still here on earth during this last tribulation period.

Revelation 16:12-16;

"Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." -Revelation 16:15&16. The bold type emphasizes that there are still believers here on the earth when the 6^th vial of God's wrath is poured out. You can see here the admonition to be ready for the Lord, just before judgment at Armageddon.

Revelation 19:6-15;

"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready...And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war...And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean." -Revelation 19:6,11,14. Bold type emphasizes the marriage supper of the Lamb, and the judgment which follows soon after; Jesus said it will be on the same day.

REFERENCES TO A 3 1/2 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD;

"And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time." -Daniel 7:25.

"And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months." -Revelation 13:5.

The scriptures list a 3 1/2 year time period for the time when the Antichrist reigns, but it lists them in different ways. In addition to these 2, see Daniel 12:7,11,12; Revelation 11:2,3, 12:6,14.

In prophecies of that last tribulation period, a 7 year period is never mentioned; you'd think it would be, if it applied. The 7 year period that so many stand on is due to misunderstanding the 70^th week prophesied in the book of Daniel 9:27. These 70 weeks listed are well kmown to represent 7 year periods, with only the last one that isn't yet fulfilled.

The first 69 weeks take us to Jesus' earthly ministry, and they are very accurate. What many don't understand is that the 70^th week is split into 2 parts; the first half is the 3 1/2 year ministry of our Lord, culminating with His death on the cross for our sins, and His resurrection. Daniel 9:27A;

"And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease..." Here I use bold type to point out that in the midst (middle) of the week it says the sacrifice & oblation will cease; which we take to mean that by Jesus' atoning death on the cross, other sacrifices are no longer needed. That these verses talk about the Messiah can be clearly seen in the verses before v.27.

We don't have to guess about this serious subject, for God gives us clarity in His Word. The hard part is getting past all of the propaganda that has been thrown our way over the years. My prayer is that you will find peace in the Lord, through faith in His Word.

"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before." -Matthew 24:24,25.